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Formula Renault BARC Championship

ELATED HANCOCK COMPLETES ROCKINGHAM DOUBLE

Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Ollie Hancock picked up his third successive victory by winning round four of the 2008 Formula Renault BARC Championship on Sunday, 20^th April. In damp but drying conditions at the overcast Rockingham International circuit, Hancock made a late move to overhaul HS Motorsport/Antel’s long-time leader Brett Parris, with Hillspeed’s Menasheh Idafar collecting his fourth podium in four races.

Now in his second season of car racing, Muzz Race teenager Steven Durrant scored his first victory in Club Class, a category for cars built prior to 2000. He led home round three winner Fraser Smart and Heuthsports of Royston’s Edward Heinzelmann who joins Smart with four podium finishes from four races.

The race was restarted after an accident for Double M Racing’s Ellis Harkins on lap two when he slid wide on the uniquely banked Turn One and hit the concrete wall. When the red flag came out, Hancock had risen three places from sixth on the grid, while Russell Racing’s Aaron Steele had surged from 12^th to sixth. As the race had run less than two complete laps, the cars re-formed in their original order.

At the restart, pole-sitter Parris made a second clean start and built an early advantage over fellow front-row starter Idafar. Mark Burdett Motorsport’s German racer Johannes Seidlitz had moved into third ahead of Hillspeed’s Ahmad Al Harthy, as Taro Motorsport’s Ash Davies, Triple D’s Nathan Coulter and Club Class runner Steve Hanselman all retired on lap one. Steele was caught up in the melee at Deene Hairpin, dropping him to last place.

The opening lap saw a great tussle in midfield between Welch Motorsport’s Kourosh Khani and Boulevard Team Racing’s Joshua Brooks. The pair swapped places several times on the opening tour before a spin for Brooks on the slippery infield section saw him fall behind.

As Parris built a four-second lead after four laps, Hancock passed Al Harthy and took advantage of a slip by Seidlitz to claim third place and close on Idafar. The following lap saw Hancock pass Idafar and, just behind, Alpine Motorsport’s Isa Yousif pass Al Harthy at Tarzan hairpin. Seidlitz, having dropped to 12^th, was now back up to ninth.

Club Class leader Durrant had made a brilliant start and was lying as high as 15^th overall in the early stages, a cushion of three FR2000 Class cars between himself and Smart in second place. By the midway point of the reduced 12-lap race he had a buffer of more than 20 seconds over Smart, who was unable to match the 17-year-old’s pace.

Pearson Engineering Services’ Ian Pearson continued his troubled day, following a spin in round three, with a minor spin out of eighth place exiting Tarzan. He was able to rejoin but down in 14^th place where he would eventually finish. Lap six also saw Tempus Sport’s Mohammed Al A’Ali out-brake himself at Tarzan, running into the gravel but far enough from the track to avoid causing a second race stoppage.

Lap eight proved to be crucial to the race outcome as Parris encountered backmarkers, which allowed Hancock to reduce his deficit to the leader by two seconds in a single lap. Two laps later, Hancock got his man by carrying more speed through Chapman Curve and cutting to the inside at Pif Paf to take the lead.

Meanwhile, Mark Burdett Motorsport duo Seidlitz and James Dixon were dicing with Hillspeed’s Michael Lyons. Although Lyons led the group for much of the race in sixth, lap nine saw Seidlitz pass on the banked Turn One with Dixon following his team-mate through later in the lap. After a failed attempt to regain the place at Tarzan, Lyons hit back on the final lap to grab seventh place.

In the race for the remaining Club Class podium positions behind Durrant, Smart was enjoying the cushion of FR2000 Class racer Bob Pearson between himself and Heinzelmann. Although Heinzelmann lapped faster on the final tour, he was unable to pass Pearson to enable any overtaking attempt for second place in class.

At the head of the field, Hancock was forced to keep the pace high as Parris fought back and he held on to win by 3.8s with Idafar a distant third a further seven seconds adrift. Durrant finished a creditable 15^th overall and on the lead lap, while Smart and Heinzelmann were both one lap down.

Commenting on his second victory of the day, Ollie Hancock, who also set the fastest lap of the race at 1min 31.546s (76.62mph), said: “I have to give massive thanks to my team who gave me a great car for both races today. I made a good start again and it was a case of biding my time because I knew I had the pace. I got the run on Brett coming through the right-hander and just kept it to the inside at the left. It feels great to win again and now I can’t wait for Oulton Park and the next round.”

Second-placed Parris said: “It’s a bit disappointing to lose the race having led for so long. We had the car set-up to be quick early on and make a break away, which I managed to do, but obviously I paid for it later in the race. We always knew Ollie had the pace on us in the wet because we’ve done no wet weather testing but we can take positives from this weekend compared to Brands Hatch.”

Third-placed Idafar said: “It’s great to be on the podium for both races and I’ve learned a lot today about racing in the wet that will help me in the future. My lack of experience in these conditions meant I couldn’t challenge for the win but to have four podiums in four races is a very good start.”

Club Class winner Steven Durrant said: “It’s the first time everything has come together, from the car’s handling to being on pole and getting a good start. Although the track was greasy I managed to find some grip and keep myself a good distance from Fraser. This result was a massive improvement from round one after a blown tyre forced me to retire so overall a good weekend.”

Second-placed Fraser Smart said: “Steven had tremendous pace this afternoon and proved that when he gets it right, he gets it very right! I was conscious of the fact I had cars between myself and Edward and that was reassuring. I think it’s shaping up to be a great season and look forward to more close racing as the year goes on.”

Third-placed Edward Heinzelmann said: “I couldn’t quite match Steven and Fraser’s pace this afternoon but another podium is a good result. The conditions were slightly better than this morning but it’s still very easy to make a mistake so I’m happy with the result.”

Round five of the 2008 Formula Renault BARC Championship takes place at Cheshire’s Oulton Park on Bank Holiday Monday, 26^th May.

SECOND WIN FOR DOMINANT HANCOCK

Ollie Hancock highlighted his stunning pace and confidence with a crushing victory in round three of the 2008 Formula Renault BARC Championship at Rockingham International circuit. After starting eighth on the grid, the Apotex Scorpio Motorsport driver won by a massive 35 seconds in the first of two races on Sunday, 20^th April. Mark Burdett Motorsport’s Johannes Seidlitz came through from ninth to finish second, with Hillspeed’s pole-sitter Menasheh Idafar completing the podium line-up.

In Club Class, for Formula Renault cars built before 2000, privateer Fraser Smart took a narrow win ahead of Heuthsports of Royston’s Edward Heinzelmann and Adrian Dixon as persistent drizzle and grey skies produced awkward conditions for the 29-strong field.

Hancock, winner of round two at Brands Hatch, completed much of the hard task he faced on lap one. As Triple D’s Nathan Coulter (Hillsborough) made a slow start from seventh, Hancock stormed away from the adjacent grid slot and was third exiting Deene Hairpin for the first time. He then took second before passing Idafar out of Brook chicane to lead by the end of the first lap.

Lap three saw Hancock set the fastest lap of the race, worth one bonus championship point, at 1min 35.518s (73.44mph) and he consistently lapped more than one second quicker than his pursuers when faced with a clear track ahead of him to lead by 20s at the midway point of the 14-lap race.

Behind Hancock, Idafar held second ahead of Hillspeed team-mate Ahmad Al Harthy before Coulter made amends for his poor getaway by surging through to third on lap three. HS Motorsport/Antel’s Brett Parris was fifth, ahead of Mark Burdett’s James Dixon and Taro Motorsport’s Ash Davies who had fallen from third on the grid to seventh.

Seidlitz had dropped to 13^th on the opening lap but, having won a snow-hit round one at Brands Hatch, was relishing the wet conditions and was up to ninth by lap four by dispatching Hillspeed’s Michael Lyons and seeing Coulter spin out of contention. In Club Class, Smart and Heinzelmann were nose-to-tail on track, running inside the top 20 overall with early challenger Steven Durrant having spun out on lap three.

At the halfway stage with backmarkers beginning to be lapped, Seidlitz gained three places on lap seven to lie fifth after Russell Racing’s Aaron Steele made contact with Parris at Deene Haipin, Davies also rising a couple of spots. On the next lap, the German racer passed Davies and his team-mate Dixon to reach the final podium position.

Now with a clear track ahead of him, Seidlitz reeled in Idafar at a rate of two seconds per lap, making the decisive move on lap 11. By this time, Parris had re-passed Davies for fifth and in Club Class, Smart and Heinzelmann had swapped positions twice as the Englishman briefly took advantage of traffic to pass the Scot before losing out again.

The second half of the race proved difficult for FR2000 Class father-and-son debutants Bob and Ian Pearson. The pair, both stalwarts of the Club Class won by Ian for the past three seasons, ended the opening race of their full season debut in retirement with Ian set for a ninth place finish before his final lap spin.

All the while, Hancock was pressing relentlessly on building his lead and by the chequered flag had lapped every car up to 14^th placed Jordi Weckx. Seidlitz edged away from Idafar by almost three seconds to settle the podium places, while Smart held on to beat Heinzelmann and Adrian Dixon in Club Class.

Commenting after his win, Hancock said: “At the start a number of the drivers were struggling for grip but I managed to get away well and was up to third. Fairly soon I was challenging Idafar for the lead and I did have an opportunity to try a manoeuvre up the inside of the chicane but I didn’t want to risk it. I noticed him hesitate getting onto the power out of the chicane and was able to get the better of him on the start/finish straight. After that it was just a case of getting my head down and not making any mistakes.”

Second-placed Seidlitz said: “I definitely enjoy the slippery conditions, first at Brands Hatch and now here. I did a lot of overtaking through the last left-hander on the infield because I was able to find grip on the inside. It’s great to have another podium and I’m confident of getting more during the season.”

Third-placed Idafar said: “I haven’t had much practice in the wet so I wasn’t able to do the best start from pole position. If it had been dry I think I would have been able to have a much better result. I’m still happy to be on the podium and hopefully I can this afternoon as well.”

Club Class winner Fraser Smart commented: “I had one of my worst ever starts but in the run into the first corner I managed to gain three or four places. At one stage Edward briefly took the lead from me but I managed to regain it quickly and just held my nerve, despite almost going sideways, until the chequered flag.”

Second-placed Heinzelmann said: “It was a great race with Fraser even though we both agreed it was one of the most frustrating because of the conditions. I thought when I got past him I’d be able to hang on for the win but he drove a great race today and full credit to him.”

Third-placed Dixon said: “It was almost a case of survival first out there because the track was so greasy. It’s never nice to race in conditions like that so to come away with a podium is a good result for me.”

HANCOCK SECURES SEASON’S FIRST VICTORY AT BRANDS HATCH

Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Ollie Hancock secured his first victory of the new season by winning round two of the 2008 Formula Renault BARC Championship on Easter Monday, 24th March at Brands Hatch Indy circuit. Alpine Motorsport’s Bahraini racer Isa Mohammed finished second while Hillspeed’s Menasheh Idafar completed the podium line-up after starting the race from pole position – his first ever in his UK racing career.

Scottish privateer Fraser Smart added a round two Club Class victory to his earlier podium finish with Heuthsports of Royston’s Edward Heinzelmann claiming second ahead of another privateer Steven Durrant.

After the earlier snowstorm that hampered round one, clearer skies and a dry line on the tight 1.20-mile circuit emerged for round two. Despite qualifying on pole position, Idafar was unable to retain the lead heading into the run on the first corner, having been pipped at the start by Hancock and an over enthusiastic Ash Davies (Taro Motorsport), whose false start from fifth on the grid propelled him into second with Idafar back to third.

Unfortunately, Hancock had little time to establish a lead as the red flag was deployed on lap two as Mark Burdett Motorsport’s Pierre Renom spun at Graham Hill Bend and SSS Motorsport’s Lee Dwyer also stopped in a dangerous position, causing the Clerk of the Course to halt the race.

For the restart, the race was shortened to a scheduled 12 laps and Davies was given a 10-second penalty for his earlier false start dropping him from second to 12th on the reformed grid. As they got under way for the second time, Hancock made the most of his pole position and led the pack into Paddock Hill Bend closely followed by Mohammed who had squeezed his way into second from fourth with Idafar tucked in behind him.

With a clear, dry track, Hancock was quickly able to establish a lead, forging a gap of just over one second by the end of lap two.

The midfield remained evenly spaced on the short circuit, although Davies, eager to make amends for his false start, was already up to seventh and continuing to pressure Welch Motorsport’s newcomer Nathan Coulter for sixth place. After much jostling, Davies was finally able to pass the debutant at Druids Hairpin, although with Coulter earlier recording a provisional pole for round one nullified only by his status as a reserve entry, the 17-year-old showed his potential for the season by finishing seventh.

In the battle for victory in the Club Class, Smart showed his experience by developing an early lead in his Tatuus RC98 ahead of round one winner, Heinzelmann. On lap four, Russell Racing’s FR2000 Class driver Don De Graaff came between the pair allowing Smart some breathing space, while Durrant had to settle for third.

By lap four, Hancock had stretched his lead over Mohammed to 1.246 seconds – scoring a bonus point for setting the fastest lap of 49.469s (92.85mph) in the process - with Idafar, Hillspeed’s Ahmad Al Harthy and Russell Racing’s Aaron Steele (Rochester) making up the top five.

Double M Racing’s Ellis Harkins unfortunately led to the second red flag of the race being produced on lap five as he ran into the gravel trap at Paddock Hill Bend. With his car in an unsafe position the Clerk of the Course deployed the red flag and declared the race complete, leaving Hancock to secure the 15 points for the race win to put him third in the drivers’ standings just four points behind early Championship leader Menasheh Idafar.

Commenting on his first victory, Hancock said: “After the disappointment of the first race I was happy to get my first win in the bag. The car has had great pace in testing so I was keen to be able to show this in the race. I was able to get in front early on - although Ash Davies certainly gave me a scare with his start – and then I just put my head down through to the chequered flag.”

Second placed Mohammed commented: “I was very pleased with my second spot and my first podium in the UK. My new team has been fantastic and I feel very comfortable with the car already. I could have gone quicker at Paddock Hill to maybe put more pressure on Ollie but second place is very good.”

Third placed Idafar said: “I was a bit nervous before the start of the race given it was my first ever pole. I soon settled down though and began to enjoy it and am really pleased with how the car is running.”

Club Class winner Fraser Smart said: “That race was much more enjoyable than this morning and I was able to enjoy it. I got a bit of a cushion with the newer car separating me from the drivers chasing me so compared to the earlier race it was relatively comfortable.”

Second placed Edward Heinzelmann, who leaves Brands Hatch leading the Club Class drivers’ standings, said: “I’ve had a really good weekend of racing and I’ve already emptied one of my bottles of champagne! I’m looking forward to Rockingham but have realised that I need to work on my starts.”

Third placed Steven Durrant said: “It was a very frustrating race because just as the Club Class cars settled in together to have a proper race the red flag came out. It happened again in the second race so it’s a shame I didn’t get the chance to try any overtaking but the car has been great all weekend so I can take some positives.”

SEIDLITZ COMES THROUGH SNOWSTORM IN SEASON OPENER

Heavy snow greeted a capacity grid of racers for round one of the 2008 Formula Renault BARC Championship, which was won by German driver Johannes Seidlitz. The Mark Burdett Motorsport driver started on the front row and won a race shortened by two red flags held in treacherous conditions at Brands Hatch Indy circuit on Easter Monday, 24th March. Taro Motorsport’s Ash Davies was second with Hillspeed’s Menasheh Idafar in third.

Edward Heinzelmann, in the Heuthsports of Royston entered car, won the Club Class race ahead of Muzz Race’s Steven Durrant and privateer Fraser Smart with only three Club Class cars classified in the final result.

Grey skies were present at the Kent circuit throughout the event but produced the heaviest snow of the day just as the single-seater cars were preparing to take to the grid. The consequence was severely reduced visibility and extreme punishment for any deviation from the racing line onto the slick painted kerbs or grass.

The start of the race saw Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Ollie Hancock make a clean getaway with Davies passing Seidlitz for second place. Russell Racing’s Aaron Steele stalled in third place on the grid causing delays to those cars directly behind him.

Boulevard Team Racing’s Joshua Brooks spun exiting Graham Hill Bend on lap two and stopped on the grass alongside Cooper Straight. On the following tour, Falcon Motorsport’s Andy Flynn stopped on circuit in a similar place bringing a red flag to stop the race with the grid for the restart taken from the current race order.

While waiting for the restart, two cars overheated on the grid causing further delays, HS Motorsport/Antel’s Brett Parris being assessed a 10-second penalty after being adjudged to have caused an aborted start. At the restart, Hancock was the driver to be caught out by stalling on pole position to gift Seidlitz an easy lead ahead of Davies and Idafar.

Lap two saw the German run wide at Graham Hill Bend, sliding the car as he negotiated the kerb allowing Davies to take the lead, while setting the fastest lap of the race at 58.259s (74.06mph). Alpine Motorsport’s Isa Mohammed also spun on the exit of Graham Hill Bend, with Hancock down in 18th place almost collecting the Bahraini driver’s stricken car.

Meanwhile, Steele had made a superb recovery to climb back up to fifth place, while Durrant was running seventh overall in his 1997 Tatuus RC97 car ahead of the majority of FR2000 Class cars. His joy was short-lived, however, as the slightest tap pushed him wide and into the gravel at Paddock Hill Bend on lap two, the teenager just managing to keep going to claim his podium place as Heinzelmann took the lead.

A change of lead in FR2000 Class came on lap four as Seidlitz saw a gap to the inside of Davies at McLaren bend and took the race lead on the run out of Clearways. Just one lap later, a spin for Club Class driver Steve Hanselman, once again on the exit of Graham Hill Bend, saw him come to a halt across the track forcing the Clerk of the Course to once again deploy the red flag, together with the chequered flag, to end the race.

Commenting on his victory Johannes Seidlitz said: “I’ve never raced in conditions like that before. The track was slippery enough with the snow and the truck racing earlier in the day made it even more slippery. Although it was a short race it was a great battle with Ash Davies for the lead and a fantastic way to start the season.”

Second-placed Davies said: “To get on the podium in the first race of the season is a great result, especially given the circumstances of the race. After taking the lead it would have been nice to hold on to it but Johannes made a good move and second place from ninth on the grid is a good result.”

Third-placed Menasheh Idafar, a British-born Bahraini national, said: “I’m very happy. This is my first podium in the Formula Renault BARC Championship and for that to happen in the snow is incredible for me. It was hard to see much but I just tried my best to keep going.”

Club Class winner Edward Heinzelmann said: “Visibility was virtually zero and to be honest I didn’t know what position I was in. It was a case of trying to keep it on the track but obviously I’m delighted to have got the win in my first race in the Championship.”

Second-placed Steven Durrant said: “It’s a bittersweet result for me because I had a great start and was on course for the win. I got a tap from behind that pushed me into the gravel and I was just about to stop as I reached the edge of the track and was able to continue. In the end it’s not a bad result but I feel it could easily have been better.”

Third-placed Fraser Smart said: “The weather was that bad, I was just thinking about keeping the car and myself in one piece because I’ve got work in the morning! You can’t keep your visor down on your crash helmet because it mists up but with it open the snow came pouring in. It’s much worse then racing in rain so I’m happy to get a podium finish.”

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