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Silverstone-based Hitech Junior will be back on track this weekend (11 and 12 October) in the penultimate rounds of the Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup Magny Cours in France. |
mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk IMPRESSIVE PACE FOR HITECH JUNIOR’S BACHETA IN SPA
In first qualifying it was former T-Car champion Bacheta who led the way for the team. The Briton, who won on his single-seater debut at the end of 2006, was 11th quickest of the 35-car field with Singleton and Walsh in 16th and 22nd respectively. As is typical of the Belgian track, the unpredictable weather played its part in the outcome of the second session, intermittent rain ensuring track time was critical. In the wet session Singleton and Walsh both improved their positions to take 14th and 17th, with a disappointed Bacheta down in 31st. In the weekend’s opening race, it was again Bacheta who took the early advantage, a superb start off the line moving him up six places going into the first corner. However a hit from another car at La Source ended his fantastic charge, causing a puncture to his right rear tyre and sending him into the pits for replacement. Almost a lap down, the teenager quickly got back on the pace, easily amongst the quickest on the track, to finish 31st. For Singleton, who scored the team’s first Eurocup podium in Estoril last weekend, race one proved frustrating as he was unable to shake off the advances of Benjamin Lariche, the pair swapping places throughout the race and preventing Richard from making the break as he attempted a repeat of his second place in Portugal. Walsh meanwhile drove a steady opening race, starting 22nd and driving a good opening lap to move up the order to 14th although he slipped back to 17th at the flag. The weekend’s second race proved to be effectively a non-event. Held in treacherous conditions, it was started under the safety car which ensured there was no overtaking over the opening laps. At the finish all three drivers declared the conditions as ‘undriveable’ with no visibility due to the spray, leaving the results of the race effectively as the qualifying positions had been with Singleton finishing 17th, Walsh 22nd and Bacheta 24th.
FIRST EUROCUP PODIUM FINISH FOR HITECH JUNIOR
A staggering 54 cars entered the double-header event and Singleton, the reigning Formula Renault Winterseries Champion, made a great start to slot in behind pole-sitter and new championship leader Valtteri Bottas. Despite two safety car periods over the course of the 15 lap race, Richard held his nerve and was able to maintain the place at both restarts. After the safety car went in for the second time, it was a one lap dash to the flag and the 19 year-old withstood a desperate move for the runner-up spot from third placed Alex Morgan, but the teenager held his ground to take second at the flag. “It’s fantastic to have finally got my first podium with the team who has worked so hard all season. I’ve come a long way since the start of the season and now to get a front row start and a podium is just brilliant. I made a great start to hold the place and both times at the restart I made a good getaway and it wasn’t until the final dash to the flag that I started to get nervous. But I’m happy with my performance and that of the Hitech team this weekend, we’ve worked well together and the result has filled me with even more confidence ahead of the next race. It can’t come quick enough!” Fellow Briton Luciano Bacheta drove another faultless weekend, the teenager just missing out on the fastest lap of race two by just seven hundredths of a second but was disappointed to be eliminated in the opening lap of race one. Rapid Colombian Juan Jacobo was unable to show his true potential after getting mixed up in a multi-car battle mid way through each race which left him down the order. In the Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup rounds, Australian Ashley Walsh again showed his potential starting with a strong qualifying performance on Friday. The Australian Motor Sport Foundation International Rising Star posted the eighth quickest time but in the opening race suffered two drive-through penalties which dropped him down the order. In the second race, the youngster recovered from dropping two places at the start to get back up to seventh at the flag.
HITECH JUNIOR IMPROVES OVER LE MANS OUTING
For the fledgling team, the weekend marked another strong showing, with all drivers making steady progress and all four Eurocup runners showing the potential to qualify through to the superpole shootout. Singleton and Bacheta were in impressive form in free practice the duo posting the fifth and 10th quickest times before losing them for yellow flag infringements. Despite this the pair comfortably qualified through to the superpole session. For Monras, the effects of the Nürburgring accident took its toll while Jacobo had his best qualifying session of the season, making a slight error in the last sector to miss superpole by just 0.1 seconds. In the superpole shoot out, Singleton was running first on a damp track but with the track drying rapidly over the closing stages, it was obvious a driver’s last lap would be his quickest. However, with just three minutes remaining, two cars spun in front of Richard slowing him up and dropping him to 13th. For Bacheta a similarly impressive run was ended when the youngster got caught in traffic on his final run, dropping him from the top ten to 16th. The qualifying race had Jacobo start third and Monras line up just behind him in fifth. What should have been a possible podium finish fro the Jacobo ended when he spun off on the third lap, while Monras drove steadily to collect ninth at the flag. Saturday’s first race had Bacheta starting 16th and a superb drive, running as high as seventh, resulted in eighth place at the finish and netted him his first Eurocup points. A steady drive by Singleton who started 13th earned him 12th while a fantastic performance by Monras, from 33rd on the grid, allowed him to finish in an impressive 16th place at the flag. In the second race Bacheta again headed the team home, driving an impressive opening lap to make up six places from his 18th place grid start. A steady race by the Briton over the course of the race allowed him to cross the line 11th. Singleton meanwhile also improved on his grid slot on the opening race, passing three cars off the line and finished 13th at the flag. Completing the Hitech runners, Monras managed to pass ten cars throughout the race but after a series of strong finishes in the previous races, finished a disappointing 27th. In the
WEC race, rapid Australian Walsh finished a superb seventh after
qualifying 21st while Monras, taking time out from his Eurocup campaign,
sadly failed to finish after qualifying 18th.
STRONG FORM FOR HITECH JUNIOR IN HUNGARY
Singleton spent much of the opening free practice session on Thursday swapping fastest lap times with championship leader Daniel Ricciardo and Andrea Caldarelli. In the afternoon, in which the top 26 cars were covered by a second, the Formula Renault Winterseries champion wound up ninth quickest upholding honours for the Silverstone-based team. On Friday the 41 runners were split into two groups with Singleton and Monras both second quickest in their respective tests on the damp track. In the collective test, Monras was tenth as the quartet prepared for the crucial qualifying session which would determine places for the super pole shootout. Monras again proved quickest of the four giving him automatic entry into the shoot out with Bacheta 14th, Singleton 16th and Jacobo 19th in their sessions putting them into the qualification race. In that Singleton finished top Hitech runner in sixth just ahead of Bacheta in seventh with Jacobo 13th but with a superb second fastest race lap to his credit. Race Drivers Academy driver Bacheta and Colombian ace Jacobo suffered mixed fortunes over the weekend but both impressed in their debut seasons in the single-seater championship. Jacobo reaffirmed his rapid race pace with the second quickest lap in qualification race, while Bacheta drove a storming opening race from dead last to 14th before being taken out two corners from home. In the opening championship race, Monras who took the team’s first podium finish last time out narrowly missed a points-scoring finish after losing his front wing at the first corner. Despite that he still managed to race and get past several drivers and had the car been intact, would have been able to improve on his eventual 12th place finish. Jacobo went on to finish 28th, Bacheta 31st and Singleton 32nd while the second race, interrupted by a safety car period, proved eventful for the quartet and resulted in Monras finishing 22nd, Jacobo 28th and Singleton 29th as Bacheta failed to finish. Despite the results, team owner David Hayle was quick to praise the youngsters who have all steadily improved over the course of the opening three races. “Unfortunately the results here this weekend really don’t do justice to the performance of all four of them. Their testing and race pace is outstanding and we must remember they are all rookies competing in a highly-competitive series with some of the quickest Formula Renault drivers around. “The Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship is one of the hardest championships in Europe and the fact that one second covered 26 cars proves that. So we remain happy with the performance this weekend although not necessarily the overall results but we can take something from it into the next rounds. “It is a new challenge for all of us, a new team into the championship with young rookie drivers where we have proved we have the outright pace. Now we must convert that into qualifying pace to enable us to get the best possible chance of success.”
FIRST EVER PODIUM FOR HITECH JUNIOR
Sixteen year-old Monras, in his first full in motor racing, showed his intentions right from the start of qualifying. Running fourth quickest the talented teenager was brake-tested by a rival, sending him into the back of the car ahead and launched him into the air. The incident put paid to his chances of maintaining the superb form and although he was classified 15th quickest, the timely delay to repair his car forced him to start the race from the pit lane. From there a stunning drive through the field from dead last saw him finish 19th at the flag. Singleton, the Formula Renault UK Winterseries Champion, had upheld team honours with tenth quickest in first qualifying with Australian Motor Sport Foundation International Rising Star Walsh in a lowly 27th. In Saturday’s opening race, Singleton maintained position to finish as top Hitech runner with Monras back in 19th and Walsh 21st. Sunday’s qualifying session had Monras quickest of the trio, posting the eighth quickest time ahead of Singleton in 16th and Walsh 22nd. A superb race by the Barcelona teenager enabled him to steadily progress through the field, overtaking five cars over the course of the race to cross the line third. Singleton once again showed promise throughout the race and superb pace as he too had a storming drive up to ninth. Twenty year-old Walsh struggled to repeat the form that netted him runner-up in the Formula Ford Championship last season as he crossed the line 23rd. “It’s great to get our first trophy so early on in our first season in Formula Renault,” said Team owner David Hayle. “All three drove really well again this weekend and I’m sure it won’t be long before podiums are a regular feature. Richard certainly had the pace in the second race and was able to make up a lot of places. However Ashley struggled a bit, mainly I think due to lack of track time, although he improved over the course of the weekend.” Hitech Junior will be back on track over the weekend of Saturday 5 July and Sunday 6 July in the next rounds of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship at the Hungaroring
HITECH SHOWS GOOD FORM AT SPA Hitech Junior narrowly missed out on a points-scoring result in the opening round of the 2008 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday. The Silverstone-based team, in its debut season in the hotly contested series, is fielding four cars for Miki Monras, Richard Singleton, Juan Jacobo and Luciano Bacheta. The series has attracted a massive 48 entries for 2008. The series organisers took the decision to split the entry into two qualifying sessions of 24 cars determined by odd and even race numbers. From that the fastest 12 from each group would go into a Super Pole session, with a drivers’ first and second quickest lap times determining the first 24 cars on the grid for the two races. The 24 remaining cars would line up 25 to 48 on the grid for each race. In his qualifying session, Spaniard Miki Monras drove superbly to post the ninth quickest time, putting him comfortably into the Super Pole shootout. He was joined by Briton Singleton who was an impressive tenth quickest in his session, following a superb testing performance earlier in the week. Colombian Jacobo posted the 12th quickest time in his session putting him in super pole, however his time was taken away by the stewards for a driving infringement, Juan was demoted to 13th in session which would automatically see him line up 26th for the first race. Briton Bacheta, part of the Race Drivers Academy Government Funded Driver Development Programme, was 14th in his session and for the opening round lined up 28th. The Super Pole shoot took place with 24 cars vying for the all-important pole-spot. Monras led the way for the team posting the 21st and 19th quickest time. Singleton’s session was interrupted when he clipped a barrier on his first flying lap breaking his rear wing, which forced him into the pits for a replacement giving him time for just one lap. Race one, held over 12 laps, proved largely uneventful and it was Bacheta who upheld team honours with a storming drive through the field from 28th to 15th at the flag. For Monras, a steady drive allowed him to progress, finishing 19th. Jacobo struggled in the opening race to finish 30th while Singleton made a storming start making up ten places to be 14th at the end of the first lap. Unfortunately contact with another car, resulted in a pit stop which pushed him back down the order and he was classified 41st at the flag. In the second race held on Sunday, Monras made a great start and over the course of the 11 laps drove superbly, latching onto the tail of a seven-car battle for sixth. Just one tenth covered them and at the flag, Miki took 11th place, just outside the points. Jacobo drove a similarly impressive first lap, making up 14 places before being hit by another car, bringing his charge to a premature end. Singleton recovered from his first race disappointment to take 14th. Bacheta meanwhile crossed the line in 18th place. Hitech Junior will next take to the track in the second round of the 2008 WEC Formula Renault 2.0 Championship which takes place in Dijon, France over the weekend of 9-11 May.
HITECH JUNIOR KICK-STARTS 2008 Hitech Junior kicked of its 2008 season this weekend with Spaniard Miki Monras, Briton Luciano Bacheta and Australian Ashley Walsh competing in the opening rounds of the WEC Formula Renault 2.0 Championship at Nogaro in France. The Silverstone-based team, in it’s first full season in Formula Renault, was happy with the performance of all three rookies as it bids to build on the success of its sister company British F3 champions Hitech Racing. In a field of 38 cars, the three youngsters all shone in the opening wet qualifying, easily running in the top ten until the conditions improved and they dropped down the order. In the second dry session, International Rising Star Walsh had been quickest for some of the time, with Monras and Bacheta in seventh and 11th. However the more experienced drivers capitalised on the improved conditions later in the session pushing the Hitech trio to the middle of the field. Race one on Saturday afternoon proved eventful, Walsh topping the results for Hitech with 12th place at the flag after enjoying a battle with his British team-mate Bacheta, who improved from his 19th grid slot to finish 13th. Monras had an uneventful run into 15th, the former karter easily as impressive as the other Formula Renault debutants. Yesterday’s second race again saw all drivers improve from their grid positions, Walsh in particular driving a storming race from 19th to 13th on the opening lap only to spin in wet conditions and have to fight his way back. This he did but dropped back down the field once more before another sterling effort from the Australian Motor Sport Foundation-backed youngster finally saw him take 17th. Monras too made a storming start, gaining ten places on the opening lap and finishing the day as top Hitech driver, the youngster claiming 11th at the flag. Bacheta took 14th at the flag the youngster finishing as top British driver and eighth in the rookie class. The Hitech Junior team now complete a two-day test at Barcelona before it resumes racing with the opening round of the 2008 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship calendar at Spa in Belgium on May 2-4. The second round of the 2008 WEC Formula Renault 2.0 Championship takes place a week later in Dijon, France on May 9-11.
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Hitech
Junior backed up its first front row start with its first Eurocup
Formula Renault 2.0 Championship podium finish in Estoril on Sunday.
Briton Richard Singleton made great use of his second place on the grid
to take the runner-up spot in race two in Portugal, earning the
Silverstone-based team its best result in only its first season in the
hotly-contested series.
Hitech
Junior ventured to the 
Hitech
Junior continued it’s good first season in Formula Renault with another
strong performance in the third round of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
Championship in Hungary. Fielding four cars for Miki Monras, Richard
Singleton, Luciano Bacheta and Juan Jacobo the team was regularly
posting fastest laps and sector times at the Hungaroring circuit near
Budapest.
Hitech
Junior scored its ever first podium finish when Spaniard Miki Monras
finished third in the latest round of the Formula Renault 2.0 West
European Cup at Valencia. Richard Singleton continued his impressive
performance with two top ten places to finish top Briton. While
Australian Ashley Walsh was unable to repeat his earlier form however
finished 21st and 23rd from 35 starters.