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Palmer sets the pace at Rockingham test

Will Palmer headed the timesheets at the official test session held at Rockingham on 14 April as preparations ramped up ahead of the Duo BRDC F4 Championship's first-ever race weekend at the circuit on the 2/3 May.

The Southwater ace, who claimed victory in the opening round of the 2015 F4 season, lapped the track in 1:23.504s with his HHC Motorsport team-mate Harri Newey just 0.231s behind in second. Lanan Racing's Rodrigo Fonseca, fresh from a podium finish on Easter Monday, claimed third with a 1:23.963s, edging out Sean Walkinshaw Racing's Jordan Albert in fourth with rookie Jack Bartholomew in fifth.

The Northamptonshire track was bathed in sunshine as the BRDC F4 cars took to the 1.94-mile long International Super Sportscar Circuit. The layout features both long straights, high-speed bends and technical, twisty sections in the infield stretching all 17 drivers that featured on the day to the max.

The very first session of the day saw the majority of drivers set their fastest laps including the leading trio of Palmer, Newey and Fonseca. Will completed 20 of 78 laps on the day in the opening hour and the 18-year-old set a time no one could better throughout the rest of the day's running.

Will was in the top-three in session two as he clocked a 1:24.304s to sit behind Jordan Albert and Chris Mealin, who both took their first-ever BRDC F4 wins last time out at Oulton Park. He then vaulted back to the top of the standings in session three, leading Sean Walkinshaw Racing's Zubair Hoque by 0.351s.

The final session of the day was less spectacular but still successful for Palmer as he lapped the Rockingham circuit in 1:24.219, to go fourth-fastest in the session. Jordan Albert led the times from 2013 Winter Champion Matty Graham but neither could get anywhere near Palmer's initial time set earlier in the day.

At the end of the day, Will said: "It's been a good day's testing overall. The weather has been perfect and we were able to get through most of what we had planned for the day. It is nice to end up fastest and it bodes well for the race weekend which I am really looking forward to."

The Duo BRDC Formula 4 grid will return to the Corby venue in less than three weeks as the 2015 season continues alongside the British GT Championship with rounds four, five and six of the year.

Rockingham test - Combined results

1. Will Palmer, HHC Motorsport, 1:23.504s
2. Harri Newey, HHC Motorsport, 1:23.735s
3. Rodrigo Fonseca, Lanan Racing, 1:23.963s
4. Jordan Albert, Sean Walkinshaw Racing, 1:24.026s
5. Jack Bartholomew, Lanan Racing, 1:24.067s
6. Matty Graham, Sean Walkinshaw Racing, 1:24.135s
7. Chris Mealin, Lanan Racing, 1:24.286s
8. Zubair Hoque, Sean Walkinshaw Racing, 1:24.385s
9. Tom Jackson, Chris Dittmann Racing, 1:24.507s
10. Ameya Vaidyanathan, Hillspeed, 1:24.765s
11. Hernan Fallas, Mark Godwin Racing, 1:24.969s
12. Akhil Rabindra, Douglas Motorsport, 1:24.991s
13. Omar Ismail, Chris Dittmann Racing, 1:25.083s
14. Fernando Urrutia, Douglas Motorsport, 1:25.180s
15. Ciaran Haggerty, Ecurie Ecosse/GBR, 1:25.220s
16. Michael O'Brien, Mark Godwin Racing, 1:25.391s
17. James Reveler, 23 Racing, 1:27.080s

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