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Rounds 17 and 18 of the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship take place at Silverstone National circuit on 30th/31st August. 2008 Formula Renault UK Championship provisional drivers’ standings (incl. dropped scores) – round 16 1 Adam Christodoulou GBR CR Scuderia Formula Renault 395 pts 2 Alexander Sims GBR Manor Competition 340 pts 3 Adriano Buzaid BRA Fortec Motorsport 319 pts 4 Riki Christodoulou GBR Fortec Motorsport 311 pts 5 Dean Stoneman GBR Alpine Motorsport 297 pts 6 James Calado GBR Fortec Motorsport 258 pts 7 Kris Loane GBR Manor Competition 227 pts 8 Scott Jenkins GBR CR Scuderia Formula Renault 203 pts 9 Oli Webb GBR Fortec Motorsport 200 pts 10 Josh Scott AUS Apotex Scorpio Motorsport 184 pts
Provisional Graduate Cup Standings – round 16 (incl. dropped scores) 1 Dean Stoneman GBR Alpine Motorsport 276 pts 2 James Calado GBR Fortec Motorsport 234 pts 3 Scott Jenkins GBR CR Scuderia Formula Renault 174 pts |
continued from News...
FORMULA RENAULT UK with MichelinOULTON PARK DOUBLE KEEPS CHRISTODOULOU IN THE CLEAR Adam Christodoulou completed a superb weekend with victory in round 16 of the 2008 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship at Oulton Park on Sunday, 27th July. The CR Scuderia Formula Renault driver led home his nearest challenger in the overall drivers’ standings Alexander Sims of Manor Competition, with Eurotek Motorsport’s Jordan Oakes celebrating a maiden series podium in third. Christodoulou now leads Sims by 38 points, a lead which becomes 55 points when dropped scores are taken into account as each driver must discard their two worst results of the season. Four races remain this season with a maximum 136 points available to any one driver. In front of a record Oulton Park crowd of 30,000, Alpine Motorsport’s Dean Stoneman lined up on pole position for the second time in three races and led Christodoulou into the first corner. Oakes got a great start from fourth to pass Sims with Fortec Motorsport duo James Calado and Adriano Buzaid fifth and sixth. CR Scuderia’s Scott Jenkins took the outside line down the Avenue and through Cascades, gaining three places from 10th on the grid to lie seventh. Fortec’s Riki Christodoulou found himself on the outside at Island hairpin but was hung out to dry as he fell to eighth from sixth on the grid. Sims, needing a strong result to put pressure on Adam Christodoulou in the title race, wasted little time in re-passing Oakes for third with a sharp move down the inside at Old Hall corner on lap two. Stoneman was the quickest driver on the first flying lap of the race, but Adam Christodoulou responded with a better third lap to keep the 17-year-old in his sights. In the event, an overtaking move wasn’t necessary as Stoneman was issued a Drive Through Penalty for a false start. Earlier, Mark Burdett Motorsport’s Fredrik Blomstedt (Skegness) suffered the same fate having been running in 11th place. As has become customary, Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Josh Scott had a blistering first lap to make up for below par qualifying and was 12th at the end of lap one having started 17th. His team-mate Kieren Clark was coming under pressure from Worswick Engineering’s Rossi, who was looking for a top 10 finish at his home venue and tried a lunging move at the first corner before backing out. CR Scuderia team-mates Ryuji Yamamoto and Jesse Krohn came together at the hairpin on lap two, the incident eventually forcing both into retirement. As Jenkins closed on Buzaid in the race for sixth, Calado was catching Oakes by fractions of a second per lap while Scott was up to 10th by lap five. The pressure from Jenkins on Buzaid allowed Riki Christodoulou to make it a three-way tussle on lap seven. By the end of the lap, the trio was racing for fifth place as Stoneman served his Drive Through and rejoined in ninth place. Adam Christodoulou inherited the lead ahead of Sims and Oakes in the final podium position. On lap eight, Jenkins looked to the outside of Buzaid at Old Hall and as the pair scrapped over fifth, Riki Christodoulou looked to capitalise but ran wide himself at Cascades. The following lap saw Adam Christodoulou set the fastest lap to that point to stretch his lead to three seconds over Sims as Oakes came under ever more intense pressure from Calado. The 10th lap of the scheduled 15 saw a potentially decisive moment in the championship race, Riki Christodoulou spinning at Old Hall and dropping from seventh to rejoin in 16th place. Although he went on to set the NGK fastest lap at 1min 19.789s (100.43mph) and score two bonus championship points, the 19-year-old now has work to do to get back on terms in the overall standings. Calado continued to look quicker than Oakes, especially under braking at Old Hall and Island hairpin. However, Oakes, who won races in the Formula Renault BARC Championship, used his greater experience to defend the position from the round 13 winner. In midfield, Rossi’s attempts to pass an equally stubborn Clark allowed Mark Burdett Motorsport’s Thomas Hylkema and Manor’s Tom Armour to close up in 14th and 15th places. Lap 13 saw Calado’s first major attempt at taking third place but he pulled out of a lunging move at the last moment. The manoeuvre did cost both drivers time and Buzaid and Jenkins took advantage to close the gap. On the following lap, Jenkins showed how it could be done with a brilliant, gutsy move around the outside of the Brazilian Buzaid at Old Hall, the 16-year-old once again showing nerveless overtaking skills in his debut season. Oakes’ reaction to the pressure from Calado was to put in two storming laps at the end of the race to ease to third place by a handful of car lengths at the chequered flag and a deserving podium after several good qualifying performances throughout the season. Relaxing in the closing stages, Adam Christodoulou took victory by 2.199s from Sims to reassert control of the series he has led since the opening weekend. Commenting after the race, Adam Christodoulou said: “That was definitely a hard race all the way through, especially with the heat. It’s a shame about Dean because I think he would have taken it to the end but he had to pit. I had a steady gap to Alexander and I just had to make sure I kept it there.” Second-placed Alexander Sims said: “Once again my start wasn’t too clever and I think we may have had different gear ratios to the rest of the field that affected acceleration. I had to go for the move on Jordan at the beginning because I needed to be as close to Adam as possible. During the race my outright pace was good, we just need to work on the starts.” Third-placed Jordan Oakes said: “My start was awesome and I made up two places although I had to let Adam back through on the inside. I lost a place to Alexander early on but felt comfortable in third until near the end. James had that one big lunge but then I blitzed the last couple of laps so I’m very happy.”
ADAM CHRISTO RETURNS TO WINNER’S CIRCLE AT OULTON PARK CR Scuderia Formula Renault’s Adam Christodoulou celebrated his first win in six races to edge further ahead in the 2008 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship. The championship leader started second on the grid but took the lead at the first turn to win round 15 at Oulton Park on Sunday, 27th July. Alpine Motorsport’s Dean Stoneman was second ahead of Manor Competition’s Alexander Sims. Christodoulou got the better of Fortec Motorsport’s pole-sitter James Calado on the drag down to Old Hall corner and took the lead with a sweeping move round the outside. Calado dropped a further place to Stoneman, who had started fourth, while Sims fell back one position after starting third. Further down the order Fortec Motorsport’s Riki Christodoulou ran wide out of Old Hall and bounced across the grass before spinning back onto the circuit and then into retirement against the barrier. The DNF drops him to third in the drivers’ standings and 59 points behind his cousin overall. At the end of lap one, Eurotek Motorsport’s Jordan Oakes ran wide at Lodge to allow CR Scuderia’s Scott Jenkins (Bristol) through into sixth. Manor’s Kris Loane lost two places on the opening tour having qualified well in sixth, while Fortec’s Adriano Buzaid was fifth. The best start came from local driver Oli Webb, the 17-year-old gaining five places on the opening lap to lie 11th. News then came from Race Control that Calado had been issued with a Drive Through Penalty for a false start and when he served at the end of lap three it left him languishing in 16th. Meanwhile, Stoneman had closed the one-second gap to Adam Christodoulou and was putting pressure on the leader as they opened a gap to Sims in third. Lap three saw Manor’s Henry Surtees pass team-mate Loane for eighth place, the Northern Irishman struggling with a damaged front wing. Lower down, CR Scuderia’s Ryuji Yamamoto took a defensive line against Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Josh Scott who had come from the back row of the grid to 15th. Stoneman had his first look at a pass for the lead on lap five before tucking back in behind at Lodge. He also set the fastest lap to that point to be less than three-tenths of a second behind Christodoulou. Having made a pit stop that put him almost a lap down, CR Scuderia’s Jesse Krohn showed he had the pace to have had a good race by beating Stoneman’s time on the same lap. Lap eight saw a slip from Stoneman as he locked a wheel at Lodge allowing Christodoulou the breathing space of a 1.5s lead. Just behind, Sims and Buzaid both set personal best lap times to close the gap on Stoneman. In midfield, Scott tapped the back of Mark Burdett Motorsport’s Thomas Hylkema and then missed the chicane to fall behind Yamamoto to 13th. With Webb moving clear in eighth, a train was forming in midfield behind Loane, with Worswick Engineering’s local driver Rossi, Hylkema, Yamamoto, Scott and Calado all bunched together. Loane, however, was driving a superb race under difficult conditions due to the lack of front downforce and was able to maintain ninth place to the finish. As the race entered its second half, Stoneman began to reel in the gap to Christodoulou, while Buzaid was also catching Sims. The third-placed Manor driver then responded with successive fastest laps, including a new lap record of 1min 19.826s (100.38mph) to end the Brazilian’s challenge and put himself in with a chance of second. Lap 12 saw Hylkema lock his brakes at Lodge and run wide, allowing those behind him in the midfield gap to gain a place, the Dutchman pulling off to retire on the start/finish straight. Australian Josh Scott then passed Yamamoto, now also with a loose front wing, and Rossi in successive laps to claim a place in the top 10, a great achievement after starting 19th. In the final two laps, Sims began to eat into Stoneman’s advantage in second place and began the 15th and final tour less than a second adrift. Although he was able to close further, Stoneman held on to take second behind Christodoulou with Sims picking up 25 points for third, plus two bonus points for the NGK fastest lap. Adam Christodoulou now leads Sims by 34 points, which becomes 51 points when dropped scores are taken into account, with each driver discounting his two worst of the season. Commenting after the race, Adam Christodoulou said: “I managed to get away well at the start and I was delighted to take the lead at the first corner. Last year we struggled with the car a bit at Oulton Park but it was spot on this time around. Dean pushed me hard early on but made a couple of mistakes and it was just a case of keeping it on the black stuff.” Second-placed Dean Stoneman said: “Going down through Lodge I out-braked myself a bit and then I dropped a wheel on the inside at the first corner later on. It wasn’t much but enough to let Adam get away. The car felt good though and the team at Alpine did a great job. I’m starting from pole this afternoon and hope I can make the most of it.” Third-placed Alexander Sims said: “I had, at best, an average start and lost a place, which isn’t something I usually do. After that I moved up when Calado had his penalty but I think I was quicker than him anyway. I managed to pull away from Buzaid but just ran out of time to catch Dean at the end. Third isn’t a bad result, but I do need better if I’m going to catch Adam.”
STONEMAN STROLLS TO SNETTERTON VICTORY Alpine Motorsport’s Dean Stoneman made light work of converting his first pole position in the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship into a second victory of the season at Snetterton on Sunday, 13th July. A blistering start left his rivals trailing and he was never threatened as he led home round 13 winner James Calado of Fortec Motorsport and Manor Competition’s round 10 winner Alexander Sims, both of whom made their second podium appearance of the weekend. CR Scuderia Formula Renault’s Championship leader Adam Christodoulou failed to make the podium for the first time in four events, but other than Sims, his main rivals struggled to take the opportunity to close the gap. Fortec Motorsport’s Riki Christodoulou, eager to make a good start from third on the grid, stalled on the line and dropped to 18th place before working his way through to finish 11th, one place ahead of his team-mate Adriano Buzaid. Stoneman had no such problems getting away and easily led Calado into Riches for the first time as Sims passed Buzaid to lie third and fourth respectively. Further down the order, Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Kieren Clark overtook CR Scuderia’s Ryuji Yamamoto at the Esses, but as he tried to hold the inside line it allowed Manor’s Henry Surtees to pass both men. Clark was then involved in a tussle with Mark Burdett Motorsport’s Thomas Hylkema, passing the Dutchman before suffering the same fate of running wide to allow both Hylkema and Worswick Engineering’s Rossi through to leave Clark 15th. At the head of the field, Stoneman’s lead had already reached two seconds by the end of lap four. The following lap saw Adam Christodoulou pass Buzaid for fourth place, while Sims set successive fastest laps to pile the pressure on Calado. Two laps later, Buzaid made an error as Manor’s Kris Loane challenged for fifth, the Brazilian first running wide at Riches then spinning at Sear to leave him down in 12th place. As the 18-lap race reached its midway point, Calado responded to Sims’ pressure to post his personal best time to that point and take 0.4s out of Stoneman’s 1.5s lead. Lap 10 saw CR Scuderia’s Scott Jenkins pass Fortec’s Oli Webb for seventh. He would go on to take sixth from Eurotek Motorsport’s Jordan Oakes on lap 15, the 16-year-old Jenkins once again showing great race craft as he worked his way up from 10th on the grid and move into 10th in the overall drivers’ standings. Australian racer Josh Scott was enjoying his best period of the weekend after problems in qualifying, sweeping past Surtees at the Esses on lap 11 and then gaining another place as Webb fell back two spots on lap 12. But the Apotex Scorpio driver’s hard work was undone with a spin at Riches as Webb hit back that dropped him to 18th place before he was forced to retire on lap 17. With four laps to go, Sims was close enough to Calado to have a look up the inside at Riches before slotting back into third place, but Calado’s more defensive line allowed Stoneman to pull away and also Adam Christodoulou to close up in fourth place. Riki Christodoulou had now reached team-mate Buzaid in 11th place, the pair running wheel-to-wheel at 140mph down the Revett Straight with the Brazilian maintaining the position, although only for a brief time. On the penultimate lap, Manor’s Kris Loane, who had a relatively quiet race in sixth and then fifth behind Adam Christodoulou, found a burst of speed to set the NGK fastest lap at 1min 05.345s (107.53mph) to secure two bonus championship points that had, until that point, been destined for his team-mate Sims. The increased threat from Sims had forced Calado to concentrate on maintaining second rather than challenging Stoneman’s lead and the result was a gap of over 1.5s at the start of the final lap with Sims less than 0.3s behind. The positions remained unchanged to the chequered flag, however, with Stoneman taking a second win of the season. Calado took a fourth podium of the year and Sims his seventh, ahead of Adam Christodoulou, Loane and Jenkins. Commenting on the race, Dean Stoneman said: “I’m getting more and more confident as the season goes on and learning a lot more about the car. I made the best use of pole position and got a ballistic start. There were a few ‘moments’, especially at the Esses, but I calmed down and tried to ease away. I have to thank my team for all their hard work and hopefully I’ll be back on the podium at Oulton Park.” Second-placed James Calado said: “It’s been a cracking weekend, my best of the year without doubt. Dean just got too good a start and I couldn’t even get alongside to challenge. I thought I’d have the speed later on but my tyres went off a bit giving me some oversteer so I focused on keeping Alexander behind me and scoring as many points as possible.” Third-placed Alexander Sims said: “I’m fairly pleased with the weekend overall because after qualifying seventh and fifth, to get one podium is some progress. Again it was a solid job by the team both back at the workshop and here at the track. We need to have a strong event at Oulton Park to keep the pressure on Adam and that’s where our focus is now.”
EMOTIONAL CALADO RELISHES FIRST VICTORY
James Calado secured the first victory of his car racing career in round 13 of the 2008 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship at Snetterton on Sunday, 13th July. The 19-year-old, backed by the Racing Steps Foundation that funds one talented young driver in the leading single-seater series, led the full 18 laps from pole position. Fellow Graduate Cup racer Dean Stoneman of Alpine Motorsport took second, while Calado’s Fortec team-mate Riki Christodoulou came third.
Starting from pole position, another first this season, Calado got away cleanly to lead as Christodoulou defended second from Stoneman. Fortec’s Adriano Buzaid slotted into fourth, while Manor Competition’s Alexander Sims who won yesterday’s postponed round 10, drove past CR Scuderia Formula Renault’s Scott Jenkins and then round the outside of CR Scuderia’s Adam Christodoulou at Riches to take fifth place.
Eurotek Motorsport’s Jordan Oakes and Manor’s Kris Loane also passed Jenkins on the opening tour, while Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Kieren Clark dropped five places to 16th. The battle for second saw Stoneman pass Riki Christodoulou at the Esses after picking up a tow down the long Revett Straight.
In midfield, Worswick Engineering’s Rossi was looking to make ground from 14th place by challenging Fortec’s Oli Webb at Riches, eventually gaining a place along with Webb, Manor’s Henry Surtees and Mark Burdett Motorsport’s Thomas Hylkema when CR Scuderia’s Ryuji Yamamoto ran wide through the Bomb Hole.
The top eight had broken away with Jenkins leading the second group of cars. After initially coming under pressure from Stoneman, Calado set successive fastest laps to ease away to a 0.7s lead before Stoneman responded with an even quicker lap to reduce the gap. Lap five saw Loane take seventh place from Oakes, while Hylkema spun after entering Sear side by side with the recovering Yamamoto.
Surtees and Webb were providing the closest racing on track with the son of former Motorcycle and Formula One World Champion John Surtees driving well to maintain 11th place in the battle of the 17-year-olds. By lap seven, Jenkins had caught Oakes and although the gap briefly stabilised, Jenkins, at 16 the youngest driver in the series, took eighth place at the Esses as CR Scuderia’s Jesse Krohn closed up in 10th.
As the 18-lap race entered its second half, Calado set the fastest lap to that point on lap 11 and extended his lead on lap 12 to more than one second for the first time in the race. In third place, Riki Christodoulou set the NGK fastest lap of the race at 1min 05.067s (107.99mph) to score two bonus championship points. However, he was unable to maintain the charge and fell back on the following lap, although still well clear of Buzaid.
With the race order settled in the top four and lapping at very even pace, it was championship leader Adam Christodoulou who pulled off the final significant pass of the race. Having followed Sims closely for a number of laps, he dummied to the inside at the Esses before sweeping to the outside for the left-handed entry and was able to hold his line on the inside at the right-hander into the Bomb Hole.
The four championship contenders finished in third to sixth positions, with Adam Christodoulou limiting his losses to cousin Riki and Buzaid to just five and two points respectively.
For Calado it was a triumphant start to the day and he punched the air as he came across the line just under one second ahead of Stoneman with Riki Christodoulou a further 0.9s behind. Commenting on the race, Calado said: “It’s the best feeling I’ve had in my career, to win my first race in Formula Renault UK. It’s taken a lot of hard work and I have to thank Fortec and the Racing Steps Foundation for giving me this opportunity. I always felt comfortable in the race. Dean is quick at the start but my car set-up was made to improve my pace as the race went on and that’s how it turned out.”
Second-placed Dean Stoneman said: “It was a good race for me to come up from third to second and another good lot of points for the championship. I’m on pole for this afternoon’s race so it should be even better. I made a couple of driver errors in that round so I need to concentrate on getting a good start and making a break.”
Third-placed Riki Christodoulou said: “Third isn’t where I want to be but at least I’ve closed the gap on Adam a little bit more, which is what I’m here to do. I struggle on the opening lap with straight line speed when we’re grouped together so there wasn’t much I could do to defend from Dean again. Myself, Dean and James are the top three in qualifying for the next race so it should be close again.”
SIMS CELEBRATES SEASON’S FIRST WIN AT SNETTERTON Alexander Sims scored his first Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship win of 2008 in round 10 at Snetterton. The race was originally due to be run at Croft but bad weather forced a postponement to the Norfolk venue, where the Manor Competition title challenger won from second on the grid. Fortec Motorsport’s pole-sitter Riki Christodoulou was third, having been passed by Alpine Motorsport’s Dean Stoneman on lap four after a Safety Car restart. The opening lap proved disastrous for CR Scuderia Formula Renault’s championship leader Adam Christodoulou as his race ended in the tyre wall at the first corner. Running side by side with Fortec’s Adriano Buzaid after starting together on row two, Christodoulou moved across too early to take the corner at Riches and clipped the Brazilian’s front wing dropping him to 10th. Sims had made a cleaner start than Riki Christodoulou and took the lead into the first corner. Stoneman took advantage of the drama ahead of him to take third ahead of local driver Jordan Oakes of Eurotek Motorsport. Oakes had his chance of a good result spoiled by a Drive Through Penalty for a false start, along with Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Josh Scott who had been 13th. The Safety Car was brought out while Adam Christodoulou’s car was recovered and when racing resumed on lap four, Stoneman immediately passed Riki Christodoulou with a bold move around the outside at Riches. Christodoulou tried to fight back down the Revett Straight but ran wide through the Esses and came under pressure from Oakes. On the same lap, Manor’s Henry Surtees passed Fortec’s Oli Webb for seventh, although Webb re-took the place two laps later. At the same time, CR Scuderia’s Scott Jenkins passed Buzaid for 10th but like his team-mate Webb the Brazilian soon regained the position. At the head of the field, Stoneman immediately set about catching Sims, who responded with a personal best lap on lap seven. Oakes served his penalty on lap eight and Jenkins then passed Buzaid for a second time, now for ninth place before closing the gap to eighth-placed Rossi as the extended 18-lap race entered its second half. By lap 10, Stoneman was only a few car lengths behind Sims with Christodoulou comfortably in third ahead of Loane. Within two laps Stoneman had caught the leader and wasted no time in attempting a pass at Riches, this time up the inside, but was forced to back out. This lost him time and gave Sims a valuable cushion of almost one second as they crossed the line to start lap 14. By now, Jenkins had reeled in Worswick Engineering’s Rossi but the former Formula Renault BARC Championship race-winner refused to crack under the pressure. Christodoulou set his personal best lap time on lap 13 as he tried to claim the two bonus points available for the NGK fastest lap, but that belonged to Stoneman with his mark of 1min 05.023s (108.07mph) from lap 10. In fifth and sixth places, Fortec team-mates James Calado and Oli Webb were catching Loane, who was struggling with a damaged front wing after contact early in the race. They both passed on lap 16 at Russell chicane, before Loane dropped three places on each of the final two laps to eventually come home in 12th. There were no such problems for his team-mate Sims as he maintained a gap of less than half a second to the chequered flag to take his first win of the season and a second of his Formula Renault UK career. He remains fourth in the drivers’ standings, now just 47 points behind Adam Christodoulou. Stoneman took his third podium of the year, while for Riki Christodoulou it was a seventh taste of champagne in 2008. Commenting on the race, Alexander Sims said: “I got a great start to take the lead and after that it was a case of not making any mistakes. I never really felt under pressure and although Dean had one lunge I knew he was too far back to make it through. My self-belief has never faltered but it’s a great boost for the Manor team to get a win and hopefully there’s more to come.” Second-placed Stoneman said: “When Adam and Adriano touched I just drove round the outside of them. At the restart I just went for it round the outside of Riki and then caught Alexander. I was too impatient really and should have waited a bit for my chance but second is still a good result.” Third-placed Riki Christodoulou, who started from pole, said: “I’m quite disappointed really. I got a bad start, which I sort of expected because it happened to the pole-sitter here last year as well. I felt as quick as Dean through the corners but he was a lot faster in a straight line and was able to get by me surprisingly easily at the restart so there’s something to work on there. At least I’m a little closer to Adam in the overall standings.”
BUZAID BLITZES TO MEMORABLE SILVERSTONE DOUBLE Fortec Motorsport’s Adriano Buzaid scorched to victory in round 12 of the 2008 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship at Silverstone on Sunday, 8th June. On a day when 70,000 spectators were in attendance for the free World Series by Renault event at the Grand Prix circuit, the Brazilian took two great wins to move into second place in the drivers’ standings. Like Buzaid, CR Scuderia Formula Renault’s Adam Christodoulou repeated his round 11 performance from earlier in the day with second place, while Manor Competition’s Alexander Sims secured third with just two laps remaining. Christodoulou retains the lead of the championship by 44 points. The start of the race saw Manor’s Kris Loane left standing on the grid in fifth place as the rest of the field swerved past him. Adam Christodoulou immediately darted into second place behind Buzaid with his cousin Riki Christodoulou following him through into third ahead of James Calado. At the end of the lap, Calado tagged Riki Christodoulou after being nudged into a slide. Calado spent the remainder of the race battling with a damaged front wing, while Christodoulou’s race was entirely compromised due to a puncture. Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Australian driver Josh Scott had the best opening lap of all, repeating his similar heroics from Thruxton with a surge from ninth on the grid to third. The tangle between the two Fortec Motorsport cars saw Calado continue in fourth but come under extreme pressure from Alpine Motorsport’s Dean Stoneman. Buzaid immediately set about opening an advantage over Adam Christodoulou, while in midfield Apotex Scorpio’s Kieren Clark was holding off his more experienced team-mate Will Bratt in ninth. Mark Burdett Motorsport’s Jesse Krohn, competing only days after joining the team, was showing full commitment for the second successive race as he ran sideways through Becketts on lap three but holding off CR Scuderia’s Sten Pentus for 11th. On lap four, Stoneman and Sims closed the gap to Calado at Stowe but Calado was given brief respite when Sims passed Stoneman for fourth a few corners later. On the run to Abbey chicane, Sims moved to the left and fought wheel-to-wheel to complete an excellent overtaking manoeuvre. By lap six, Calado’s compromised pace slowed enough to see both Sims and Stoneman pass through Priory. Calado lost two further places on lap seven as his Fortec team-mate Oli Webb and CR Scuderia’s Scott Jenkins came past. Meanwhile, running on his own more than half a lap down, Riki Christodoulou set the NGK fastest lap of the race at 1min 48.804s (105.68mph) to score two bonus championship points, but it was scant consolation for the man lying second in the standings before the race. On lap eight, Clark passed Calado for ninth but amazingly the driver backed by the Racing Steps Foundation fought back to regain the place. When Loane, who drove a great recovery race after his poor start, then overtook Clark, he too found Calado too tough a prospect to pass and he clung on for ninth place despite the lack of front downforce. Lap eight also saw Sims set his personal best lap to that point to narrow the gap to Scott and he continued to reel in the Australian on the next two laps. Scott responded with his personal best time on lap 12, but two laps later Sims made the decisive move for third at Stowe to cap a great drive. At the head of the field, Buzaid began the last of the 16 laps with a commanding lead of more than eight seconds with Adam Christodoulou powerless to stop the charging Brazilian. Buzaid kept his advantage until the flag to thrust himself firmly into the title picture. Commenting after the race, Buzaid said: “It’s gone very well for me at this event with two pole positions, two wins and the fastest lap of the weekend. The car was perfectly set up for me and I’m 100 per cent confident in myself and the team that we can keep on winning races for the rest of the season.” Second-placed Adam Christodoulou said: “I tried to make a move on Adriano on the first lap but, just like the first race, he was able to get away early on and my tyres wore out too much to challenge him. I was then concentrating on getting the two points for fastest lap but just missed out. It’s still looking good overall for the championship and that’s my main focus.” Third-placed Sims said: “It needed some changes from the first race but we had the car sorted for this afternoon and it showed in that race. I knew I was catching Josh and made the move to the inside. He then tried to brake later but it only made him run wide. I know I need to start picking up wins but I can take positives away from the weekend.”
Adriano Buzaid won round 11 of the 2008 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship with a lights-to-flag victory at Silverstone on Sunday, 8th June. Racing on the full Grand Prix circuit in support of World Series by Renault, the Brazilian led home CR Scuderia Formula Renault’s Adam Christodoulou and his Fortec Motorsport team-mate James Calado for his second win of the season. At the highest profile event of the Formula Renault UK season, Buzaid came under pressure off the start line from Calado but held the lead as he squeezed over to the pit wall. Calado dropped to fourth with Adam Christodoulou coming up to second from third on the grid. Manor Competition’s Alexander Sims gained two places to third, while Fortec’s Riki Christodoulou lost one place to lie fifth. A spin for Manor’s Henry Surtees at the exit of Chapel caused several drivers to take swift evasive action. Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Kieren Clark had to pit for a new front wing after clipping the back of CR Scuderia’s Sten Pentus while trying to avoid the spinning Surtees. At the start of lap two, CR Scuderia’s Scott Jenkins dived to the inside of Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Will Bratt, making a one-off return to the series in which he finished third overall last season. However, a spin for the 16-year-old Jenkins later in the lap undid his good work to leave him 20th. Eurotek Motorsport’s Jordan Oakes and Worswick Engineering’s Rossi also passed Bratt to lie 11th an 12th. The closest battle on track was for sixth with Fortec’s Oli Webb leading Manor’s Kris Loane and Alpine Motorsport’s Dean Stoneman, with Webb losing out on lap five after a spin at Priory. At the head of the field, Buzaid set the fastest lap to that point on lap four to extend his lead to more than two seconds over Adam Christodoulou. Having earlier fallen back, Calado was now reeling in Sims with Riki Christodoulou trying to make it a three-way tussle for the final podium spot. On lap eight, Calado passed Sims for third place on the run onto Hangar Straight and immediately closed the gap on second placed Adam Christodoulou. However, the following lap saw Calado run slowest among the top six and he soon came under pressure from team-mate Riki Christodoulou after he drafted past Sims on Hangar Straight. Sims fought back at Club chicane but Christodoulou kept a tight line to hold fourth place. Lap 12 saw a great out-braking manoeuvre by Apotex Scorpio’s Josh Scott, the Australian diving to the inside of Stoneman to take seventh place on the left-hander at Club. Among the leaders, Adam Christodoulou gained slightly on Buzaid on successive laps but the Brazilian’s lead was too large to bridge the gap. Buzaid also set the NGK fastest lap of the race at 1min 46.070s, an average speed of 108.40mph around the 3.194-mile circuit. With two laps to go, Jenkins passed Oakes at Stowe for 11th place. On the penultimate lap, Jenkins gained two more places as CR Scuderia’s Ryuji Yamamoto and Stoneman had a slight touch as the Japanese tried to overtake but lost control and clipped the front of Stoneman’s car. Both lost ground, also allowing Rossi up to eighth place having started from 18th on the grid. Buzaid began the final lap with a lead of more than 2.5s and although Adam Christodoulou, Calado and Riki Christodoulou were closer to each other than the previous lap, the positions remained unchanged to the chequered flag to give Buzaid maximum points. Adam Christodoulou extends his championship lead over cousin Riki to 26 points. Commenting on the race, Adriano Buzaid said: “I’m very pleased to win again this season and to do it at Silverstone on the Grand Prix circuit is great. My start was not the best but once we got into the race I was able to keep an eye on my pace and keep the gap back to Adam. Hopefully I can get the same result this afternoon.” Second-placed Adam Christodoulou said: “Adriano got the jump early on and made a bit of a break. Although I was still feeling good in the second half of the race there was too much ground to make up and I couldn’t quite get it back. It felt like a really long race though, especially with the sun coming out at the end to make it even hotter in the cockpit.” Third-placed James Calado, the leading Graduate Cup finisher, said: “I was a bit disappointed with Adriano at the start because he squeezed me a bit too much in my opinion. After that I thought I came back well to get past Alexander but even though I’ve finished third I think it could have been much better.”
FIFTH WIN FOR ADAM CHRISTODOULOU AT CROFT Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship leader Adam Christodoulou scored his fifth victory of the season in round nine at North Yorkshire’s Croft circuit on Sunday, 1st June. The CR Scuderia Formula Renault driver was followed home by Manor Competition’s Alexander Sims, with Fortec Motorsport’s Riki Christodoulou in third. Adverse weather during the day meant the start of round nine was delayed from its original time of 13.15 until 16.00. There was no time to hold round 10 so this is now provisionally scheduled to be held at Snetterton when the championship moves to the Norfolk venue on 12th/13th July. Although the Croft circuit had been deluged by rain earlier in the day, a dry racing line allowed all drivers to start the race on slick tyres. Adam Christodoulou led away from pole position ahead of Sims and his cousin Riki. Eurotek Motorsport’s Jordan Oakes held his grid position of fourth ahead of Fortec’s James Calado and Alpine Motorsport’s Dean Stoneman. In midfield, contact between CR Scuderia’s Ryuji Yamamoto and Manor’s Henry Surtees saw both end their race in the gravel trap at Clervaux, necessitating a two-lap Safety Car period to enable recovery. At the restart, Sims came under pressure from Riki Christodoulou at Tower Bend as the third-placed driver closed up under braking. While his overtaking attempt was unsuccessful, Calado made the same move on Oakes, with a positive result to take fourth place. At the same corner on the following lap, CR Scuderia’s Scott Jenkins passed team-mate Sten Pentus for 13th place. The top six remained unchanged until lap eight when Stoneman passed Oakes for fifth at Jim Clark Esses, which also allowed Fortec’s Oli Webb to close the gap in seventh. One lap earlier, Fortec’s Adriano Buzaid had a spin at Sunny that dropped him from ninth place to last, but he did recover to set the NGK fastest lap of the race at 1min 18.059s (98.00mph) and establish a new lap record. Jenkins gained one more place on lap eight by passing Mark Burdett Motorsport’s Fredrik Blomstedt at Clervaux having had a good run out of the final Hairpin. He then closed on Manor’s Tom Armour who held him off for three laps before yielding 10th place to Jenkins at the Hairpin on lap 11. With the top three evenly matched on pace and only one dry line available, there was little chance of overtaking as they lapped in almost identical times throughout the 15-lap race. A minor slip by Sims at the Complex on lap 10 saw Adam Christodoulou’s lead increase by 0.2s and he added a further tenth of a second on lap 12 before Sims hit back to reduce the gap to half a second once again as the game of cat and mouse continued. In the second quartet of cars racing for fifth to eighth places, Stoneman began to pull away from Oakes as Manor’s Kris Loane dropped off the back of the group. At the end of lap 13, Pentus clipped the back of Armour’s car at the Hairpin as they diced for 11th place, the Estonian losing his front wing. With no downforce, he ran wide at Clervaux before spinning on the exit of the chicane and trailing home last of the 18 finishers. The penultimate lap saws Jenkins set his personal best lap time of the race as Adam Christodoulou held a 0.521s advantage over Sims. At the end of the race one lap later, the margin of 0.502s was representative of how evenly matched the pair had been throughout, with Christodoulou taking his fifth lights-to-flag win of the season. Commenting on the race, which was shown live on ITV4 as part of the channel’s British Touring Car Championship coverage, Adam Christodoulou said: “It felt like such a long race because there was just no getting away from Alexander and Riki. There was only half a car’s width either side of the main racing line and I did have a couple of moments on the first lap where I nearly ran into trouble but luckily kept it together. It’s great to get another win and it’s good for the overall championship position.” Second-placed Sims said: “From my point of view it wasn’t a particularly exciting race because I couldn’t quite get close enough to try a passing move on Adam. I was better under braking into Tower but not to the extent that I needed, especially with the lack of grip off line. A podium is a good result and the car felt pretty good so it’s a step in the right direction.” Third-placed Riki Christodoulou said: “It was a good race but with the cars all so evenly matched for pace it was always going to be difficult to overtake. I was disappointed with qualifying because I showed in the second session yesterday what my true pace was so today was a bit of damage limitation and we’re still in the title hunt.” As a result of having four wins using the same engine, Adam Christodoulou is now obliged to change his engine in accordance with Championship Regulations. He had already changed his engine after his round two victory at Brands Hatch.
GLORY FOR RIKI CHRISTODOULOU AS ADAM FALTERSFortec Motorsport’s Riki Christodoulou took his second win of the season in round eight of the 2008 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship. His cousin and championship leader Adam Christodoulou could only manage 16th after being penalised for a false start. Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Josh Scott (Loughborough) had a fantastic to race to second from seventh on the grid, while Manor Competition’s Alexander Sims out-did that effort by storming from 13th to third. The race saw a major incident on lap three when CR Scuderia Formula Renault’s Ryuji Yamamoto made contact with Fortec’s James Calado and flipped over, sliding on the car’s roll hoop before rolling to a halt. The strength of the Formula Renault 2.0 car was shown to be of the highest standard as the Japanese immediately got out of his car and was in relatively good spirits after the race. The duo were running behind Eurotek Motorsport’s Jordan Oakes but he spun at Village causing Calado to ease off the throttle. Yamamoto gained quickly but clipped Calado as he tried to pass, losing part of his front wing in the process before the second contact that caused the accident. Lap two also saw Manor Competition’s Kris Loane and Alpine Motorsport’s Dean Stoneman retire from the race after contact at the Complex. Loane ran onto the grass after rubbing wheels with Fortec’s Oli Webb, returning to the track to collect the luckless Stoneman, who received a generous round of applause from his home fans at the Hampshire venue. Prior to those incidents, which brought out the Safety Car for five laps, Australian racer Scott made a blistering start to lie third at the end of lap one ahead of Oakes. Alpine Motorsport’s Dean Stoneman initially challenged Oakes for fourth but fell back to seventh by the end of the lap. Adam Christodoulou led from Riki but was issued with a drive through penalty for a false start. Before he had a chance to take it, the Safety Car was introduced and although he came in, he was forced to re-serve it once the Safety Car had been withdrawn, relegating him to the back of the field along with Calado who pitted to replace a punctured tyre. At the resumption on lap nine, Sims passed Scott for second while Oakes and Fortec’s Adriano Buzaid scrapped for fourth. The following lap saw Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Sho Hanawa pass Manor’s Henry Surtees for seventh on the run up Woodham Hill. Riki Christodoulou set the fastest lap to that point to double his advantage over Scott to 1.2s. As Scott and Sims battled for second, Buzaid looked to take advantage in fourth. Calado continued his recovery drive moving up to 13th on lap 12, while CR Scuderia’s Sten Pentus cut the Club chicane but remained in 10th. The following lap saw Pentus’ team-mate Scott Jenkins spin at Goodwood but skilfully recover to lie 13th allowing Calado up to 12th. Scott made his first serious attempt to pass Sims at the Complex on lap 14 of the extended 19-lap race but ran wide and lost momentum. On the following tour Scott did make the move stick, running through the trio of corners at Campbell, Cobb and Segrave to emerge in second. Meanwhile, in last place, Adam Christodoulou set the fastest lap of the race at 1min10.313s (120.62mph) and establish a new lap record. Calado reached the top 10 on lap 17 by passing Apotex Scorpio’s Kieren Clark, who had himself climbed from 17th on the grid. The pair each gained a place on the last lap when Surtees ran slowly through the Complex and lost four places to finish 11th. For Riki Christodoulou it was a trouble-free race that allows him to close the gap on cousin Adam at the top of the drivers’ standings. Commenting after the race, Riki said: “I must say I thought Adam jumped the start and it’s always nice to see the car in front of you pull into the pits. At the restart I tried not to look in my mirrors and just get my head down. By the end of the race I could use it as a test session, trying different lines, because my lead was quite big. It’s a great way to end the weekend and hopefully I can repeat it at Croft, which is one of my favourite tracks.” Second-placed Josh Scott said: “I’ve been getting good starts all year but this one was great. I passed two cars by the first corner and two more at the Complex where I went to the inside and found some grip. Alexander defended brilliantly when he got past me but I got him back in the end. The car felt great all through the race and it’s a really positive step for me.” Third-placed Alexander Sims said: “I made up a lot of places early on with a good run through Goodwood and up Woodham Hill. It’s a shame about the first race (where Alexander finished seventh) and it turned into damage limitation but I’m getting fed up of driving damage limitation races. We’re hanging in there in the championship and hopefully we can find good pace at Croft.” Rounds nine and 10 of the 2008 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship take place at North Yorkshire’s Croft circuit on 31st May/1st June. One week later the championship will see its highest crowd of the season at the UK round of the World Series by Renault at Silverstone Grand Prix circuit on 7th/8th June.
ONE-TWO FOR CHRISTODOULOU COUSINS AT THRUXTON
Adam Christodoulou took his fourth victory of the season in round seven of the 2008 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship on Sunday, 18th May. The Championship leader led home older cousin Riki Christodoulou at Hampshire’s Thruxton circuit, with James Calado scoring the first podium of his car racing career in third.
The single-seater Formula Renault UK cars are the quickest on the British Touring Car Championship package with average speeds of 120mph around the 2.36-mile circuit. Top speeds approach 150mph as the best UK and overseas drivers begin their careers as they look to emulate former Formula Renault UK champions Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Räikkönen.
Having qualified on Michelin pole position, Adam Christodoulou made a clean start to lead into the first corner, Allard. Fortec Motorsport’s Calado had a poor getaway and dropped to fourth behind local favourite Dean Stoneman before regaining third later in the lap behind team-mate Riki Christodoulou.
The race for fifth saw Brazilian Adriano Buzaid passed by CR Scuderia Formula Renault’s Ryuji Yamamoto, the Japanese dipping his wheels on to the dirt at the high-speed Church bend. The racing behind allowed the Christodoulou cousins to open a one-second lead over the field by the end of lap two.
Manor Competition’s Alexander Sims gained two places on the first lap and soon passed Eurotek Motorsport’s Jordan Oakes for seventh. The move was the start of a race-long battle with Oakes having the faster car but, although he was able to pass, Sims fought back to hold the place until the chequered flag.
Lap four saw Buzaid pass Yamamoto through the fast Village corner, while Calado set the fastest lap to that point to close the gap slightly on the lead duo. The following lap saw Yamamoto and Buzaid swap places again, while Stoneman set the NGK fastest lap of 1min 10.683s (199.99mph) to keep the pressure on Calado.
Incredibly, lap seven saw Buzaid pass Yamamoto once again as the two 19-year-olds thrilled the crowds at Thruxton. Further down the order, Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Josh Scott had made great progress from 14th on the grid and overtook Manor’s Kris Loane on lap eight to move into the top 10.
The second half of the race saw Adam continue to lead Riki Christodoulou by just under one second, with neither driver able to gain a significant advantage through the high-speed sections or slow chicanes. Stoneman had caught Calado and applied real pressure, which the Racing Steps Foundation-backed driver did well to repel before pulling away in the latter stages.
Worswick Engineering’s Rossi was leading a cluster of cars in ninth place and was chased down by Scott on lap nine. After holding him off for two laps, the Australian found a way past on lap 12 as Rossi’s pace dropped. The Formula Renault BARC Championship race-winner then came under pressure from Scott Jenkins before spinning into retirement at the Complex as he defended on the final lap.
Manor’s Henry Surtees took advantage of the hesitation caused by Rossi’s spin to catch Fortec’s Oli Webb on the last lap and pass him for 12th place. In the closing laps, Yamamoto caught fourth-placed Stoneman but was unable to attempt a pass as he struggled to turn the car into corners in the turbulent air.
By the end of the 16 laps, Adam Christodoulou had managed to open a one-second gap to his cousin before recording a winning margin of 0.761s as he eased over the line. Calado came in third ahead of round six winner Stoneman who held off Yamamoto.
Commenting on his race win, Adam Christodoulou said: “I actually struggled at the start to see the lights with the way the sun was, but I was able to defend through the Complex even though me and Riki were inches apart. It felt like a really long race and very hard work so I’m just glad to see the chequered flag. They key is to try to stay relaxed and keep a smooth rhythm and I managed to do that today.”
Commenting on his first podium of the season, James Calado said: “I’ve made big improvements here since the test and even over this weekend, which is always important. It’s a shame about my start because the speed was there to challenge Adam and Riki but I had to defend from Dean early on. By the time I got away from him there was too much of a gap to close but I’m happy with this result.”
STONEMAN ROMPS TO FIRST SERIES WIN AT DONINGTON
Running as a single-car entry and therefore compromised by a lack of team-mates’ data to share, victory for the 2007 Formula Renault BARC vice-champion is a notable achievement. He set the fastest time in Thursday’s official free practise and made up for a disappointing 16th place in round five earlier in the day. He now leads the Graduate Cup standings ahead of Fortec’s Oli Webb who suffered a left-front puncture during the race. The decisive move came after two laps of pressure that Fortec Motorsport’s Brazilian driver had done well to fend off. Picking up the slipstream down the start/finish straight, Stoneman went to the outside at Redgate and out-braked Buzaid in slippery conditions as light drizzle fell on the circuit. Sims had a great opening lap climbing to fourth from sixth on the grid before passing team-mate Kris Loane on lap two to take third. CR Scuderia Formula Renault’s Ryuji Yamamoto had a contrasting opening from third on the grid, falling behind team-mate and championship leader Adam Christodoulou in eighth by lap four. Eurotek Motorsport’s Jordan Oakes gained the most in the early stages, taking advantage of a spin by CR Scuderia’s Scott Jenkins to rise from 14th on the grid to eighth before climbing a further three places on lap two to be fifth ahead of Fortec’s Riki Christodoulou. Jenkins began his recovery drive by passing Apotex Scorpio Motorsport duo Kieren Clark and Tom Mun on lap four. The 16-year-old then ran wheel-to-wheel with Mark Burdett Motorsport’s 17-year-old debutant Fredrik Blomstedt through Craner Curves, the Swede holding on to 17th place with determined driving. From lap six, third-placed Sims began to reel off a succession of new fastest laps to gain ground on Buzaid in second place, whose deficit to Stoneman was hovering around the one-second mark. Lap eight saw Fortec’s James Calado drop out of eighth place as he served a drive through penalty for a false start putting Yamamoto ninth and Worswick Engineering’s Rossi into the top 10. Two laps later, Jenkins continued his excellent effort with a sweeping passing move at Redgate on Mark Burdett’s Thomas Hylkema having dispatched Blomstedt on the previous lap. Sims set the NGK Fastest Lap on lap 10 at 1min 06.680s (105.67mph), with Jenkins’ best just 0.004s slower than Sims. Oakes’ superb effort was compromised on lap 13 by a misfire as he exited Coppice onto the back straight. A helpless Riki Christodoulou clipped the back of Oakes as he tried to pass, allowing Adam Christodoulou to gain two places to finish fifth ahead of his cousin Riki and Manor’s Henry Surtees, who drove a steady race to a season’s-best seventh place having started 12th. On the penultimate lap, the effort Stoneman was still exerting showed as his car twitched under braking for Goddards but he kept his cool superbly to hold off Buzaid by 0.590s. Commenting after the race, Stoneman said: “After a poor result in round five this is just fantastic. The first six or seven laps were tricky because of the slippery track conditions but I was still able to go side-by-side with Buzaid through the Craner Curves before I got past him. Towards the end of the race he did start to gain on me because I was being a bit over cautious through the last chicane.” Second-placed Buzaid said: “With the light rain before the race it was hard to know what to do with the set-up and Dean was able to be quicker than me at the start. I was also a bit nervous with my braking points because it’s sometimes difficult to lead. It’s been a strong weekend though and I’m up to second in the championship so I can challenge from there.” Third-placed Sims said: “Unfortunately I made mistakes in qualifying, which meant I only started sixth on the grid. I got an OK start but the track conditions for the first few laps didn’t help and I could only manage third. I did try to push later on and close the gap on Buzaid but it was just too little too late. This weekend didn’t delivery quite what I wanted but we can start again at Thruxton and I’m confident I can get a good result there.” Rounds seven and eight of the 2008 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship take place on 17th/18th May at Thruxton circuit.
BUZAID ENTERS TITLE RACE WITH FIRST WIN
Having secured pole position during Saturday’s qualifying session, Buzaid had to work to retain his lead at the start of the race as Manor’s Alexander Sims attempted to pass around the outside at Hollywood. The Briton took to the grass causing him to spin across the circuit, recovering brilliantly to rejoin in 11th place. Riki Christodoulou seized second place behind team-mate Buzaid. The start also saw infringements by Alpine Motorsport’s Dean Stoneman and Manor’s Henry Surtees, both of whom were issued with drive through penalties. Stoneman also suffered a spin at Goddards’ chicane after contact with Eurotek Motorsport’s Jordan Oakes that forced Oakes into retirement. Surtees mistakenly stopped at his pit bay while serving his penalty causing him to repeat the process and compromise a fine fifth-placed grid slot to finish 17th behind Stoneman. On the opening lap, CR Scuderia Formula Renault’s championship leader Adam Christodoulou passed Loane at the Old Hairpin for fourth place. Further down the order, Mark Burdett Motorsport’s Thomas Hylkema tried to pass CR Scuderia’s Ryuji Yamamoto at Goddards but hit the Japanese driver forcing both into retirement. Adam Christodoulou was on a charge as he attempted to make up for a disappointing sixth place on the grid, passing Surtees at Redgate on lap three and immediately pulling away. Surtees lost a further spot to team-mate Loane on the following lap before serving his penalty. In midfield, Sims had worked his way back up to seventh on lap five by passing Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Josh Scott, while Scott’s team-mate Kieren Clark was working hard to keep Manor’s Tom Armour (Billericay) and Mark Burdett’s Swedish debutant Fredrik Blomstedt at bay. The race for third place saw Loane catching Adam Christodoulou but being caught himself by Fortec’s James Calado who set the fastest lap to that point on lap eight and went even quicker on lap nine. Lap 11 saw a significant change at the head of the field with the pressure from Loane finally telling as Adam Christodoulou slid sideways at McLean. Loane was able to take a tighter line through Coppice and hold the inside on the wheel-to-wheel run to Goddards where he completed an excellent overtaking manoeuvre. The action also allowed Fortec’s Oli Webb to close the gap in sixth place. The following lap saw Sims suffer a second spin of the race, undoing his hard work in recovering from the earlier incident. Despite this, he salvaged a creditable ninth place given the circumstances of his race. Calado continued to pressure Adam Christodoulou until the end, setting the second fastest lap time of all behind Buzaid’s new lap record of 1min 06.176s (106.47mph). CR Scuderia’s Scott Jenkins set his personal best lap time on the penultimate lap as he finished seventh ahead of Josh Scott, while Worswick Engineering’s Rossi made his first appearance in the top 10 this season by holding off Apotex Scorpio’s Sho Hanawa. For the leading pair of Buzaid and Riki Christodoulou it was a relatively event-free race as Buzaid established a 2.5s lead by lap five and coasting to victory, while Christodoulou was three seconds ahead of his cousin and the race for third place. Commenting on his victory, Buzaid said: “Alexander had a good start and got almost alongside at the first corner. There was a touch on my rear wheel and it’s a shame for him that he spun. For me, I was able to get a good lead early on and then it was simple for me and I could ease off at the end. Hopefully I can do the same this afternoon in the second race.” Second-placed Riki Christodoulou said: “I was frustrated after second qualifying yesterday but I put that behind me to concentrate on the race this morning. It felt like a long race because I was too far behind Adriano to do anything about the win but also well clear of third. I’ve got work to do this afternoon but I’ll be giving my all.” Third-placed Kris Loane said: “I’m a bit surprised after qualifying in seventh to be on the podium so it’s a great result for me, although I need to do better in qualifying. Adam ran a bit wide that gave me just enough room to get alongside and pass into the chicane but it was very close. I’m fourth on the grid this afternoon so I’m aiming for an equally good result.” Round six of the Formula Renault UK Championship takes place later today at 15.50 and is due to be shown live on ITV4.
HAT-TRICK AS ADAM CHRISTODOULOU DOMINATES AGAIN
Adam Christodoulou completed a third straight win from Michelin pole position, breaking his own lap record in the process, in round four of the 2008 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship on Sunday, 13th April. The CR Scuderia Formula Renault ace ends a perfect weekend at Rockingham International circuit with a 31-point lead over team-mate Ryuji Yamamoto in the drivers’ standings. Yamamoto finished second in round four ahead of Adam’s cousin Riki Christodoulou of Fortec Motorsport, who is also third overall in the drivers’ standings. Fortec’s Oli Webb was the top Graduate Cup finisher in fifth and in the competition for rookie drivers now leads Alpine Motorsport’s Dean Stoneman who failed to finish. Stoneman was caught in a first-lap tangle that also accounted for Eurotek Motorsport’s Jordan Oakes and CR Scuderia’s Scott Jenkins. Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Sho Hanawa and Josh Scott were delayed by the incident, while CR Scuderia’s Sten Pentus and Apotex Scorpio’s Kieren Clark each gained five places on the opening tour. The start of the race saw Riki Christodoulou briefly hold second but Yamamoto held his nerve around the outside of Deene hairpin to regain the place. Christodoulou then just managed to hold off Manor Competition’s Alexander Sims, a light touch between the pair demonstrating how closely the young drivers race in the single-seater championship that helped launch the careers of Kimi Räikkönen and Lewis Hamilton. After a Safety Car spell to retrieve the stricken cars, the restart on lap seven saw Worswick Engineering’s Rossi immediately gain a place by passing Mark Burdett Motorsport’s Thomas Hylkema at Tarzan hairpin. On the following lap, Fortec Motorsport’s James Calado ran side by side with Pentus through the banked Turn One before completing the pass for 10th at Deene. Lap eight also saw Adam Christodoulou set the NGK Fastest Lap of the race and a new lap record, beating his own mark set in round three, at 1min 16.178s (91.67mph). Within three laps he had built a 3.5s lead over Yamamoto and never looked like being caught in another faultless display. In midfield, Hylkema re-passed Rossi at Brook chicane, the Briton taking to the grass to avoid the severe kerb and dropping to last place across the line. He was soon able to pass Hanawa, who had a damaged front wing among other minor issues after the early skirmish. Fortec’s Adriano Buzaid in seventh was leading a queue of cars, allowing Calado and Pentus to close up. Meanwhile, Sims was edging away from Webb in fourth place having earlier come under great pressure from the Graduate Cup leader. Lap 11 saw Calado, showing improved pace after his team discovered a worn undertray had been affecting the car’s performance in round three, overtake Clark for ninth place. Four laps later, with the top six well clear of the train of cars led by Buzaid, Clark made a bid to regain ninth and although he got past at Tarzan he was unable to hold the line as Calado coolly switched back to the inside and regain the place from Clark on the run to Brook. As the race drew to a close, Buzaid was able to break away from Manor’s Henry Surtees in eighth and on the penultimate lap Surtees lost out to a bold move by Calado at Tarzan hairpin. With 25 minutes having elapsed, the race ended after 18 laps with a double fist-pumping celebration by Adam Christodoulou confirming his win by 2.786s from Yamamoto with Riki Christodoulou 4.176s behind his cousin. Commenting after the race, Adam said: “It’s been a perfect weekend for me and I have to say the team has produced a car that is a pleasure to drive. I’ve had the pace in the car for qualifying and the race, the set-up has been spot-on and I can’t really ask for any more. As long as I made a good start I was confident I could win and that’s what happened.” Second-placed Yamamoto said: “Adam was very fast at the beginning and the gap was very big. When the race went on my car was quicker and I caught him a bit but not enough. Two podiums in two races is very good for me so I am happy and Andrew (Kirkaldy, CR Scuderia Team Manager) is happy as well.” Third-placed Riki Christodoulou said: “I had a reasonably good start and got up the inside of Ryuji but he has a way of being quick even on the outside so I lost out. It was tight with Sims early on and I think we touched a bit which made me wary of a puncture. Fortunately that didn’t happen and I was able to get another podium finish, which I needed after only being seventh yesterday.”
ADAM CHRISTODOULOU KEEPS WINNING HABIT AT ROCKINGHAM Adam Christodoulou increased his championship lead with a straightforward victory in round three of the 2008 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship at Rockingham International circuit on Saturday, 12th April. The CR Scuderia Formula Renault driver led home team-mate Ryuji Yamamoto and Manor Competition’s Alexander Sims at the Northamptonshire venue. Christodoulou had secured Michelin pole position by 0.228s ahead of Fortec Motorsport’s Adriano Buzaid, a relatively large margin in the hugely competitive single-seater series. Making a good start from pole, the 18-year-old set the NGK Fastest Lap to complete his second hat-trick of landmarks in as many races. His best lap of 1min 16.464s (91.33mph) is a new lap record, beating 2007 vice-champion Dean Smith’s time by 0.169s, Christodoulou’s second lap record in two races. The start of the race saw Buzaid lose out at Deene hairpin to drop to fourth as Yamamoto and Sims climbed from second and sixth on the grid respectively. Alpine Motorsport’s Dean Stoneman moved from ninth to sixth as the best Graduate Cup driver as Fortec’s Oli Webb (Knutsford), who had been the best Graduate qualifier in eighth, dropped back one place. In midfield, Eurotek Motorsport’s Jordan Oakes damaged his front wing as the concertina effect occurred on the run to Yentwood, upsetting his handling for the remainder of the 16-lap race. Manor’s Henry Surtees passed CR Scuderia’s Sten Pentus on lap two as they sped through the uniquely banked Turn One, while Stoneman also gained a place by passing Manor’s Kris Loane for fifth. As Christodoulou extended his lead steadily, his team-mate Scott Jenkins was making good progress. Having started 14th, he passed Fortec’s James Calado and Pentus in successive laps to rise to 11th. Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Kieren Clark continued to pressure 15th-placed Oakes. Before he could make headway, however, his team-mate Josh Scott overtook Clark on lap five. Two laps later, Webb got a run on Apotex Scorpio’s Sho Hanawa (Watford) exiting the final chicane allowing him to draft past through Turn One. Lap nine then saw Josh Scott miss a gear at Tarzan Hairpin causing him to run into the gravel trap as he attempted to pass Oakes, Clark taking advantage of the incident to opportunistically claim 15th. The race then stabilised for a spell, although Yamamoto was edging slightly closer to Christodoulou as Buzaid did the same with Sims. The final change for position occurred on the penultimate lap as Manor’s Tom Armour, who has switched from Mark Burdett Motorsport with which he contested the first round, passed Oakes for 16th at Deene Hairpin. Oakes’ disappointing afternoon was capped when he retired on the final lap. Christodoulou’s winning margin was 1.714s ahead of Yamamoto with Sims a further 2.191s back. The race marks the first time since rounds three and four of the 2006 Championship at Oulton Park that Fortec Motorsport has failed to place a driver in the top three, although 2007 champion Duncan Tappy won round 16 at Brands Hatch last year before being excluded for technical non-compliance. Commenting on his victory, Adam Christodoulou said: “It’s great to build my lead and for the team to get a one-two. I managed to get a gap over Ryuji in the first couple of laps and although I had a slight ‘moment’ when I ran wide, I managed to keep a consistent pace in the second half of the race.” Second-placed Ryuji Yamamoto, celebrating his maiden Formula Renault UK podium, said: “I’m very happy with the race, it feels very good to be on the podium. My thanks to the team for making my car very easy to drive. I had a good start to get to second place but Adam was too far in front to go for the win.” Third-placed Alexander Sims said: “The start was always going to be crucial for me to make up places and I managed to climb three places straight away. It was fairly quiet after that and although Kris did start to catch me late on I had it under control. Third isn’t exactly where we want to be but it’s an improvement on Brands Hatch so we’re going the right way.” Round four of the Formula Renault UK Championship takes place on Sunday, 13th April. Scheduled to start at 14.05, therace is due to be shown live on ITV4.
ADAM CHRISTODOULOU SPARKS DOUBLE FAMILY CELEBRATION Adam
Christodoulou dominated from pole position to win round two of the 2008
Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship on Sunday, 30th March. The
CR Scuderia Formula Renault driver, Graduate Cup champion in 2007,
followed his cousin Riki Christodoulou’s round one win with Alpine
Motorsport’s Dean Stoneman and Fortec Motorsport’s Adriano Buzaid each
clinching their first podium finish of the season. Following the action in a thrilling first round held in damp conditions earlier in the day, the tight 1.20-mile Brands Hatch Indy circuit lived up to its reputation as a circuit where overtaking is difficult, especially in single-seater cars. On a dry track the start would prove crucial and Adam Christodoulou got away well while fellow front-row starter Oli Webb, who qualified brilliantly on his first race weekend in the FR2.0 car, stalled on the grid before recovering to finish ninth. Stoneman moved from the second row to take second position behind Christodoulou, while Buzaid climbed to third with a bold move around the outside at Druids Hairpin. CR Scuderia’s Ryuji Yamamoto and Fortec’s Riki Christodoulou each gained two places on the first tour to lie sixth and eighth respectively, as did Sten Pentus and James Calado in 10th and 13th. Worswick Engineering’s Rossi gained a place on lap four by passing Manor Competition’s Kris, only to undo his good work later in the lap by spinning at Clearways. With the 18-year-old’s car in the gravel trap but close to the circuit, the Safety Car was deployed to enable recovery, extending the race distance to 27 laps. Adam Christodoulou handled the restart perfectly to break clear of Stoneman, while Riki Christodoulou came closest to gaining a place but Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Josh Scott defended well into Paddock Hill Bend. Manor’s Alexander Sims was challenging for the fourth place of Eurotek Motorsport’s Jordan Oakes, their tussle allowing Yamamoto to close the gap to Sims. Lap 12 saw Adam Christodoulou set the fastest lap of the race and a new lap record of 44.409s (97.16mph) to extend his lead to more than one second. Three laps later, the battle for fourth place developed with Sims passing Oakes at Clearways and Yamamoto opportunistically passing Oakes at Druids Hairpin for fifth. On lap 17, Riki Christodoulou finally found a way past Scott, drawing alongside the Australian on the run to Paddock Hill Bend and completing the pass around the outside. Further down the order, Loane passed James Calado for 13th place. As the race entered its final stages Buzaid began to pressurise Stoneman, vice-champion in the 2007 Formula Renault BARC Championship. Although only in his second race in the Formula Renault UK Championship, Stoneman held off the Brazilian’s challenge comfortably to claim a fantastic podium finish. With five laps remaining, Oli Webb began to swarm all over the back of Josh Scott’s car but the Australian was just able to hang on to eighth place. Riki Christodoulou was applying similar pressure to Oakes’ sixth position but was equally unable to make the pass. While mini-tussles emerged behind, Adam Christodoulou continued to extend his lead to win by 3.304s from Stoneman with Buzaid finishing a further nine-tenths of a second back in third place. Adam Christodoulou now leads the championship by 11 points from his cousin Riki with Josh Scott the leading Graduate Cup driver in third place overall. Commenting on the race, Adam Christodoulou said: “With overtaking so difficult the start was the most important part of the race for me and I was happy to lead the first lap. The Safety Car took away the early lead I’d built but I was soon able to regain that. As in round one it was a lonely race for me but I was leading so I didn’t mind at all this time!” Second-placed Dean Stoneman said: “My performance in qualifying really helped and the car felt great throughout the race. My tyres started to overheat slightly so I backed off a little to let them recover and Adriano caught me up but I was never worried he was going to overtake me. To get on the podium at the first meeting is great so I’m happy with the way things ended up.” Third-placed Adriano Buzaid said: “I dropped back to sixth off the start but as everyone went to the inside at the hairpin I managed to go around the outside to get third place. I’m in my second season now and learned a lot last year so I’m happy to start with a podium and look forward to doing even better at Rockingham.” Rounds three and four of the 2008 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship take place at Rockingham Motor Speedway on 12th/13th April. Prior to that there is official testing at Oulton Park Island circuit on Tuesday, 1st April and Thruxton circuit on Monday, 7th April.
RIKI CAPITALISES TO WIN ROUND ONE Riki Christodoulou started the 2008 season as he ended 2007 with victory in an action-packed round one of the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship on Sunday, 30th March. Christodoulou, who won the final race last season, made the most of a poor start by pole-sitter Alexander Sims to finish ahead of Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s debutant Josh Scott and cousin Adam Christodoulou of CR Scuderia Formula Renault at Brands Hatch Indy circuit. Manor Competition driver Sims had earned pole position with a great lap in Saturday’s qualifying but a problem selecting neutral meant he had to hold the clutch in while the rest of the field took up their grid slots. While attempting to hold the car stationary and avoid a false start, Sims stalled the engine and could only rejoin in 14th place. Riki Christodoulou got away cleanly to lead into Paddock Hill Bend for the first time, while CR Scuderia’s Scott Jenkins lost out to Josh Scott and Adam Christodoulou on lap one. The top three exchanged fastest laps and were evenly spaced as the race at the front settled into a rhythm on a damp but slowly drying track. Further down the order, Sims moved passed Mark Burdett Motorsport’s Tom Armour and Apotex Scorpio’s Kieren Clark on successive laps as he began his recovery drive. Fortec Motorsport’s James Calado backed by the Racing Steps Foundation, spun on the exit of Druids Hairpin to drop to last place of the 19 remaining runners, CR Scuderia’s Sten Pentus (Bardon) having already retired with a broken gear lever. The battle for 10th place saw Alpine Motorsport’s Dean Stoneman come under pressure from Eurotek Motorsport’s Jordan Oakes at Paddock Hill, Oakes himself then being challenged by Sims as the Formula Renault cars produced exciting racing on a circuit notorious for difficulties with overtaking. Lap eight saw Sims complete the pass through Surtees and by the halfway stage of the 24-lap race he had reached 10th by passing Stoneman with a brave move at Paddock Hill Bend. Also on the move was CR Scuderia’s Ryuji Yamamoto and he provided a thrilling moment together with Sims and Fortec’s Adriano Buzaid. The trio exited Clearways in line but fanned out to run three-wide into the fearsome Paddock Hill Bend with Yamamoto emerging ahead of Sims and Buzaid, but all three drivers showing great courage and respect for each other in front of the packed grandstand. Just behind, Manor’s Henry Surtees, son of former World Champion John Surtees, was struggling for grip as the wet tyres became worn on the drying circuit. He dropped three places from ninth on lap 15 before finishing in 15th place, one place ahead of Stoneman who had also been running strongly early in. Lap 16 saw Yamamoto gain another place by passing fellow Japanese Sho Hanawa and Yamamoto then set the fastest lap to that point when he had clear track ahead of him. All the while, Riki Christodoulou continued to build his lead over Scott to more than five seconds by lap 20. Eighth-placed Sims was now coming under pressure from Buzaid, while Oakes passed Worswick Engineering’s Rossi for 11th place. Rossi returned the favour on lap 22 after Oakes ran wide at Graham Hill Bend to re-take the place for an 11th place finish in his first Formula Renault UK race. In the closing laps, the charging Yamamoto was catching Manor’s Kris Loane at more than one second per lap. As Buzaid passed Sims at Druids Hairpin on lap 22 for eighth place, Yamamoto was lining up an attempt to pass Loane on the final lap. The Northern Irishman defended the inside line at Paddock Hill and Druids and the pair exited Clearways side by side. In the end Loane hung on by inches, timed at 0.009s by the official timekeepers, for a hard-earned fifth place. After an error-free drive the race belonged to Riki Christodoulou, with Scott the leading Graduate Cup driver in a fantastic second place in his first Formula Renault UK race and first race outside of his native Australia. Adam Christodoulou completed the podium line-up some eight seconds behind his cousin. Commenting on the victory, Riki Christodoulou said: “I was confident I could make a good start but the fact that Alexander stalled obviously made it easier for me. Times haven’t been brilliant in testing but I was always confident that in the races my experience gained last year would help me and that’s how it proved today.” Second-placed Josh Scott said: “I actually stalled as we began the Green Flag Lap but luckily made a better job of it at the race start. I was able to break free from Adam early on but Riki had got away from me slightly. My tyres started to overheat as the track dried so I was trying to drive through water where I could but the main thing was to keep my lap times consistent, which I was able to do.” | |
Dean
Stoneman scorched to a maiden Formula Renault UK with Michelin
Championship win with a clinical performance in round six at Donington
Brazilian
racer Adriano Buzaid clinched his first victory in the Formula Renault
UK with Michelin Championship with a flawless drive from Michelin pole
position at Donington Park on Sunday, 4th May. The Fortec Motorsport
driver, who has previously won one round of the Formula Renault UK
Winter Cup, finished 3.683s ahead of team-mate Riki Christodoulou. Manor
Competition’s Kris Loane took a maiden podium in third place. 
