Looking to build upon the previous Round’s rookie win Bolger travelled to Knockhill, Scotland, for Rounds 13, 14 and 15 of the British F4 Championship powered by Ford. Demonstrating great resilience throughout three of the season’s most tense races, Dougie was able to secure his sixth Rookie podium of the year.
Saturday morning saw the 16 competitors head out for Qualifying on the 1.2 mile circuit in reasonably bright conditions. Dougie was able to put in a number of clean laps and charged his Carlin machine into 7th spot on the grid for Race 1, although he would start 6th due to a penalty for a competitor. His efforts also meant he would line up in P5 for the third and final race on Sunday.
Starting Race 1 from the third row, the 16-year-old achieved a strong start but frustratingly was soon pushed into the gravel after attempting to take a wider line at Turns 1 and 3. Knocked back out of the points, he battled hard for positions, briefly getting caught up with Argenti’s Marcos Flack in the chaos. Despite the race’s challenges Dougie was able to cross the line in P11.
After the events of Saturday, Dougie stated:
“There were some very tricky moments on track today and we definitely could have done better but overall I’m happy with the pace. Starting P5 in Race 3 tomorrow should be a great opportunity.”
For Sunday morning’s reverse grid race Bolger officially started in P10, although was the 9th car on track after the pole-sitter failed to make the grid. As always the reverse grid race proved an opportunity for some great action, with some of the championship’s strongest drivers fighting from the back of the grid for any points-scoring positions. In what British F4 described as ‘one of the battles of the season’, Dougie fought with Pulling and Saturday’s race winner Zagazeta for many laps, eventually bringing the #25 car home in 10th spot.
The weekend’s final race saw Dougie line up in P5 on the highly competitive grid. A strong start allowed the 16-year-old to push into 4th, passing Aiden Neate on the first lap. The remainder of the 20-minutes saw him battling Pulling once again, with Dougie displaying some highly impressive defensive moves to hold the second-year driver off. In the end though, due to a slight misunderstanding regarding the race length, Pulling was able to break through, but Dougie’s stellar performance did not go unrecognised. The chequered flag fell on the final event at Knockhill with the Japanese racer in P5 and as the second-placed Rookie. This equated to Dougie’s sixth Rookie podium of the season.
At the end of Sunday, Dougie said:
“To be honest I’m a bit disappointed with how Race 3 ended as there was confusion on the race length, but I am still very pleased to have achieved another Rookie podium. We definitely showed the pace we had hoped for.”
Kokoro Performance’s Kieren Clark added:
“There were glimpses of some impressive performance in Dougie’s weekend at Knockhill, in particular his defensive display in both Races 2 and 3. It was frustrating for him to not have kept P4 in the end, but his sixth rookie podium has kept him in a solid position in the Rookie Cup. We are only half way through the season so there are plenty more opportunities for Dougie to impress.”
Rounds 16, 17 and 18 of the 2021 British F4 season will take place on 28-29 August at Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire.
