The Grid.co.uk    the national & club motor racing website - est1998          

  ^News

Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0

 Spa Preview

Both in collective testing and in the Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup and North European Cup races held so far, the same drivers have consistently stood out. Daniel Ricciardo won the first round of Formula Renault 2.0 WEC at Nogaro at the end of March. In the second race, it was Andrea Caldarelli who came out on top, taking the lead in the WEC standings in the process. Roberto Mehri, meanwhile, made a strong impression in both races, finishing just behind the leaders

Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas is another driver who has got in some good preparation for the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 season as mentioned earlier k at the first meeting of the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC at Hockenheim he won both races. Now in his second season in Formula Renault with Motopark Academy, the Finn would love to emulate his fellow countryman Kimi Raikkonen, who learnt his trade in the same category 

The list of possible winners does not end there. With 48 cars in the mix, there are plenty of drivers out there with the potential to win races. Albert Costa (Epsilon Euskadi), Jean-Eric Vergne (SG Drivers Project), Tobias Hegewald (Motopark Academy), Adrian Quaife-Hobbe (BVM Minardi Team), Tristan Vautier (Epsilon Sport) and Mathieu Arzeno (Epsilon Sport) have all shown evidence in collective testing that they will be forces to be reckoned with.

The qualifying sessions take on a new format this year. The drivers will be split into two separate qualifying groups, each group completing a 30-minute qualifying session. The twelve fastest drivers from each group will qualify for a 20-minute SuperPole session, which will determine the starting grids for the weekend's races. The grid for the first race will be based on each driver's best time, and that for race 2 on their second-fastest time.

So as much of Europe prepares to put its feet up for a long and restful weekend, the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 competitors will not be among those taking it easy. On the contrary, they will all be ready and raring to go!