SHILLONG:
Series debutant and city boy Jaden Pariat secured podium finish for Chris Dittmann Racing in the F4 British Championship at Silverstone at the weekend (September 24 and 25), bringing home the team’s first silverware of the season.
Jaden’s second-place rookie cup finish represented Chris Dittmann Racing’s first podium position in the F4 British Championship this season, honouring the team’s ongoing hard work and devotion. The championship will now have a two-week vacation before returning for the season finale at Brands Hatch on the weekend of October 8 and 9.
Jaden, from Shillong, India, joined the squad alongside returnee Jack Sherwood to complete a two-car lineup for the rest of the season. After a wet and gloomy Friday for practise, the sun shone brightly on Saturday, when Jaden competed in his first qualifying session. A red flag was raised at half distance, upsetting the two teenage racers as they sought to achieve their fastest speeds, before returning to green with less than ten minutes remaining. In the end, Jack finished 17th and Jaden finished 19th, making the races a tough struggle but a terrific learning opportunity for the two.
Jack went up four places into 13th on the first lap of race one, before moving into the top 10 as turmoil up ahead forced a number of cars to fall down the order. Jaden had gained two positions on the start after recovering from a stall on the grid, but the race was interrupted by a Safety Car.
When racing resumed, the duo did well to avoid further trouble amongst the front runners, which brought out a second Safety Car, and, as the cars settled back into the race, Jaden made the move on Isaac Barashi to cross the line 11th, with Jack ahead in eighth to score his second top ten finish in just his seventh race in the series. Despite another grid stall, Jaden moved up two positions to 17th on the first lap of race two.
The teenage racer took advantage of other drivers’ errors and flew into 13th place. From then, it was a stunning sprint to the finish line for the 15-year-old, who crossed ninth overall and second among rookies, earning a Rookie Cup podium spot on his first weekend, which was later boosted to seventh overall owing to post-race penalties for other drivers. Unfortunately for Jack, early collision damaged his front wing, requiring him to pit for a replacement. Re-emerging in 19th, the teenager had a tough struggle through the pack, but he managed to keep out of trouble and cross the finish 15th. Race three got off to a dramatic start, with a stopped vehicle on the grid prompting a crash. Jaden swerved onto the grass as an evasive manoeuvre, but recovered well before the Safety Car was deployed to clean debris on the track. On lap five, with the time ticking down, it made its way into the pitlane before returning straight back to reclaim another vehicle.
When racing began again, there were fewer than eight minutes left, and both Jack and Jaden got away strongly on the restart, moving up to 12th and 15th position, respectively. Further contact ahead brought out the third Safety Car of the race, but with barely one minute remaining, the race was called off. Jaden’s second place rookie cup finish marked the first podium appearance for Chris Dittmann Racing in the F4 British Championship this season, rewarding the team’s continued hard work and dedication. There is now a two week break before the championship returns.