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.

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.

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.

Alice Powell took the Graduate Cup win in round 12 of the Formula Renault UK Championship at Snetterton, this weekend, as well as finishing 7th and 4th outright, in the two races. This was the first time the Formula Renault Championship had raced at the new Snetterton Circuit.

In first qualifying, Alice struggled, going off the track a couple of times, and ended up only P9 on the time sheet. However, in the second qualifying, she produced a lap that put her 4th on the grid, “I am not too sure what went on in Q1, but I struggled. That was very disappointing, but Q2 was great and put me in a great position for challenging for a podium!”

For Race One, Alice got a reasonable start, but was not in a position to challenge the guy in front. From then on, the race was pretty much follow the leader, and it was only when others on front made mistakes, that Alice took the advantage to gain the position. She crossed the line only a few tenths behind 6th place.

For Race Two, she lined up in 4th place. Getting a good start, she challenged Tio Ellinas, who was in 3rd. However, at the Agostini Hairpin, Alice got hit from behind by Daniel Cammish, damaging the battery plug at the back of the car. Luckily, Alice carried on, losing not a great deal of time. On the first lap, Jack Hawksworth had a heavy impact with the safety barriers, causing the safety car to be deployed.

After 3 laps behind the safety car, the racing then continued, but oversteer at the first corner, saw Powell lose a large chunk of time from the cars in front, which meant she had to heavily defend from the cars behind her. But, she stuck at it, and managed to pull out a small gap and push to catch the guys in front.

With six laps remaining, exiting the Hamilton corner, the car lost all power for a split second, only to see the gap Alice pulled out from Cammish, close, and exiting the final corner she had a train of 3 cars right on her tail. Having thought she had seen off the attack from Cammish, her car cut out again, this time for slightly longer, allowing Oliver Rowland to pull alongside her. However, Rowland, thinking he was clear of Alice’s car, pulled over to the inside, clipping Alice’s right front wheel, causing him to go wide, which allowed Alice back through.

From then on, Alice got her head back down and pulled another small gap in 4 laps, to cross the line in 4th place, for the Manor squad and taking the Graduate Cup victory.

Speaking about the weekend, Alice commented “It has been another mixed weekend for me. I have still learnt a lot from the weekend and to come away with some decent point and the Graduate win is great! Race One, not much went on, but Race Two, kept me on my toes, especially with the car cutting out on occasions! I think I would have pulled a much bigger gap from Dan (Cammish), and even stood a chance for challenging for 2nd or 3rd if I did not had the problem, which was caused by the contact from behind at the start. Big thanks to everyone at Manor for their help, who continue to work so hard and do a great job. I am very much looking forward to Silverstone, which is in two weeks!”

Alice’s race engineer and Manor co-owner, Sarah Shaw said “After all the bad luck Alice has had so far this season it’s great to see her finally rewarded with a good result and Graduate Cup win. She drove a great race and kept a cool head, despite having to soak up enormous pressure when her car began to cut out as a result of damage to the electrics when she was hit from behind at the start”.

Alice’s next outing is in two weeks (20/21 Aug), at the Silverstone Arena Circuit. It will be support to the World Series By Renault Championship, which attracts crowds of over 100,000.

This weekend was rounds 9 and 10 of the Formula Renault UK Championship at Croft. Alice was hoping to capitalise on a good points finish at Oulton and take that to Croft.

Qualifying One, was wet, and Alice did not get the best out of the wets, and sadly ended up P9 on the grid. Qualifying Two was hit and miss with the weather, with rain threatening just before the session. The rain held off and out the field went on slicks. For the majority of the session, Powell was P2, but it wasn’t till the later stages that she dropped to P3. “Quali 1 was disappointing, but to get P3 in Quali 2 was great and it was a key opportunity to get a podium or a win.”

For race one, Alice used her worst set of tyres to save the best set for race two. Alice got a great start, challenging for P8 and P7. Sadly, whilst trying to make a move she lost a position and dropped down to P10. For the remainder of the race, Alice put pressure on P9, but could not gain a way through and had to settle for the tenth spot.

Race Two would see Alice line up 3rd on the grid. Again getting a great start, she moved along side Mitchell Gilbert (P2) on the approach to the first corner. However, Gilbert bounced off the kerb into Turn one, resulting in his rear wheel hitting Alice’s front wheel and sending her through the gravel and knocking out her tracking (steering). Alice made it back on track, but in P5. Towards the end of the lap, Powell challenged Oliver Rowland for 4th place, but he squeezed her onto the grass and his rear wheel touched Alice’s front wheel, the same side that Gilbert touched. This knocked her tracking out a bit more and on lap two, she misjudged the chicane, due to the tracking, and clipped the tyres, sadly ending her race.

Speaking about the weekend, Alice said “It has not been a great weekend. Getting 3rd on the grid for race two and getting brilliant starts was a positive, but the rest was very disappointing. We definitely have the pace to get great results, and my team (Manor) and sponsors (Silverstone-Hotels.com, Immun’Age, IWI Watches and Sparco) deserve a good result, but, at the moment, things are not coming together. I just need to try and keep my head up and try and raise some money for the remainder of the season. I would like to thank Manor (Competition) for their efforts at the weekend.”

Straight from Croft, Alice flew out to Germany to test at the Nurbugring, Nordschleife Circuit for Aston Martin. This was a great opportunity for the 18 year old to learn the 15mile circuit, and to gain experience in a GT Sports Car. The Nordschleife circuit is very well known across the motorsport world, not only for its length, but for the challenging corners as well as the exciting races it have produced in the past.

Alice thoughts after the test were, “Wow! It was a brilliant experience and I would love to thank everybody from Aston Martin, and their sponsors, for letting me test. It really was a joy!!”

David King, Director, Special Projects at Aston Martin commented, “We invited Alice to come and experience the Nordschleife at a private test. She was so impressive in her training laps, that we sent her out in a 500bhp V12 Vantage race car, in the rain! As expected, she did a great job and impressed the whole team with her professional approach”.

This weekend was rounds 7 and 8 of the Formula Renault UK Championship at Oulton Park. Alice was hoping to finish both races and collect good points after the disappointments of getting knocked off at Thruxton in May.

Qualifying One was interrupted by a red flag, causing the young female driver disappointment as she was not able to complete her flying lap, due to this. Alice would line up for Race One, P10. Qualifying Two was a different story. No red flag meant Alice could push and get in her flying lap. For the majority of the session, the 18 year old from Chipping Norton, was P3, but it was only in the last few minutes of the session, that she slipped down to P6, “Q1 was disappointing, but that is motorsport. Q2, however, was going great until I just tried too hard and made a few mistakes in the last few minutes, which caused me to drop down the order to P6”.

Unlike Saturday, the sun was not shining on Sunday. Rain poured an hour or so before Race One, making tyre choice hard. However, slicks it was, even tho, off line was slightly wet. Alice lined up P10, and got a great launch off the line, gaining two places before the first corner. However, while making the second move, Alice was forced onto the wet, causing her to have to slow dramatically before making the turn, which sadly made her drop three places. However, Alice made her way back to 9th place.

Race Two produced the same track conditions as Race One. For Alice, it would be quite a quiet race until the last lap, occasionally pressuring the driver in front and having to defend at times, from her team mate behind. On the last lap, the Fortec driver of Felix Serralies made a mistake coming out of the Knickerbrook chicane, allowing Alice to get alongside him. Serralies, forcefully pushed Alice onto the grass, causing her to lose time, as well as the chance to gain a position. Powell had to settle for 6th and left the weekend P9 in the Championship and 4th in the Graduate Cup.

Speaking about the weekend, Alice said “It was a tough weekend. I was definitely expecting better results, but I scored points this weekend which is good! However, we do have some work to do before Croft as putting a lap, with all sectors together is key. We hope for better results there. ”

Commenting on Alice’s performance, her engineer, Sarah Shaw said “Alice had a frustrating weekend; in Q1 she was on a very good lap when the session was interrupted by a red flag – this meant that her lap time was not recorded and she had only done one other flying lap. The drivers who got out of the pitlane first were able to get one more flying lap before the chequered flag, and several of them improved their time, but unfortunately Alice was near the back of the queue and took the chequered flag at the end of her out lap. This meant she qualified an uncharacteristic 10th.

Q2 was better but a mistake on her best lap cost her nearly 2 tenths – she qualified 6th but had the potential to be much higher up the grid.

Both races took place in damp / drying conditions. Alice got good starts in both and drove really well, showing good race pace and pressuring the drivers in front. Oulton Park is a track where overtaking is very difficult even in bone dry conditions, but with the circuit still damp and slippery off line it was almost impossible. Still Alice made the best of the situation and brought home some valuable points”.

The next rounds of the Championship are on the 18th/19th of June at Croft.

Photo by Jakob Ebrey Photography.