Driver Database News

Team UK’s Josh Webster will graduate to the main Certina Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship for the 2012 season after today, Thursday, 16th February, finalising a deal to remain with experienced race-winning squad Mark Burdett Motorsport.

The Stowmarket teenager delivered an impressive performance on his debut in a current specification FR 2.0 car when driving for the Skegness squad during the six-round Formula Renault UK ‘Finals Series’ last November – finishing an excellent third overall in the driver standings.

Having concluded the 2011 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship as Vice-Champion just a month earlier, taking three wins and six other podiums from 12 races, Josh’s ability, determination and focus over the past 12 months have seen him gain a strong foothold in single-seater racing.

“We’ve been working so hard to try and put together a deal to race in Formula Renault UK this year so I’m happy we’ve been able to agree something with Mark Burdett”, said Josh, “The team did a great job for me in the Finals Series last year and together we showed we’ve got what it takes to run at the front in Formula Renault UK.

“I have to say a big thank you to all of my sponsors, especially James Palmer of Nine Telecom, Graham McMullen and David Marsden of Admiral Managed Networks and Pas Ruggiero of Integra ICT, for continuing to support me and helping us to finalise a great drive for 2012. This is going to be such an important year for my career, particularly as I’ll be representing Team UK and the MSA, so I’ll be giving it everything.”

Speaking on behalf of the team, Mark Burdett commented: “We were very impressed with Josh in the Finals Series last year, he did a very good job and the top priority for us this season was to try and sort out a deal with him. We’re delighted he’s with us, we’ve all got a great working relationship with Josh and the aim is to try and fight for the championship – that’s why we’re here!”

Renowned as one of the most important junior single-seater categories in the world, the Certina Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship has produced some of motorsport’s greatest names since its inception in 1989 and is a true ante-chamber to the world of Formula One.

FIA Formula One World Champions Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton are both past winners of the Formula Renault UK title, while fellow Grand Prix stars Paul Di Resta and Heikki Kovalainen also came through the championship en-route to F1.

For the first time in the history of Formula Renault UK, this year’s championship will feature three races at each meeting – bringing the category in-line with the format employed by the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series.

Beginning at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit over the weekend 31st March/1st April, as part of the British Touring Car Championship package, the season will take in visits to Donington Park, Thruxton, Oulton Park, Snetterton, Rockingham and the finale at Brands Hatch GP Circuit on 20th/21st October.

Away from the seven BTCC support dates, Formula Renault UK will visit Zandvoort in The Netherlands in mid-July where it will run alongside the prestigious Formula 3 Masters event. In early September, the championship will also support British F3 at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit.

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Jono Lester has completed his first season in the Toyota Racing Series with a sixth place finish in the 57th running of the New Zealand Grand Prix at Manfeild over the weekend.

Leading into the final round of the 2012 championship, Lester held the Rookie points lead by a slender margin of 18 points from Austrian driver Lucas Auer and Brazilian Bruno Bonifacio.

Hopes to secure the prize were dashed in the opening race on Saturday afternoon, when a broken bolt in the rear wishbone geometry forced the 22-year old to retire from the race at the half way point.

Starting from the rear of the 20-car grid for race two, Lester capitalised on a well balanced race car to improve to eleventh position at the finish.

The 35-lap New Zealand Grand Prix started well for Lester. From a starting position of 12th, he passed a number of cars to sit in eighth after two early safety car periods.

Lester applied pressure to the rear of Frenchman Nathanael Berthon’s car for the next 20 laps, before tyre degradation set in and his lap speed dropped away a little in the closing stages.

Crossing the line in sixth place, Lester was happy with the event on the whole, despite the DNF (did not finish) in the opening race.

“We’ve been pretty competitive speed-wise this weekend,” Lester explained.

“Qualifying was again a bit of a let down, but the breakage in the opening race was just one of those unfortunate fatigue scenarios and there was nothing anyone could have done to pre-empt it.

“As for Sunday, we had a great race car. It gave me more confidence and I think we showed that with our results from lowly starting positions.”

Lester acknowledged there were positives and negatives to take from his first single seater racing championship, and that he fully intended to return for the second of a two year programme in 2013.

“This championship has frustrated me at times, but that’s a product of its intense competition and driving talent. It’s been incredible in that regard.

“Coming back for another crack at it is a given, so we will begin our debrief immediately and get things underway.

“A huge thanks to the New Zealand Motorsport Trust and all of my loyal partners for allowing me this opportunity. I believe we’re all excited at what lies ahead for next season!”

Lester was supported in his campaign by the New Zealand Motorsport Trust & The Lion Foundation, and partnered with Counties Toyota, TradeZone Industrial, Ports of Auckland, Vortex Racewear, Hornet Nutrition, Opti-Flex, Chemz, Webdesign, iSign it, R Redpath Limited, Sony Electronics, Tissot, Loaded Sports Drink and Zero Water.

Photo by Bruce Jenkins/TRS

Indian teenager Shahaan Engineer is delighted to officially confirm his participation in the 2012 Certina Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship after agreeing a deal with multiple title winning team Fortec Motorsports.

Remaining with the Daventry-based squad for his first full year of car racing competition, having debuted with Fortec last November in the six round Protyre Formula Renault 2.0 UK ‘Finals Series’, the 16-year-old will be one of the youngest and least experienced drivers in the ultra-competitive championship which begins on 31st March/1st April at Brands Hatch in Kent.

Currently competing in New Zealand’s Toyota Racing Series to gain essential mileage and seat time ahead of the main 2012 Formula Renault UK season, Shahaan is relishing the chance to continue his relationship with Fortec.

Utterly dominant last year, winning the driver and team Formula Renault UK titles, the Richard Dutton-led squad will provide the Indian with the best schooling possible in a championship which has produced the likes of FIA Formula One World Champions Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton.

“It’s fantastic to be back racing with Fortec this year in Formula Renault UK”, said Shahaan, “There’s no doubt it’s the best team in the championship and I can’t wait for pre-season testing to start. It’ll be an unbelievably tough season, it’s such a competitive championship, but by racing with the best drivers and being with the champion team I’ll be able to learn a huge amount.”

Dubai-domiciled Shahaan only started his motor racing career in 2008 when he took the UAE karting scene by storm. In his first race in the Middle East Karting Cup, aged only 12, the young rookie took a superb victory by six seconds – a massive margin in karting terms.

Debuting in Europe only two months later, he ran in the top order immediately against experienced drivers two and three years his senior. In 2010, Shahaan arrived in the UK to compete in the Formula One Management-backed Formula Kart Stars series and starred on his debut – qualifying third and finishing fifth on his first weekend, the youngster’s talent was clear to see.

Last year, the decision to rapidly progress into single-seater car racing was taken. Making a huge impression on the Fortec Motorsports squad during his first ever test in a Formula Renault BARC car at the challenging Oulton Park, so impressive was his performance Shahaan was advised to forego the club-level series and debut instead in the full national-level Formula Renault UK series.

Joining Fortec for the winter ‘Finals Series’, the debutant qualified an outstanding eighth out of 29 competitors during his maiden session and went on to take five strong points-scoring results from the six races contested.

“Shahaan’s had a successful career in karting and his performances in the Finals Series demonstrated that he is more than capable of having a strong season with us”, said Fortec’s Formula Renault UK team manager Alex Fleming, “Although still very young, he is extremely focused and I’m sure that his hard work will pay off this season.”

Shahaan has one event remaining in the Toyota Racing Series, next weekend (11th/12th February) at Manfeild Autocourse in New Zealand. From there, he will return to the UK in readiness for his testing programme with Fortec ahead of the 2012 Certina Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship season.

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Shahaan Engineer enjoyed his strongest and most competitive event of the 2012 Toyota Racing Series so far at Hampton Downs in New Zealand over the weekend, 4th/5th February, with a best result of seventh place in the second of three races.

Making huge steps forward in terms of his overall pace and skill, the 16-year-old – who has been consistently capable of making great starts throughout the TRS campaign – raced superbly across the weekend and produced some great overtaking moves, battling wheel-to-wheel with top talent.

While race two delivered the best result of the weekend, seventh from 13th on the grid, the headline encounter which rounded off the event, the 20-lap New Zealand Motor Cup, should have provided another top 10 finish – ninth to be precise.

However, an ongoing battle between two drivers just in front of Shahaan, at the exit of turn nine on the final lap, resulted in the pair crashing and forced the young ETEC Motorsport driver to take avoiding action through the gravel.

“I came out of the corner and there they were, scattered across the track blocking the entire exit of the corner”, explained Shahaan, “I had nowhere to go except the gravel trap because my reaction was to turn right and avoid the mess. By the time I got back on the track I had lost several places and finished 13th.”

The end result of race three was disappointing for the car racing rookie after a great drive through from 13th on the grid into ninth. With the exit of turn nine of the 2.8-kilometre track being blind though, Shahaan’s lightning reactions in avoiding a serious collision impressed his ETEC team.

Race one on Saturday afternoon was quite a sedate affair with Shahaan, and the majority of the rest of the top 15, all finishing where they started – in his case, 13th position. His race two result of seventh place was the best of the weekend of course but the tenacity and ability displayed in race three was a highlight.

ETEC race engineer Michael Olsen commented: “This has been the best week so far for Shahaan in the TRS, there has been a huge improvement in his technique, pace, consistency and mindset. Although we’re happy with the seventh place in race two, and we know the race three incident did lose Shahaan several positions, what’s more important is the learning and progress and the way he conducted himself throughout the weekend.

“There were two Safety Car periods, lots of blocking and overtaking, and he then did a great job of avoiding a high-speed collision in front of him. Shahaan showed great presence of mind to calmly get back on the circuit out of the gravel, against the odds, and still take home some respectable points.”

Of the 12 races contested so far in the Toyota Racing Series, the soon-to-be UK domiciled driver has posted 11 finishes with improving pace and consistency against a highly rated competition-base featuring racers with experience of Formula 3, GP3 and Formula Renault 3.5. Furthermore, the rookie hasn’t been involved in a single red flag incident in any of the 24 practice sessions so far.

The grand finale of the five-event championship, rounds 13, 14 and 15, will take place next weekend, 11th/12th February, at Manfeild Autocourse near Feilding, New Zealand.

Photo by Toyota Racing Series.

Jono Lester will return to his home circuit of Manfeild this weekend to take the grid for the 57th New Zealand Grand Prix, and the final round of the 2012 Toyota Racing Series.

Sitting seventh overall in the points standings as the leading rookie driver, Lester has competed in the Grand Prix just once before, as a 14-year old behind the wheel of a Formula Ford in 2004.

The 22-year old, now based in Auckland, is excited to compete for New Zealand’s most illustrious piece of silverware on the circuit built by his grandparents Rob and Wendy in 1973.

“It’s definitely the event I’ve been the most excited for,” Lester said.

“We tested here pre-season along with the other kiwi drivers and that should be an advantage, especially in the early stages, when we begin our free practice on Thursday.”

The fourth round of the championship over the weekend at Hampton Downs was challenging for Lester, who struggled again in qualifying managing just 12th position, improving to tenth and sixth in the opening two races.

Improving from a starting position of 12th to eighth in the final race, Lester was hit and spun from behind by fellow Kiwi Damon Leitch two corners from the finish of the 20-lap NZ Motor Cup.

Despite losing valuable points in the incident, Lester retained his rookie points lead from Austrian driver Lucas Auer; nephew of former F1 great Gerhard Berger.

“We have some regrouping to do after Hamptons to put us in the best position possible for Manfeild.

“Everyone will be throwing caution to the wind in that race, it’s going to be a cracker!”

Lester is supported in his campaign by the New Zealand Motorsport Trust & The Lion Foundation, and partnered with Counties Toyota, TradeZone Industrial, Ports of Auckland, Vortex Racewear, Hornet Nutrition, Opti-Flex, Chemz, Webdesign, iSign it, R Redpath Limited, Sony Electronics, Tissot, Loaded Sports Drink and Zero Water.

Photo by Bruce Jenkins/TRS

Chris Dymond (24), one of the UK’s fastest-rising sports car racing talents, has confirmed plans to contest the 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup GB in the Pro class with Parr Motorsport after three successful seasons in GT racing.

The Silverstone-based racer participated in the FIA GT3 Championship in 2008 and 2009 and spent last season contesting selected races in the Blancpain Endurance series. He won the Radical UK Cup in 2010 and was a top level international karter in his formative years. His graduation to cars came in the Renault Clio Cup in 2007 and he won the Clio graduate title in his debut season.

Now, he is switching focus to the Carrera Cup GB. “In the Carrera Cup it is purely about me with no other factors,” said Dymond. “The career path with Porsche is very good and it is the best
platform for me. Le Mans is where I really want to get to. I’m really aiming to be consistently in the Carrera Cup top three by the end of the year.”

For Parr Motorsport, signing Dymond comes soon after confirming plans to field Ben Barker and gives the team two hard-charging young racers with the potential to win races and challenge for the title.

Chris’s entry into the 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup GB will be supported by business-to-business partnership specialist PPC Motorsport Marketing Limited. Team boss Paul Robe is delighted with the latest development.

“Chris is just the type of driver we want to run in my team,” said Robe. “I’m really excited about working with Chris and I believe he has got great potential.”

Jono Lester has held onto his lead in the 2012 Toyota Racing Series Rookie standings despite a challenging outing at the Taupo Motorsport Park over the weekend.

The 22-year old made good of his ‘home track’ knowledge from the outset at Taupo, heading the field in Thursday pre-testing, however inexperience on new tyres hampered Lester in qualifying, managing just 12th position.

The importance of qualifying well in such a competitive championship was realised over the three races, with Lester starting outside of the top ten in all three, and improving to finish in eleventh in the opening race, and ninth in both races two and three on Sunday.

“Everyone knows qualifying is a vital ingredient in any racing, just I realised just how much that’s magnified in a single seater after this weekend,” Lester explained.

“As usual my race pace was good, but that means very little when you’re caught in the pack on a circuit where passing proves both difficult and highly risky.”

On a positive note, Lester was happy with his progression over the weekend as he continues to learn the intricate tuning parameters of a single seater race car.

“We tried a whole bunch of changes this weekend. The last race in particular we seem to have latched onto something, which gives us a really good starting point for Hampton Downs.

“Of course, apart from scoring solid points there, my goal is to get my qualifying sorted. It’s a fine art in one of these cars – the European drivers have it down pat and it’s a flaw in my game that I need to address immediately!”

Lester now sits in eighth overall in the points standings with two rounds remaining, and leads the Rookie standings over Russian driver Dimitri Suranovich and Brazilian Bruno Bonifacio.

Lester is supported in his campaign by the New Zealand Motorsport Trust & The Lion Foundation, and partnered with Counties Toyota, TradeZone Industrial, Ports of Auckland, Vortex Racewear, Hornet Nutrition, Opti-Flex, Chemz, Webdesign, iSign it, R Redpath Limited, Sony Electronics, Loaded Sports Drink and Zero Water.

Photo by Bruce Jenkins/TRS

Shahaan Engineer enjoyed a successful debut weekend in the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand, the 16 year old taking sixth place from a 19 strong grid in the ‘Spirit of a Nation’ feature race, despite being the youngest driver in the series.

This year’s Toyota Racing Series has the most international flavour of any in the championship’s history with 19 drivers from 12 countries, and four continents, the standard, therefore, is incredibly high.

The opening race saw Shahaan finish eleventh after a throttle problem deprived him off a top six finish, which was exactly where he finished in race two in severe weather conditions including rain and hail.

ETEC Motorsport team principal Trevor Sheumack on Shahaan’s impressive feature race finish: “Despite being the youngest driver on the grid of this, the most concentrated racing series in the world, Shahaan remained focused and brought the car home weather conditions severe even as per Invercargill standards.”

Conditions for the third race were even more shocking with rivers of water covering the track. Shahaan led the 19-strong field from the reverse top six pole position, as rainfall and increasing winds made racing near-impossible.

Unfortunately, contact with another driver ended his race just one corner before it was declared ended due to force Majeure. “I had no heat in my brakes and drove over the weather condition limits. No points for the third race;” Reiterated the young teenager, but I wouldn’t exchange the experience for anything as I got a rare chance this early in my career to experience leading a world-class field of senior drivers on the first race weekend in a premier single seater series under historically severe conditions where the race was declared after just one lap.”

Round two of the back-to-back five weekend Toyota Racing Series will take place on 21st/22nd January at Timaru International Raceway. At the conclusion of the New Zealand championship, Shahaan will return to Britain where he will prepare for his first full season in the Certina Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship with reigning champion team Fortec Motorsports.

Alice has been selected as A BRDC rising star for a second year running, due to her achievements in 2011. Aged 24 and under, the BRDC Rising Stars are very much the future of the Club, today. Scouted from trackside, the BRDC Rising Stars are in effect ‘Junior Members’ of the Club, all taking their motor racing very seriously and all aiming for a professional career within the sport.

Lewis Hamilton and Alex Lloyd are just two success stories from the Rising Star scheme, so the BRDC Rising Star panellist, has a proven track record of selecting only the best of individuals.

18 year-old Alice is the 2010 Formula Renault BARC Champion scoring two wins, seven podiums and two pole positions and finished runner up in the 2011 MRF Championship in India. Speaking about being selected, Alice commented “I am extremely pleased to be selected again and would like to thank the BRDC for this opportunity and also everyone who has helped me last year, giving me the chance to be on the scheme again”.

However, it is not yet known what Alice will be racing in this year, as funding is not yet in place. There is a wide range of packages offered to those who wish to help fund Alice this year, so if you would like to support Alice through sponsorship, please visit www.alice-powell.com or email info@alice-powell.com.

13 year old Cyrus Engineer won round five of the AARKC Rotax Junior max UAE championship and round three of the DAMC karting championships which took place at Dubai’s premier karting venue, the Dubai Kartdrome on Friday 20th January 2012 when the season resumed for the new year.

Dubai Tracktalk officials noted – “The Junior Max class is proving to be a hotbed of very close action with at least half a dozen drivers capable of victory, but Cyrus Engineer took top honours in the Final.”

Qualifying 3rd overall – following an extremely close timed practice session in which he missed out on pole position by mere hundredths of a second – the young Zanardi pilot saw his mettle tested with some bad luck during the heats and Pre-Final. Undeterred, the 13-year old remained focused on taking victory by 6 seconds, when it really mattered – in the Final.

Cyrus said of his win, “It was close all day. There was very little between us with many drivers on the pace, but in the end I stuck to my game plan and made all the right moves. I am very happy to win the final.”

Round 6 of the ten round AARKC championship will be held in early February at Al Ain International Raceway, home of the 2011 Rotax Grand finals. Keep up to speed with Cyrus and his karting career at www.cyrusengineer.com