Returning to the Hampshire track for the second time this season, Bolger aimed to fight for every point at a circuit slightly less suited to his #25 Carlin machine. Despite a number of setbacks over the weekend, the 16-year-old impressed with a strong drive in Sunday’s exciting final race.
A jam-packed Saturday saw three F4 sessions on the schedule, starting with Qualifying first thing. Heading out on fresh tyres Dougie completed two warm up laps before he and the three other Carlin machines began push laps. When pace was dropping a little, Dougie pitted for his second pair of slicks, rolling back out with half the session to go. He was eventually able to achieve a time of 1:13.372, placing him above each of his teammates and in 10th for Race 1 and 7th in the reverse grid Race 2. Unfortunately, with a slower second-fastest time Dougie would start in P14 for the weekend’s final race.
In the first race of the weekend Dougie had a good start, taking 9th from Neate before the end of the first lap and pressuring the pack in front. After maintaining position for a number of laps, Dougie was then briefly mixed up in a tangle with Loake and Hedley but was able to continue without damage and acquire P8. Next on the road were Rees and Granfors, and while the pair were caught up in a battle the Japanese racer was able to take both positions into 6th. The momentum continued as he then approached Coseteng, pushing for an overtake at the Complex and succeeding. Heading into the final 5 minutes in 5th place, a Rookie podium seemed on the cards however after a valiant defence from Dougie, Aiden Neate was able to avenge the first-lap pass with an overtake in the final few minutes. Despite crossing the line in P6 Dougie was later awarded a penalty for his involvement in the Loake/Hedley incident and classified P10.
Heading into the second race of the day, the 16-year-old would line up in 7th with his teammates just ahead. Over an incredibly hectic 20 minutes Dougie experienced many highs and lows, starting with a difficult first lap that saw an incident ahead force him to slow and allow competitors behind to slip past. Finding himself towards the back of the pack in P14 by lap 2, Dougie began his comeback drive. At lap 4 he had battled his way forward into 11th, passing three competitors including Race 1 winner Oliver Gray, although two were eventually able to force back past a few laps later. Dougie did not concede though, soon passing Loake, Taylor and a crash-damaged Pulling to snatch 8th place. The hard-fought battle with #84 Joseph Loake was not over yet though, as the Brit passed Dougie once more on lap 15 before the pair were both overtaken by Taylor in the final minute. Not the outcome Bolger had hoped for, he and the team regrouped ahead of Sunday’s third and final race.
At the end of a difficult Saturday, Dougie said:
“Today just didn’t go to plan. I feel like I have been driving quite well this weekend but it just didn’t come together in Quali or the two races. Getting caught up in some incidents forced us back down the field and it was then about fighting for any possible points.“
Feeling refreshed and ready for a new day, Dougie and the Carlin team headed into Sunday feeling positive. Knowing he would be starting 14th the young racer’s main aim was to drive a clean, concise race and gain as many places as possible. A very strong start saw Dougie win two places into P11, and at the end of lap 5 he was already into 9th. After a safety-car causing incident up ahead, he was soon elevated to 7th. The race was not over yet though, and once the action restarted Dougie put up a highly impressive performance to maintain his position until all fifteen laps of the 2.35 mile circuit were complete.
Following Sunday’s race Dougie stated:
“That was a very solid way to end the weekend. Knowing where I was starting it was just my aim to give my all and see if I could reach the points. To finish 7th was a great result for us and I am thankful to the team for all the hard work they put in.”
Kokoro Performance’s Kieren Clark added:
“We witnessed a great turnaround in Dougie’s performance today. His mindset was different from the day before and this really showed in the result. We need to master this positive attitude and continue with it into the next few rounds.”
Following a three week break, the next three of the 2021 British F4 season will take place on 18-19 September at Croft Circuit.
