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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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Final 2009 Formula Renault UK Winter Championship Standings:
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mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk Menasheh Idafar's Formula Renault Winter Cup THREE WINTER CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH FOR IDAFAR AT ROCKINGHAM
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.
MAIDEN FORMULA RENAULT UK PODIUM FOR IDAFAR AT WET SNETTERTON
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
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.”
pic Jakaob Ebrey photography
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Rising
single-seater racer Menasheh Idafar claimed a brace of battling top six
finishes at a bitterly cold Rockingham on Saturday, 7th November, to
secure an excellent third place overall in the final standings of the
2009 Formula Renault UK Winter Championship. 
Formula
Renault UK racer Menasheh Idafar produced the drive of his career during
the opening weekend of Winter Championship action at Snetterton on
Saturday, 31st October, to secure his maiden category podium finish with
a superb second place in round two of the series. 