Driver Database News

Alice Powell closed the gap to the Championship Lead in the Formula Renault BARC Championship to just 5 points, after taking two solid second place finished at the North Yorkshire circuit of Croft.

After qualifying 5th and 4th on the grid for the races, Alice knew it was all to play for: “We did have a struggle with brake problems in qualifying, but we managed to get it sorted for the race, and I knew I had to get a good start and get ahead of my championship rivals”.

This is exactly what Alice did, by producing excellent starts in both races, to achieve her second place finishes: “I am happy about this weekend’s results, as we have closed the gap dramatically to the lead of the championship. Thanks to my engineer Sarah (engineer and co-owner for Manor Competition), we got the car set how we wanted for the races to battle our way through to second”.

Rounds seven and eight of the 2010 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship take place at Norfolk’s Snetterton circuit on 31st July/1st August.

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Local schoolgirl and racing driver Alice Powell was honoured at the 2009 Women of the Future Awards, held last night (12 November) at a ceremony in London, supported by David Cameron and Cherie Blair.

Alice was runner up in the Young Star Award category, which was won by 19-year-old inventor and businesswoman Ruth Amos, who developed a revolutionary mobility aid whilst studying for her GCSEs.

Other entrants in the Young Star Award included: actress Georgia Groome star of the movie “Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging” and pianist Mishka Rushdie Momen.

Alice, who lives in Chipping Norton and attends the Cotswold School near Cheltenham, says: “It’s a real honour to get recognition. Few women have made it in motorsport and no one has made a real impact in F1 – that is my ambition. I think the time is right, if a girl is out there doing well then more women would watch Formula 1 – it would definitely make it more exciting.”

Alice continues: “I’d like to be a role model for girls entering motor sport. A successful woman in motor sport would be a true ambassador for the sport and women wanting to enter it and do well. I am breaking new ground and would like to do for motor sport what Ellen MacArthur has done for sailing.”

Founded by writer and entrepreneur Pinky Lilani OBE and Caspian Publishing, and supported by Shell, the Women of the Future Awards were established to identify Britain’s talented young women aged 35 and under, who are set to be the leaders of tomorrow.

Now in their fourth year, previous winners include Melody Hossaini, co-founder of the UK Youth Parliament, soloist ballerina Lauren Cuthbertson and television presenter and writer, Dawn Porter.

At last night’s ceremony, David Cameron delivered a speech on the vital role of women in the UK. Cherie Blair, a long-standing patron of the awards, presented the award for the Business Woman of the Future category.

Awards went to:
Art and Culture Woman of the Future – sponsored by Visa Europe
• Alexia Khadime (24) and Dianne Pilkington (34), currently performing the lead roles in Wicked.

Business Woman of the Future – sponsored by Asda
• Sam Smith (35), FinnCap

Entrepreneurial Woman of the Future
• Holly Tucker (32), the co-founder of internet retailer notonthehighstreet.com which provides a platform for small businesses to take on established brands.
• (Special commendation: Emily Bendell (28), Blue Bella)

Media Woman of the Future
• Julie King (33), Head of External Relations for the Olympic Delivery Authority, the body organising the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Professions Woman of the Future – sponsored by Sodexo
• Annie Graham (31), Ernst & Young
• (Special commendation: Ayesha Hazarika (34), Special Advisor to Parliament)

Science and Technology Woman of the Future – sponsored by Shell
• Dr Sarah Teichmann (34) of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
• (Special commendation: Dr Karen Masters (30) of the Institute of Cosmology & Gravitation, University of Portsmouth)

The Woman of the Future Voluntary Award
• Katy Tuncer (29), Metropolitan Police

The Young Star Award – sponsored by Barclays
• Inventor and businesswoman Ruth Amos (19) of StairSteady who has put university on hold to focus on the company she formed after inventing a product to help people with mobility issues as part of a GCSE project.

Mentor of the Year – sponsored by Booz & Company
• Birgit Neu, HSBC

The Women of the Future Corporate Award – sponsored by KPMG
• Global outsourcing giant Capgemini UK
• (Special commendation: Caroline Carr and Seung Earm, Executive Directors, Goldman Sachs)

A Women of the Future Awards Special Commendation went to Debbie Moore of Pineapple Studios who was the first women to float a company on the London Stock Exchange.

The awards ceremony took place at the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square on Thursday November 12, 2009.

For information on the awards, visit: http://womenofthefuture.co.uk/

Manor Competition drivers Menasheh Idafar and Thomas Hylkema ended the 2009 Formula Renault UK Winter Championship at Rockingham on Saturday, 7th November, split by a mere two points in the standings – Middle Eastern racer Idafar just edging the battle to finish the series third overall.

Both drivers proved to be every evenly matched during the opening two rounds at Snetterton in Norfolk and at the 1.94-mile Northamptonshire venue on Saturday, there was very little to choose once again between the team-mates.

Two top six results were enough to give 18-year-old Idafar his highly creditable third place finish in the championship while Dutchman Hylkema claimed an impressive fourth position thanks to a best result of fifth during the final race of the series, added to a top seven placing from the earlier race.

David McDonald overcame yet more horrendously bad luck to salvage a top eight series finish, seventh place in race two his highlight after being forced to miss the opening encounter due to the failure of a new wiring loom – a particular disappointment for the Manor Competition team considering the squad’s outstanding reliability all year long.

Category rookie Robert Foster-Jones, the 2009 B4/Renault MSA British Karting Champion, claimed a fine eighth place in the first race – after a similarly strong run in qualifying – but was lucky to walk away uninjured from a substantial collision with the barriers on lap five of race two.

Commenting on the winter series finale, Manor Competition co-owner Sarah Shaw said: “We’ve had a fairly successful winter campaign and we’re pleased with the progress made by all four drivers, it’s just unfortunate David has had such bad luck yet again, especially due to the failure of a new part. He undoubtedly has the pace, he’s shown that time and again, he just needs some better fortune.

“It’s been a steep learning curve for Robert but he’s done a good job this weekend and we were all very relieved to see him walk away from his race two accident without injury. It was big impact but the chassis did its job in keeping him protected.”

Shaw added: “Menasheh and Thomas carried on their close battle from Snetterton and although they were both disappointed not to be on the podium again, they raced well and were split by very little in the end. It’s clear to see all four drivers have what it takes to be strong runners in the main championship next year.”

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Derbyshire-based Formula Renault UK team Hillspeed concluded the 2009 Winter Championship on a high at Rockingham International Super Sports Car Circuit on Saturday, 7th November, with Joseph Reilly finishing the four-round series as the highest placed single-seater rookie.

The 17-year-old Londoner, who made his competitive car racing debut with Hillspeed last weekend during the winter series curtain-raiser, continued to make excellent progress at Rockingham with a top 10 qualifying effort and two good race results to seal ninth place overall in the standings.

“We’ve made wonderful progress over the last three weeks”, said Hillspeed team principal Richard Ollerenshaw, “Joe has gone from finding the pace to getting very close to the actual pace and for someone who had never even sat in a Formula Renault until the middle of October, he’s done an exceptional job – very encouraging indeed.

“He knew he had to finish all four Winter Championship races and couldn’t take any unnecessary risks and his efforts have borne fruit as the best of the single-seater rookies. Joe is a promising young driver, he has a good head on his shoulders and we’re sure he’ll go far.”

As at Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk a week ago, Reilly was faced with the prospect of a wet qualifying session for the two Rockingham races but he dealt with the conditions very well and posted the 10th best lap with a time of 1m27.502 seconds (79.81mph) – just 0.272 seconds shy of experienced Formula Renault UK racer Thomas Hylkema.

Round three of the campaign started well for the Hillspeed teenager as he climbed into the top eight after managing to avoid being eliminated from proceedings following a multi-car tangle at Deene Hairpin on the opening lap.

With the Safety Car deployed, Reilly held eighth place and at the re-start a lap later he immediately pressured fellow rookie Robert Foster-Jones before grabbing seventh position. Unfortunately he then slipped back to eighth but on lap four at Deene, an incident with Foster-Jones resulted in Reilly losing a lot of time and rejoining the race in ninth place where he remained to the chequered flag.

The final race of the Winter Championship, round four, had to be red flagged on the eighth tour when Foster-Jones had an accident at Gracelands and collided heavily with the barriers on the outside of the corner. For the re-start, Reilly had to line-up at the end of the pitlane rather than on the grid due to the fact repairs were necessary on his car to allow it to continue effectively.

Doing a sterling job, the Hillspeed mechanics ensured Reilly’s car was ready for the final seven laps of action and he came home in 11th place to end the series as the highest scoring Formula Renault rookie by a single point over Alex Lynn.

Although the Formula Renault UK Winter Championship has now concluded, Hillspeed returns to action straight away this week at Pembrey in South Wales with drivers testing both Formula Renault BARC and Ginetta Junior Championship cars.

Final 2009 Formula Renault UK Winter Championship Standings:
Champion: Harry Tincknell, 119pts; 9th Joseph Reilly, 41pts

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

2009 Formula Renault UK Graduate Cup winner Harry Tincknell has added to his season’s success by securing the Michelin Formula Renault UK Winter Cup at Rockingham, Northamptonshire, on 7 November 2009. The
Exeter-based 18-year-old dominated the series, claiming four pole positions and four podiums, including two run-away race wins, to finish 26 points clear of his closest rival.

After a strong season in the highly-competitive Formula Renault UK Championship, the CRS Racing driver qualified on pole for rounds three and four of the Winter Cup, despite the slippery track conditions.

At the start of round three, the racing line on the outside of the track was beginning to dry. However as pole-sitter, Tincknell started from the inside, which remained wet. As the lights went green he lost two places due to lack of grip but managed to hold onto his position to claim a third-place finish after 15 laps.

Tincknell had a strong start in race two but ran wide on the first lap, putting him second. With points dictating that he only needed to cross the line to claim the title, Tincknell cruised to a second-place finish and the Winter Cup victory.

“The weather conditions in race one made the start really difficult,” said Tincknell. “The inside of the track was still wet and the sun meant I couldn’t see the lights change. In the second race, I knew I just had to finish to win the title, so I took it steady and thought of the bigger picture.

“It’s great to be a double champion in my first year, and it sets me in really good stead for next year. The Winter Cup has given me extra practice on greasy tracks, and my driving has improved a lot over the two weekends. I’m looking forward to getting back out there next year and contesting for the Formula Renault UK title.”

Rising single-seater racer Menasheh Idafar claimed a brace of battling top six finishes at a bitterly cold Rockingham this afternoon, Saturday, 7th November, to secure an excellent third place overall in the final standings of the 2009 Formula Renault UK Winter Championship.

At the wheel of his Manor Competition-run FR 2.0 car, the British-born Bahraini wasn’t quite able to extract the pace he knew he was capable of during the wet-but-drying qualifying session although he proved his front-running credentials in both encounters with the fourth fastest lap in each race.

Concluding the four-round Winter Championship two points clear of team-mate Thomas Hylkema, 18-year-old Menasheh also came very close to holding on to the Vice-Champion’s spot he secured during the previous weekend at Snetterton. In the end, he missed out by a mere five points.

“Even though I didn’t finish on the podium today I’m really happy to end the championship in third place, it’s a great result”, said the Ortolan and Gulf Computer Services-backed driver, “When we started testing with Manor in October we didn’t know where we’d be but the team has done an amazing job for me and they’ve given me a great car. I want to say a huge thank you to all of them.”

During this morning’s 20-minute qualifying session, in which lap times tumbled throughout due to the slowly drying track surface, Menasheh was the highest placed of the Manor Competition drivers in seventh position with a best lap of 1m26.750 seconds (80.50mph). His second best lap was also good enough for a seventh place start for race two.

For the first of the day’s races all drivers opted to run on slick tyres due to the fully dry racing line around the 1.94-mile International Super Sports Car Circuit. However, this meant Menasheh wasn’t able to get the traction he wanted off the grid with his side of the track still damp.

Although losing a couple of places on the run through Turn 1 of the Rockingham oval, he did manage to steer his way through Deene Hairpin unscathed as several rivals made contact. The Safety Car was deployed in time for lap two and at the re-start just one lap later Menasheh produced an intelligent piece of driving to usurp team-mate Robert Foster-Jones and Joseph Reilly to move into seventh.

On lap eight, fifth-placed Hylkema out-braked himself at Deene which enabled Menasheh to nip ahead into the top six where he remained to the chequered flag on lap 15. Hunting down Dino Zamparelli during the final third of the race, he never had the chance to make a concerted bid for a pass and so finished in sixth place just seven 10ths of a second shy of the Italian.

Race two meant another fourth row start for Menasheh and at the beginning he was forced onto the grass which meant he slipped down the order to 10th position but fought back brilliantly to climb back into the top eight on lap two. Pressurising Luke Wright throughout lap three, he made his move to take seventh on the fourth tour into Deene with a terrific, well timed pass.

At this point Menasheh held the second fastest lap, only leader Tom Blomqvist having posted a quicker time, but before he had chance to make further inroads the race was red flagged after Foster-Jones made heavy contact with the barriers at Gracelands. Thankfully, he emerged without injury.

The re-started race was contested over seven laps, Menasheh grabbing sixth place on the last tour after fellow Manor driver David McDonald had a spin at the exit of Pif-Paf.

Having enjoyed a successful Formula Renault UK return over the course of the four-round Winter Championship, Menasheh now turns his attention to the world of Formula 3 with a two-day test outing planned for next week, Wednesday, 11th November, and Thursday, 12th November, at Snetterton in Norfolk. He will be running with British F3 International Series squad T-Sport.

Final 2009 Formula Renault UK Winter Championship Standings:
Champion: Harry Tincknell, 119; 2nd Nick Yelloly, 93pts; 3rd Menasheh Idafar, 88pts

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Manor Competition’s Menasheh Idafar prepared well for the decisive third and fourth rounds of the 2009 Formula Renault UK Winter Championship during officially timed testing at Rockingham today, Friday, 6th November, the venue for this weekend’s all-important series climax.

Arriving at the Northamptonshire track on Thursday, 5th November, for a full day of general testing, the 18-year-old and his fellow Winter Championship competitors had the benefit of official timing today at the 1.94-mile International Super Sports Car Circuit configuration.

During the first of three 40-minute sessions, Menasheh posted a best lap of 1m30.612 seconds (77.07mph) in wet conditions to secure a top four placing on the timesheets. As the track dried throughout the second run, he was sixth fastest with a time of 1m20.000 seconds (87.29mph) – just 0.282 seconds shy of the outright pace.

The last of today’s outings proved to be the quickest session of the three and the Gulf Computer Services and Ortolan-backed driver was seventh quickest, a lap of 1m16.260 seconds (91.58mph) proving to be his best of the day.

Commenting, the British-born Bahraini said: “Today has been really good. In the last session I pushed a bit too hard too soon on my new tyre run so I didn’t get the best out of them. We lost time there for sure but the car was well balanced so it’s been another solid day, I’m really pleased.”

Ahead of the all-important third and fourth rounds of the winter series, Menasheh is second overall in the championship. During the curtain-raiser at Snetterton, Norfolk, last Saturday, he secured a fine fourth place in race one and backed that result up with a career-best second position in the second encounter – his first ever Formula Renault UK podium. He also posted the fastest race lap.

Qualifying for rounds three and four of the 2009 Formula Renault UK Winter Championship will get underway at 09.55 tomorrow morning, Saturday, 7th November. Race one is scheduled to start at around 12.00 with the second 15-lap encounter – the final round of the winter series – scheduled to follow at 15.00.

Provisional 2009 Formula Renault UK Winter Championship Standings (after Rd2):
1st Harry Tincknell, 66pts; 2nd Menasheh Idafar, 52pts; 3rd Thomas Hylkema, 50pts

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Formula Renault UK racer Menasheh Idafar produced the drive of his career during the opening weekend of Winter Championship action at Snetterton in Norfolk today, Saturday, 31st October, to secure his maiden category podium finish with a superb second place in round two of the series.

In atrocious conditions at the 1.95-mile track, the 18-year-old Manor Competition driver was in outstanding form. Having been in the top four during official testing on Friday, Menasheh carried that pace forward into qualifying this morning where he secured two front row starts for rounds one and two of the winter series – by far his best ever performance in a full UK-specification Formula Renault.

The first race was abandoned and postponed until the end of the day’s action due to a couple of incidents in very wet conditions and at the time of the cessation, the British-born Bahraini was in second place. When the encounter was re-started, Menasheh wasn’t able to get away from the grid as well as he had previously and slipped to fifth place on the opening lap.

Mounting a spirited fightback, he took fourth position from Dino Zamparelli at the Esses on lap two and remained there to the chequered flag on lap 15 a mere seven 10ths of a second behind Dutch team-mate Thomas Hylkema.

Podium and fastest lap lead to second in standings
Round two proved to be the major highlight of the weekend for the Gulf Computer Services and Ortolan supported driver though. Making a good getaway from second on the grid to hold his place behind pole-sitter Harry Tincknell, Menasheh pulled well clear of Hylkema as the race progressed and actually started to catch the race leader during the closing stages.

At the finish on lap 15 he was just over 4.5 seconds shy of Tincknell but almost 10 seconds ahead of his Manor team-mate. Furthermore, Menasheh’s charge as track conditions marginally improved towards the end meant he secured the fastest lap of the race – and with it two bonus points in the championship – with a time of 1m15.946 seconds (92.52mph).

Taking 22 points for fourth place in round one and 30 points in total for second position and the fastest lap in round two, Menasheh is a thoroughly deserved second overall in the winter series standings ahead of next weekend’s third and fourth rounds at Rockingham in Northamptonshire.

“I’m really happy to have finished on the podium today, my first ever in Formula Renault UK”, said the delighted teenager, “Everything has been going really well with Manor, we were strong here yesterday in the timed test and then in qualifying it was great to get two front row starts. In the races the car was great, to get the fastest lap as well as a podium is a fantastic feeling.”

Rounds three and four of the 2009 Formula Renault UK Winter Championship will take place next Saturday, 7th November, at Rockingham’s International Super Sports Car Circuit. Before then, Menasheh will be back in action for unofficial testing at the Corby track this Thursday, 5th November, with an officially timed series of sessions following on Friday, 6th November.

Provisional 2009 Formula Renault UK Winter Championship Standings (after Rd2):
1st Harry Tincknell, 66pts; 2nd Menasheh Idafar, 52pts; 3rd Thomas Hylkema, 50pts

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Menasheh Idafar underlined his burgeoning potential during officially timed Formula Renault UK Winter Championship testing at Snetterton in Norfolk today, Friday, 30th October, by concluding the outing an excellent fourth fastest on combined times.

In the last of today’s 40-minute sessions this afternoon, the 18-year-old produced a quickest lap of 1m04.631 seconds (108.72mph) on his final run to go second overall and the fastest of the Manor Competition drivers with around three minutes to go.

With team-mate David McDonald and fellow front-runner Harry Tincknell – 2009 Formula Renault UK Graduate Cup Winner – just edging ahead by fractions of a second at the finish though, Menasheh slipped to fourth fastest but the end result was still extremely impressive, just 0.270 seconds shy of the outright pace.

During this morning’s opening session, the Gulf Computer Services and Ortolan-backed driver was seventh on the timesheets with a time of 1m07.765 seconds (103.69mph). Then, in the second period, he improved to a superb third quickest, having been at the head of the times with just a few minutes remaining thanks to a lap of 1m05.151 seconds (107.85mph).

Happy with his performance today, Menasheh commented: “My fastest lap in the last session could have been better as I made a small mistake but I’m very happy to be in the top four, especially as we only used one set of new tyres at the end. The car is good and I’m really enjoying it, now I’m looking forward to the start of the Winter Championship tomorrow.”

Qualifying for the opening two races of the 2009 Formula Renault UK Winter Championship will take place at 09.30 tomorrow, Saturday, 31st October, at Snetterton with round one scheduled to get underway at approximately 10.50. The second 15-lap encounter will follow at around 13.30.

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Adrian Quaife-Hobbs brought his 2009 racing campaign to a close in the final rounds of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship at Motorland Aragon at the weekend. The 18 year-old, fresh from a successful F3 test last week, went straight to Spain for the double-header event with the intention of taking fourth in the standings.

On arrival at the new circuit Adrian went straight into two free practice sessions in which the BRDC Rising was left disappointed by the pace. Despite winding up fourth quickest in the first session, his times were set on new tyres with his rivals on old, leaving the Motopark Academy team work to do before qualifying.

This they did to good effect however, the Tonbridge teenager bouncing back to form with the fourth fastest time in his group just over a tenth off pole. In the combined Superpole shootout to determine the grid for race one, Adrian against set the fourth fastest lap, two places ahead of his chief rival Miki Monras.

Saturday’s opening race proved largely uneventful for Adrian. A good start allowed him to hold position but by the end of the opening lap he’d dropped to seventh. With one eye on the whereabouts of Monras behind, Adrian drove a steady mid-part of the race concentrating on keeping a solid sixth place but as the race neared the end, the former double T-Cars champion upped his pace to stretch the gap to Monras.

In Sunday’s race two, Adrian again started from fourth, and the fraught race proved nail-biting right to the flag. With the championship title still very much at stake between three drivers, including Adrian’s team-mate Antonio Felix da Costa, team tactics were much in evidence over the course of the race.

But for Adrian, the battle for fourth was very much his target, entering the race on equal points with Monras. At the start, he had the advantage with a car in between them as the race progressed.

The battle for the race lead was fought out by six drivers, with the lead changing hands several times over the race distance. Throughout Adrian enjoyed a battle with Jean Eric Vergne, the pair swapping places several times.

On the penultimate lap, with his championship position secured, Adrian upped his pace to pass Kevin Magnussen and cross the line fourth, to give him that position in the points standings.

Adrian will now stay in Spain to take part in the official World Series by Renault tests which take place on Wednesday, when he will drive a Comtec Racing car.