Driver Database News

Mumbai-born Shahaan Engineer has underlined his position as India’s best young hope for a future career in the FIA Formula One World Championship after making a major impression on the Formula Renault UK Championship’s six race ‘Finals Series’.

Undertaking his car racing debut in what has widely been regarded as the most competitive Finals Series (formerly the Winter Series) in the category’s history, the 16-year-old karting graduate was the only single-seater rookie and the youngest driver on the near-capacity 29-car grid at Snetterton (5/6 November) and Rockingham (12 November) but shone with a series of excellent performances.

Joining Formula Renault UK’s top team Fortec Motorsports for his maiden campaign, Shahaan picked up his pace throughout testing ahead of the first four rounds of the Finals Series at Snetterton 300 Circuit and stunned the paddock in his maiden qualifying session with the eighth fastest time.

In spite of an unfortunate grid penalty for rounds one and two, due to yellow flags being shown at the time he set his best lap, Shahaan raced through the order brilliantly and outperformed drivers with experience of Formula Renault UK, Eurocup Formula Renault, Formula BMW and Formula Ford.

Serving up tremendous overtaking moves in horrendous wet conditions, far belying his inexperience, the talented Indian newcomer finished 13th in his first race – out of 29 competitors – and then took 14th place in race two.

During rounds three and four on the second day at Snetterton, he secured a pair of top 12 finishes to cap a superb first ever weekend in cars. More than that, both results were achieved despite starting way down the order in an uncharacteristic 26th position in each instance due to missing the entirety of the second qualifying session because of a faulty wiring loom.

Moving on to the incredibly challenging Rockingham International Super Sports Car Circuit this past weekend for rounds five and six, Shahaan quickly got up to speed once more with qualifying again taking place in tough, damp conditions along with the added complication of early fog.

Racing through to 14th position in the first race to post his fifth points-scoring finish from five starts, Shahaan eclipsed all of his previous outings in the last round of the championship by climbing his way into ninth place and on course for a truly memorable conclusion to the Finals Series.

India’s freshest motor racing star on fast track to success…
Matching podium finishing pace, the teenager lapped with a best time of 1m17.955 seconds as he reeled in the cars ahead but on lap 14 – with only three further laps remaining in the race – Shahaan was unfortunately punished heavily for the smallest of errors with a disappointing retirement.

Building in confidence all the time and eager to push for an even better result than ninth, at the exit of the fifth corner he just caught one of the remaining damp patches on the track and was powerless to prevent his car spinning off onto the infield.

“I just pushed a bit too hard trying to catch the cars in front”, he said after round six, “I wanted a bit more than ninth place as the pace was really good and I felt really comfortable with the car. The adrenaline rush was tremendous as I realised I had just a few laps left with a top 10 in hand.

“I was confident of catching the three cars in front but I just caught the damp patch and spun. It’s a real shame but it’s still been a very strong and positive weekend. Overall I’m really happy with what we’ve achieved in such a short space of time over the last two weekends, it’s been fantastic.”

So impressive has the young Indian’s debut car racing campaign been, Fortec Motorsports has declared its desire to sign Shahaan to a contract for the main 2012 season which is expected to get underway in Britain at the beginning of April.

Team owner Richard Dutton commented: “Shahaan did an amazing job and showed true race spirit in his first few races in a race car, we look forward to learning more of what Shahaan can show us and are happy to continue into 2012 with him.”

Perhaps most impressive of all though is the fact in 12 days of testing and racing in challenging, wet weather Shahaan incurred no damage whatsoever to his car – proving his terrific natural car control and tremendous awareness on circuit.

The chief aim over the past two weekends has been to achieve maximum track time and to learn about starts and racecraft. In doing all of that with a commitment and maturity of a driver of far senior years, India’s freshest star of the track has made a significant first impression…

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Another impressively strong outing in the Protyre Formula Renault UK ‘Finals Series’ at Rockingham in Northamptonshire on Saturday, 12th November, secured talented rookie Josh Webster third place in the championship standings – a brilliant way to cap off 2011 for the Suffolk teenager.

Off the back of a maiden Formula Renault UK podium finish a week earlier at Snetterton in Norfolk, the 17-year-old Mark Burdett Motorsport racer produced two more strong drives to see off Red Bull-backed competitor Daniil Kvyat by seven points. Ending the series as the best placed newcomer, Josh defeated some of Britain and Europe’s most highly touted aspiring Formula One drivers.

Added to his Vice-Champion status from the Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship this year, the top three finish in the Finals Series marks Josh out as a true contender for front-running honours in the main Formula Renault UK Championship next season.

“It’s really good getting third in the points, I’m so happy we managed to achieve it against such tough and experienced competition with just a few days in the car”, said the Stowmarket ace, “The field in the Finals Series this year has been unbelievably strong, especially with the guys who came over from Europe, but we did a great job.

“Massive thanks to Mark Burdett, Andy, Robbie and Jack at the team for all their hard work. As always, a huge thank you as well to my sponsors, especially James Palmer of Nine Telecom and Graham and David of Admiral Managed Networks.”

Having topped the times in the third of the official test sessions on Friday, 11th November, Josh and the team had high hopes for Saturday’s action but qualifying brought fresh challenges in the way of foggy conditions and a damp circuit.

Making a great start to the opening encounter and producing a brave first lap, Josh gained five places to move into fifth but following a three lap Safety Car period he made a small mistake under braking, running too deep into Deene Hairpin, and lost several places in the process. Rejoining in 10th position, he swiftly worked his way back into ninth where he remained to the flag.

Holding fourth place in the championship standings after round five, a couple of points behind Kvyat, Josh faced a tough final outing but delivered superbly. Starting seventh on the grid, out of 29 competitors, he ended lap one in sixth place and after a brief Safety Car period produced a fantastic cut-back at Deene Hairpin to take fifth.

Through two additional Safety Car interludes in the dry 25-minute encounter, Josh maintained terrific composure and challenged hard for fourth place to the conclusion. He almost made it with a superbly brave attempt through the Turn One oval banking but fifth was enough, with Kvyat 10th, to secure his richly deserved top three championship finish.

Final 2011 Protyre Formula Renault UK ‘Finals Series’ Standings (after Rd6):
CHAMPION: Oliver Rowland, 190pts; 2nd Dan Wells, 133pts; 3rd Josh Webster, 118pts

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Josh Webster delivered a star performance on his Formula Renault UK debut at Snetterton in Norfolk over the weekend, 5th/6th November – the 17-year-old series rookie surprising the established order by claiming his maiden category podium during the opening event of the 2011 ‘Finals Series’.

Scoring consistently well during Saturday’s opening two rounds with seventh and fifth place finishes, the Stowmarket driver improved yet further on Sunday to claim fourth position in round three before a sensational second place finish in round four delivered a richly deserved rostrum and third overall in the championship standings.

“Going into the weekend I didn’t know what to expect against such experienced and tough competition, so to get a podium is great – I’m really happy”, said Josh, “We made good progress throughout and I’m sure there’s more to come.”

Signing a deal with Mark Burdett Motorsport just a week or so prior to the start of the six-race championship, previously known as the Winter Series, the Suffolk racer joined the category for perhaps its most competitive ever campaign with over 30 drivers set to participate.

Including a wide array of experienced front-runners from Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula Renault UK, the near-capacity field served to provide an incredibly high level for Josh to measure himself against. Impressing throughout, the Formula Renault BARC Vice-Champion adapted well to the different driving style and characteristics of the UK-spec FR 2.0 car.

Qualifying 11th fastest for round one on Saturday in wet conditions, the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star aced his first ever start in a current specification FR 2.0 car and climbed into the top eight on lap one before gaining seventh on lap four where he remained to the flag on lap 13.

Starting 10th on the grid for round two on Saturday afternoon, on a wet but drying track, another superb start hoisted Josh into the top six and following an early Safety Car period he moved into fifth on lap four. During the second half of the race, he came under intense pressure from Jordan King and Stefan Wackerbauer but repelled both.

Sunday’s action was dry and in qualifying for rounds three and four Josh posted the fifth best time. Starting on the third row, the MSA Academy teenager made another superb getaway and after challenging for fourth on the run to Riches Corner he claimed the place. Then, after a Safety Car period between laps three to six, Josh initially pushed for third before settling for fourth place.

Round four was the undoubted highlight of the weekend, not least the start where he rocketed from fifth on the grid to second place – negotiating the stalled pole position car of namesake Josh Hill. Punching in a series of consistently strong lap times, he comfortably held the runner-up spot throughout and also posted the fourth fastest lap of the race.

“We worked hard and improved more and more throughout the weekend, thanks to all the guys at Mark Burdett Motorsport for their hard work”, he added, “Thanks as well to all my sponsors, especially James Palmer of Nine Telecom and David Marsden of Admiral Managed Networks for their continued support.”

Josh now heads into the last two rounds of the Finals Series this coming Saturday, 12th November, at Rockingham in Northamptonshire just four points shy of second place in the championship.

Qualifying for rounds five and six at the Corby track is scheduled to begin at 09.30 with race one set to follow at 11.05 and race two expected to commence at 13.55. Live timing of the weekend’s action will be available online at www.tsl-timing.com

Provisional 2011 Protyre Formula Renault UK Finals Series Standings (after Rd4):
1st Oliver Rowland, 128pts; 2nd Dan Wells, 90pts; 3rd Josh Webster, 86pts

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Stowmarket’s Josh Webster will make his competitive debut in the national Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship during the six race ‘Finals Series’ which begins at Snetterton in Norfolk this weekend, 5th/6th November, having signed a deal with race-winning squad Mark Burdett Motorsport.

Just a couple of weeks since the conclusion of the Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship, in which the 17-year-old ended the season as Vice-Champion with three victories and nine podiums in total, Josh now prepares to take on his toughest challenge yet in a current specification FR 2.0 car.

Offering greater power, enhanced aerodynamics, steering-wheel mounted paddle-shift gear change and requiring an adaptation in driving style compared to the previous generation ‘BARC’ Formula Renault, the demands of the top tier of the renowned single-seater category will prove to be a steep learning curve for the Suffolk racer…but he’s relishing the opportunity.

“It’s fantastic to have this chance to race in the Finals Series in a UK car, I’m really happy to be back out so soon after the end of the BARC season”, said Josh, “This is a perfect opportunity to learn the new car and get as much experience as possible as we prepare for next year, the aim is to do the full UK championship in 2012 if we can raise the budget so this is all about getting ready for that.

“It’s going to be a major learning curve for me, we’ve only had limited testing time in the car and I’ve never raced on the 300 Circuit before, but we’ll be giving it our all as we always do. I’m pleased to be working with Mark Burdett and his team, they’ve had some good success in the main championship this year and I’m sure we’ll develop a good relationship.”

Along with his inexperience of the new FR 2.0 car and Snetterton’s 2.97-mile 300 Circuit layout, the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star is also making the move into the UK category in what is destined to be the most competitive winter championship ever.

Over 30 cars are expected for the opening event in East Anglia, including a dozen or more entries from Europe, making the competition incredibly intense. The Finals Series will be contested over six races in total, four at Snetterton this coming weekend and then two more a week later on Saturday, 12th November, at Rockingham in Northamptonshire.

The opening qualifying session at Snetterton will get underway at 09.25 on Saturday, 5th November, with round one scheduled to begin at 12.15 and round two following at 15.45. Second qualifying on Sunday, 6th November, will commence at 09.00 with round three timetabled to start at 11.55 and round four rounding out the weekend’s action at 15.30.

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

On the 16th of October 2011, Alice made history, yet again, by becoming the first ever female to commentate on a motorsport event for ITV. She joined ITV Sport commentator, Richard John Neil in the comms box to commentate on the final round of the Formula Renault BARC Championship, the same championship she won this time last year. Alice did the commentary live on ITV4 at the Silverstone circuit. Richard John Neil said “Alice did a fantastic job! We are extremely pleased with her! I would love to work with her again.”

It was the first time Alice did anything like this and she commented, “I loved it! I thoroughly enjoyed it and I would love to thank ITV and Richard John Neil for this great opportunity and would jump at the chance to do it again!”

Also for Alice, it was the final round of the Formula Renault Championship. Struggling in qualifying with and a slipping clutch for the first few laps in race one, Alice finished P11 for the first race. But it would be the final race of the season which was highly frustrating. Alice fought hard to get P8 by the end of the third lap, but was ordered by the Clerk of the Course to serve a drive through penalty for using too much exit on the exit of Copse corner. Alice ended up finished P10, and P9 in the championship, but 4th in the Graduate Cup.

Commenting on the weekend, Alice said “It was a tough and frustrating weekend for us we struggled with things in qualifying, and we were unlucky with the slipping clutch in race one, and getting the drive through, as many drivers were doing the same thing. However, taking the positives, we raced very well and showed to people that no matter what happens we will always fight through. Huge thanks for my sponsors for all their support this season. I am hugely grateful! Also to Manor Competition for their spectacular work and their support this season, especially to my engineer Sarah, and my mechanic Sam. Next outing is the MRF race in India, which I am so excited about! As for next season, I hope to do Eurocup Formula Renault or GP3, but need to find the budget first.”

Alice will be racing in India on the 29/30 of October as a support race to the Formula One, Alice’s final race of 2011.

To keep up to date on progress in India, follow Alice on twitter, @alicepowell.

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star Josh Webster just missed out on claiming the 2011 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship title at Silverstone National Circuit over the weekend, 15th/16th October, despite racing to his third victory of the season and claiming a double podium.

Going into the all-important final two rounds of the campaign 19 points shy of the top of the table, the 17-year-old from Stowmarket needed a huge weekend to get anywhere close to achieving his dream…and it so nearly came good after a superb effort from the Fortec Motorsport driver.

Determined to give himself the best chance possible of overturning points leader Dino Zamparelli, the Suffolk racer qualified for the first of the weekend’s encounters on pole position and made a tremendous start to Saturday’s 18-lapper.

Fending off initial pressure from team-mate Archie Hamilton, Josh delivered an absolute masterclass at the front by stretching away to a four second winning margin. Importantly, he took two further bonus points for setting the fastest lap of the race with a time of 56.402 seconds (104.61mph) – this took him to within 10 points of Zamparelli going into the final round on Sunday.

Still with a lot of hard work ahead, and requiring a good dose of fortune too, the Nine Telecom Group, Admiral Group, Integra ICT, Sunwise, Melbek Technology, Everyone Active and Flying Saucer backed racer couldn’t have tried any harder in the televised 12th round.

Lining up on the front-row again, this time in second position, Josh made another great start to take the lead but pole-sitter Matt Mason dived back through into Becketts with a late pass to push the MSA Academy driver back to second place.

Piling on the pressure to Mason lap after lap, while also repelling an attack from Kourosh Khani behind, Josh pushed as hard as possible to force an error from the leader who had to defend hard and hold very tight lines in order to remain at the front.

Midway through the race, with Zamparelli back in sixth position, Josh literally had one hand on the champion’s trophy but by the time the chequered flag fell on lap 18 his rival had made his way through into the top three which was enough to give the Antel Motorsport driver the title.

Understandably disappointed, Josh couldn’t have given anything more or tried any harder – his exceptional weekend meaning he concludes his second season of car racing with a tally of nine podiums from 10 race finishes, an outstanding record. He also set the fastest lap on four occasions and qualified on pole position twice.

“Being at a points disadvantage due to having had two non-finishes, compared to Dino’s one, made it tough but it was good to take it down to the wire”, said Josh, “It just didn’t come to us this time but congratulations to Dino and Antel, they’ve been quick all year. I’m just looking forward to next year now, hopefully we can get the budget to be racing – my sponsors this year have been fantastic.

“I have to say a huge thank you to Nine Telecom, Admiral Group, Integra ICT, Sunwise, Melbek Technology, Everyone Active and Flying Saucer. Thanks to the guys at Fortec for their hard work and to my mum, dad and sisters Leah and Fern – without their support I wouldn’t be racing at all. For this weekend in particular, thanks to Mike Rockall and Whittlebury Hall for their fantastic hospitality.”

He added: “The championship has been so competitive this year and to come into the final round with 10 points between us, it shows how close we are. We both wanted it just as much as each other, in the end he just managed to pip me but I’m pleased we’ve put on a good show this year.”

Final 2011 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship Standings:
Champion: Dino Zamparelli, 295pts; Vice-Champion: Josh Webster, 286pts

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Current Formula Renault BARC Champion, Alice Powell, had mixed fortunes this weekend at Brands GP, which were the penultimate rounds of the Formula Renault Championship. Alice made it to the weekend, with the help of a Motorsport fan sponsoring Alice for the last two events.

BRDC Rising Star, Powell, struggled in qualifying only managing to post the 12th and 10th fastest time for the races, “I pushed to early on my tyres in the first qualifying and just tried too hard in the second one. It is a lesson learnt that I just need to chill out more!!”

For Race One, Alice got a fantastic start, gaining two positions off the line to move into P10. Throughout the race, she had a great on and off battle with team mate, Josh Hill, who pipped her on the second from last lap, due to a mistake by her out of Surtees bend. Alice crossed the line in P8.

For Race Two, Alice got yet another great start, pulling off a move on Mitchell Gilbert around the outside of the famous, Paddock Hill bend. As Alice tried to overtake Ed Jones, he forced her onto the grass, resulting in Alice losing a place and dropping back to P10. However, a couple in front of her had jump starts and had to serve drive through penalties, which promoted Alice to P8 by the end of lap 3. From then on, Alice pressured Ed Jones but could not find a way past , but still managed to set the 5th fastest lap of the race and finish second in the Graduate Cup, crossing the line in P8 but receiving P6 points, as two drivers in front of her do not receive championship points.

Commenting on the weekend Alice says, “I am disappointed with the way the weekend went. I was hoping for much better results, but the positives are that we showed in the last race that we had the pace, and also that we can start well! I just need to stay calm and focused to try and get a better result at Silverstone in two weeks. I have dropped to P7 in the championship, but only 2 points behind 6th, so it is not impossible!”

The final two races of the season are on the 15/16th of October and will be shown LIVE on ITV4. Alice will also be joining the ITV4 commentary team at Silverstone, to commentate on the Formula Renault BARC Championship.

If you would like to support Alice through sponsorship, please visit www.alice-powell.com or email info@alice-powell.com or call +44 (0)1608 659779.

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship title contender Josh Webster kept his hopes of claiming the 2011 crown alive at Thruxton on Saturday, 3rd September, with a brace of hard-earned podium finishes.

Hot on the heels of being invited by the prestigious British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) to be one of its latest ‘Rising Stars’, the Stowmarket 17-year-old raced brilliantly to third place in each encounter at the 2.35-mile Hampshire circuit after clutch problems compromised his starts on each occasion.

Despite being disappointed at not being able to challenge for victory this weekend, Josh’s sixth and seventh podiums of the year do help set the scene for a mouth-watering season finale at Silverstone in mid-October.

In order to take the championship he will need to overturn a 19 point deficit to series leader Dino Zamparelli. Despite having finished on the podium in seven of the 10 races so far, Josh is at a distinct disadvantage due to the fact he has two unfortunate retirements compared to his rival’s one.

“I want to win every time I go out but two thirds have definitely kept the championship alive for us”, said the Suffolk racer, “I am disappointed we couldn’t take a win this weekend, we didn’t have the pace I expected, but finishing on the podium twice isn’t a disaster at all. Plus I’ve been invited to be a BRDC Rising Star which is a massive honour, I’m really proud to be part of the club.

“I did struggle with the starts, each time I was mobbed into the chicane and dropped to fifth or sixth so I had to race quite hard to get back onto the podium. We later found out there was a problem with the clutch though. We’re looking ahead to Silverstone now, it’s one of my favourite tracks and I know we can still win the championship from here – so that’s what I’m going out to try and do.”

Qualifying didn’t quite go according to plan for the Nine Telecom Group, Admiral Group, Integra ICT, Sunwise, Melbek Technology, Everyone Active and Flying Saucer-backed driver as he missed out on picking up the essential ‘tow’ required at Thruxton for the quickest lap times. Even so, he managed to secure fourth on the grid for round nine and an improved third on the grid for round 10.

With 35 sponsors and guests looking on, Josh headed into the opening encounter aiming to get to the front of the pack as quickly as possible but the aforementioned clutch issue – unidentified at that point – meant he wasn’t able to make one of his usually sharp getaways.

The net result was that he was attacked from all sides heading through Allard and into the complex, slipping to sixth place but battling back superbly into fifth on the first lap and then moving back into the top four on lap two.

Chasing down third placed James Thorp, both drivers then gained a place at the expense of Kourosh Khani who dropped back from second. Before Josh had an opportunity to try and get fully on terms with Thorp though, the race was stopped following a two-car incident at half-distance. With the result declared from the end of lap eight, Josh took third just 0.7 seconds adrift of second place.

Another frustrating start in round 10 dropped Josh from third to fifth but he mounted a great recovery once more and after passing Khani for fourth position on lap two, he then took third from Steven Durrant on lap four. By the time the MSA Academy driver had fought his way through to third though, the top two had broken clear so he focused on claiming third and more good points.

Protyre Formula Renault BARC now takes a six week break from action ahead of the grand finale, rounds 11 and 12 of the season, which will be contested over the weekend 15th/16th October at Silverstone National Circuit in Northamptonshire.

Marking the biggest race meeting of the year for Josh and his rival competitors, the concluding event of the campaign will run as support to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. Round 12 of the Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship will therefore receive live television coverage on Freeview, cable and digital satellite channel ITV4 and in High Definition on the ITV4 HD channel.

Provisional 2011 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship Standings (after Rd10):
1st Dino Zamparelli, 243pts; 2nd Josh Webster, 224pts

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.

British racer Jordan King took MP Motorsport back onto the podium during the latest round of the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup at Most in the Czech Republic on Sunday, 28th August, while Estonia’s Karl-Oscar Liiv came tantalisingly close to doubling up for the Dutch team.

Without doubt the best weekend of 2011 so far for the front-running Formula Renault squad, King and Liiv proved to be a match for the championship leading Red Bull Junior drivers throughout while team-mate Alexey Chuklin continued his impressive rise up the ranks.

Just a few days removed from the most recent round of Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit the weekend prior, MP Motorsport travelled directly to the Czech Republic for the most easterly situated race meeting of the NEC campaign.

Rapid from the off during practice, where King was fastest of all across the four sessions, along with Liiv the pair confirmed the team’s superb pace in qualifying on Saturday, 27th August, with the fifth and fourth fastest times respectively. During qualifying for the second of the weekend’s three races, King starred by sealing a front-row start while Liiv was ninth quickest.

During the opening encounter, Liiv raced impressively and came within just 0.5 seconds of climbing the podium as he pressured Stoffel Vandoorne all the way to the chequered flag. Chuklin fought his way through strongly from 21st on the grid into 14th position but for King the chance of a podium went begging when contact with Alessio Picariello while contesting third place resulted in an excursion – he finished a lap down.

Sunday’s racing began with a deserved celebration as King lapped consistently on the pace of Carlos Sainz Jnr and Daniil Kvyat on his way to a fantastic third place finish. At the end of the 17-lapper he was a mere 0.8 seconds shy of Kvyat and only 1.5 seconds adrift of winner Sainz Jnr. King’s fastest lap of the race, incidentally, was 1m32.794 seconds – just 0.2 seconds shy of the best of the race.

Liiv was again in terrific form too and carved his way past several cars to rise from ninth on the grid into fifth position at the finish. Like King, the Estonian’s pace was impressive and his quickest lap was less than 0.2 seconds outside his team-mate’s best. Once again, Russian racer Chuklin delivered a strong drive to end up in 16th place from the 10th row of the grid.

The third and final race at Autodrom Most could have produced the second podium of the event for MP Motorsport but Liiv had to settle for fourth, just under two seconds shy of the rostrum. Chuklin drove superbly to take 12th position right on the tail of Picariello and Rafael Danieli but King had to face more misfortune when a questionable drive-through penalty was handed out.

Forced to start at the back of the grid, due to his finishing position from the opener, the youngster made a fantastic getaway and rapidly climbed into the mid-order. Unfortunately for King, he was then forced to serve a penalty following a pass on Richard Gonda but the decision was certainly erroneous and meant he was only then able to recover into 16th place.

“Overall, we really are very happy with the way this weekend has gone”, said MP Motorsport team principal Sander Dorsman, “It’s been our best race meeting of the season by far, Jordan and Karl-Oscar were on the pace all weekend and really took the fight to the Red Bull guys. Alexey keeps on impressing us with his progress and the visit to Most saw another improvement. All in all, a fantastic event.”

MP Motorsport continues its hectic schedule this weekend, 3rd/4th September, by participating in the Auto GP Championship event in Valencia, Spain, with Dutch driver Daniël De Jong. From there, the team will prepare for the penultimate rounds of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship which will be held at Paul Ricard in the south of France on 17th/18th September.

Photo by Chris Schotanus/Essay Produkties.

Alice Powell endured a tough weekend at Silverstone, this weekend, but fought her way through the field to achieve two top 8 finishes. Moving away from the normal BTCC package, Formula Renault was on the World Series by Renault weekend, which saw crowds of just over 100,000.

There was only one 25 minute qualifying this weekend, unlike the usual 2×20 minutes, with the drivers second best time setting their position for the second race. Alice struggled, only managing to post the 12th best time, and 11th best time for race two, “I am not too sure what to say. The car felt good, but I just did not produce the time. It will make the races very tough, but I am not going to give up.”

For Race One, Alice got a fantastic start, passing two cars round the outside of Copse corner, and a further one through the fast Maggots and Becketts. Taking advantage of cars bunching in front, Powell took to the inside of her team mate, Josh Hill, to gain another spot. By the end of lap one, the 18 year old, was already up to 8th place, but she didn’t stop there. With the two in front of her, Jordan King and Oscar King squabbling for position, Jordan went wide at Copse allowing Alice past and onto the tail of Oscar. Getting a good tow heading towards Maggots, she stuck it up the inside, a bold move, which paid off! A large gap was now ahead of Powell, which she started to close, until a small mistake at the Loop, lost her some time. At the end of the 25 minute race, Alice crossed the line in 6th place, a great effort from 12th on the grid.

For Race Two, she lined up in 11th place. Getting another good start, taking two places, again round the outside of Copse Corner. Now up to 9th, she got forced wide at The Loop, falling back to 10th. However, at Brooklands, a crash between Oscar King and Dan Wells, allowed Powell to slip through and up to 8th. From then on, Alice pushed hard to catch the bunch in front, occasionally having to defending from Jordan King behind. On the last lap, Alice tried a move on Jack Hawksworth, which was unsuccessful, so she had to settle for 8th.

Speaking about the weekend, Alice commented “Qualifying was a disaster, and I am going to work hard over the break to sort it. The races were great, especially race one. I was so fired up and took full advantage of getting a good drive off the line, both times, to attack the cars in front and move forward. It was another fabulous effort by the whole Manor Competition team, and driver coach Lewis Williamson, that I hope to reward them next time out at Rockingham with a podium finish and also to my sponsors, for their continued support.”

Alice’s race engineer and Manor co-owner, Sarah Shaw said “Alice made up for a difficult qualifying session by overtaking more cars than anybody else in each race. In race one she shot from 12th to 6th, putting in some quick lap times along the way. She repeated this impressive performance in race 2, this time getting up to 8th and almost taking 7th place on the last lap, proving that she undoubtedly had the pace to run at the front of the field if only qualifying had gone better…”

Alice’s next outing is on the 17/18 of September at Rockingham, where Formula Renault will return back to the British Touring Car support package.

If you would like to support Alice through sponsorship, please visit www.alice-powell.com or email info@alice-powell.com.

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.