|
The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
 |
|
The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
|
|
For all the latest news and developments regarding Josh’s career visit www.joshmulholland.com
Final 2009 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship Standings: |
2009 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship WET THRUXTON FINALE PROVIDES SECOND WIN OF 2009 FOR MULHOLLAND
Having claimed his maiden success during the previous event at Rockingham five weeks ago, the 20-year-old Northern Irishman headed into the Formula Renault BARC season finale as one of four drivers in with a chance of claiming the coveted Vice-Champion’s position. In the end he just missed out by a mere 10 points, largely due to unfortunate contact on lap one of race two. During the 20-minute qualifying session on Sunday morning, which took place in dry conditions, Josh was the class of the field as he scorched to a career-best double pole-position with two outstanding final laps – one of 1m13.873 seconds (114.81mph) and the other a time of 1m13.958 seconds. Round 12, the first race of the day, produced a tremendous drive from the Randalstown racer on a wet track as he battled back from fourth place on the opening tour to a superb winning margin of 1.3 seconds from experienced Omani driver Ahmad Al Harthy. Lining up on pole position for the first time in his single-seater career, Josh wasn’t able to make the getaway he wanted after getting too much wheelspin and lost three places by the time he reached the second corner, Campbell, at the entry to the complex. Immediately fighting back, the Mulholland Scrap Metals-backed star grabbed third place from Al Harthy up the inside into Club Chicane before the end of the first lap and then passed second placed Dino Zamparelli prior to the run up Woodham Hill on the second tour. Pressing on to challenge race leader Brett Parris, Josh was right on the tail of his rival at the end of lap four as they exited the chicane and he then moved into the lead through Allard before Parris slowed to an eventual retirement with alternator problems. Pressing on at the front, Josh steered his Alpine Motorsport-run car to the second fastest lap of the race – 1m20.021 seconds – and went on to take his second victory in as many outings on the 12th tour with a well controlled drive. Speaking after round 12, he commented: “I enjoyed that, it was good fun and in those conditions it was a lot like a kart race with the car moving around. I was a little bit worried about Ahmad (Al Harthy) towards the end as I could see him coming back on to me but the closest he could get was at the complex – there was nowhere else where he was close enough to challenge. “I’m really pleased to have taken two wins on the bounce, we’ve been getting stronger and stronger as the year has gone on and I’ve been getting more and more comfortable with the car. Qualifying went well, taking both pole positions was a great feeling and to follow up with a win was fantastic. I also want to thank all the guys at Alpine for doing a great job for me this year – Sam, Andy, Mick, Paul and my engineer Stephen have been superb.” Adding 32 points to his championship tally, Josh headed into the last race of the season with a great chance of fighting for the Vice-Champion’s position in the driver standings but contact on the first lap, which resulted in a spin and a subsequent retirement approximately a mile from the finish, meant he had to settle for a nonetheless impressive fourth place in the 2009 championship. Starting on pole position again, Josh slipped to second place but was then tapped into a spin after contact at Goodwood. Recovering in sixth place, the car racing rookie mounted his comeback drive well and on lap two at the complex he passed Steven Durrant for fifth position. Shadowing Joe Crook in fourth place, with Parris also just ahead in third, Josh searched for a way by although track conditions had worsened for the second race with an increasing level of spray making vision near-impossible at times. Remaining close to the tail of Crook into the final lap, Josh then had an unfortunate excursion at Village which led to an immediate retirement. Although disappointed not to have finished the 13th and final round of the season, his only non-score of the campaign, Josh can take a great deal of satisfaction from his debut season of car racing as one of just three drivers to have taken pole positions and race victories. In addition to his two wins and brace of pole positions, the Co. Antrim racer has also achieved four other podium results and five top sixes en-route to his top-four championship placing as the second highest rookie Protyre Formula Renault BARC competitor.
MULHOLLAND TAKES TREMENDOUS DEBUT WIN AT ROCKINGHAM
Lining up third on the grid behind Dino Zamparelli and Kieren Clark for the second of the weekend’s races on the 1.94-mile International Super Sports Car Circuit, the 20-year-old from Randalstown in Co. Antrim made a terrific getaway and avoided contact between the two front-row starters as they headed through the first corner. As Clark and Zamparelli clashed at the apex of Turn 1, Josh had already positioned his Alpine Motorsport car on the higher line of the Oval banking and took an immediate lead which he held unchallenged to the chequered flag on lap 15. The Safety Car was deployed at the start of lap two to allow debris to be cleared away from the scene of the first corner incident but at the re-start on the third tour, Josh made an exemplary getaway – the first time he has ever made a re-start leading the pack – and was never headed on his way to a dominant 4.5 second winning margin. “To take our first win is fantastic, it’s what we’ve wanted to achieve all year. The team gave me a great car again, Rockingham is a difficult track to set a car up for so they deserve a lot of credit”, said Josh after round 11, “Although we were fast, I definitely had more pace in me but with it being the first time I had led a race I was perhaps a bit too careful as I didn’t want to make any mistakes. “At the start I had already positioned myself to go on the higher line so when Kieren (Clark) and Dino (Zamparelli) came together it meant I had a clear run all the way round to the first hairpin. This is my first experience of leading a race, and winning obviously, so next time I’ll know what to do. Overall, I’m very happy with how things have gone for us this weekend.” During the earlier 10th round, the Northern Irishman again started from third on the grid but slipped to fourth through Turn 1 as Brett Parris managed to get a better slingshot through the corner on the run to Deene Hairpin. Remaining close behind his rival to the chequered flag on lap 15, Josh finished the race a mere nine 10ths of a second shy of the podium and posted the third fastest lap along the way with a time of 1m19.433 seconds. Taking a superb total of 54 points from a possible 68 this weekend, the Mulholland Scrap Metals-backed racer is now tied on 245 points with Parris in the championship runner-up spot but by virtue of his victory Josh actually has the advantage. In addition, when each driver has deducted their lowest score of the season, as per category regulations, Josh is three points clear in second place. “We’re right in the fight for second in the championship, if we can finish there it would be a great result”, he added, “We’ve got a big break until the final rounds at Thruxton. I’ve only had a couple of sessions of testing there but we did a good job so I’ll be aiming to be on the podium and maybe even challenge for more wins!”
MULHOLLAND UNDERLINES PACE WITH BATTLING BRANDS PERFORMANCE
Departing the venue’s renowned 1.2-mile track with a fine fifth place from round eight and a well deserved top 10 finish from round nine – having been forced to mount a stirring recovery drive on two occasions in the latter – the Alpine Motorsport driver is now fifth in the title race, just 10 points shy of the runner-up spot. “There have been good points and bad points to the weekend but overall we’re taking away some big positives”, commented Josh, “It’s been the most competitive we’ve been at any meeting this year. Our lap times were only one or two 10ths of a second behind Kieren (Clark – championship leader) throughout so I’m really happy with that, especially considering this is only my first season.” During round eight qualifying on Saturday, 22nd August, the 20-year-old from Randalstown took fifth on the grid with a time of 46.274 seconds (93.24mph). His performance in the round nine period was even better though, a lap of 46.378 seconds (93.04mph) earning him a place on the front row alongside experienced series leader Clark. At the beginning of the opening encounter Josh got a very good start but wasn’t quite able to find the space he needed to make up ground at the first corner, Paddock Hill Bend. On the run to Druids hairpin on lap two, the Co. Antrim racer was pushed back to sixth after a late move up the inside by Kourosh Khani but Josh hit back on lap six with a perfectly timed move at the same corner. From that point on Josh remained in fifth position but during the closing stages he piled huge pressure on fourth-placed Ahmad Al Harthy, setting the second fastest lap of 47.062 seconds in the process. Importantly, the top five result also maintained the Mulholland Scrap Metals-backed racer’s runner-up spot in the championship standings.
Determined fightback bags Mulholland deserved top 10 Lining up on the outside of the front row of the grid, he initially looked to move away well but the clutch dropped too quickly and the car stalled. Getting going in 13th place, Josh had a huge amount of work to do but he gained one position almost immediately and by the end of the lap he was 10th. He then passed David Sutton on the third tour for ninth position and grabbed eighth spot from Khani with a superb move up the inside into Paddock Hill Bend. Pressuring seventh-placed Don De Graaff, Josh went to make a pass up the inside at Druids on lap seven but De Graaff moved across at the apex and the resulting contact pitched the Northern Irishman’s car into a spin. Dropping down the order to 15th position, Josh fought back with a string of outstanding lap times and managed to get back into the top 10 by lap 22. To cap off a solid recovery drive, he also posted the second fastest lap of the race on the penultimate tour with a time of 47.236 seconds. Although disappointed to have missed out on at least one potential podium this weekend, Josh was nonetheless very pleased with his pace and carries a great deal of confidence into the next event at Rockingham in Northamptonshire a fortnight from now. Reflecting on Brands Hatch, he said: “In the second race, starting on the hill I had to trail the brake a little bit to stop the car from rolling back and I just dropped the clutch too quickly which meant the engine stalled, it was completely my fault. Considering that though, and how far we fell down the order, I think I did a good job to recover into the top eight as quickly as I did. “If I hadn’t spun at Druids after the contact with Don (De Graaff) I really think I could have had a good go at the podium, we certainly had the pace and I proved that with the second fastest lap of the race. There were definitely some passes I made which I’m proud of, especially at Paddock, and I want to say a huge thank you to the team for doing such a fantastic job with the car.” Josh added: “I’m looking forward to Rockingham next, I raced there in the winter and it went well and in the pre-season test we were second quickest until we finished at the lunchbreak. From the way things have gone so far this year, I’m confident we can achieve some good results there.”
JOSH MULHOLLAND – 2009 MID-SEASON REVIEW
Off the back of a glittering karting career in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which produced a number of prestigious title successes, the Randalstown student headed into Formula Renault BARC this year aiming to push for podium results as quickly as possible. Even Josh himself though couldn’t have wished for such a tremendous start to his debut season. “It’s been a fantastic season up to now”, said the talented Co. Antrim racer, “We wanted to come into a series where we knew we could be competitive from the off and learn as much as possible before hopefully stepping up to Formula Renault UK in our second year. The initial goal was to get onto the podium as quickly as possible which we’ve achieved. Now I’m aiming for my first win.” Arriving at Oulton Park Island Circuit in Cheshire towards the end of May for the opening round of the 2009 season, Josh immediately impressed at the wheel of his Mulholland Scrap Metals-backed car by securing a top six finish against some very experienced rivals. In addition, he underlined his pace with the fourth fastest race lap – just three 10ths of a second shy of podium pace. Delighted with his first race performance in the highly competitive category, the Alpine Motorsport driver improved yet further at Snetterton in Norfolk and in only the third round of the campaign he secured his maiden podium finish with a terrific move on the final lap at the daunting Bomb Hole. In round two which took place earlier in the weekend, Josh finished in fifth position after superbly carving his way through the order from 10th on the grid. In doing so, he also set the second fastest lap of the race to once again serve notice of his burgeoning potential. The third event of the season, rounds four and five at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire, produced Josh’s second podium in as many races with a determined drive to third place in the opening encounter. Backing the result up with another big points haul for fourth position in round five, Josh departed Croft with an excellent top three placing in the championship standings.
BARC title challenge gathers pace at Donington Park Although ultimately he had to settle for a brace of third place finishes rather than the maiden race victory he craved, the Northern Irishman’s pace and racecraft were superb and it was certainly his most successful weekend of the year as he climbed into second position in the title race. There is no question Josh’s first car racing win cannot be far away. Throughout the seven rounds contested so far, he has proven himself to be an exceptionally talented young racing driver and one with the potential to rise up the motorsport ladder towards his dream of Formula One. That said, he acknowledges the level of funding required to compete in F1 and fully understands the need to attract additional commercial partners to achieve his goal of becoming a paid, professional racing driver. “People in racing circles are obviously aware of Formula Renault BARC and the fact it’s a good feeder for the UK championship”, added Josh, “I’m hoping everyone in Northern Ireland and Ireland will become more aware of it as the season progresses, that’s what we need to help gain sponsors. “Looking ahead, we want to move into Formula Renault UK next year and then obviously the step after that would be something like Formula 3 or World Series by Renault. We need more support financially to make that happen though so we’re working very hard to achieve it.” Josh’s next track action, rounds eight and nine, will come this weekend, 22nd/23rd August, at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in Kent. The 10th and 11th rounds of the season will be held on 5th/6th September at Rockingham in Northamptonshire with the championship finale, rounds 12 and 13, taking place at Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire on 11th October.
mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk |
|
Protyre
Formula Renault BARC Championship race-winner Josh Mulholland added a second
victory to his 2009 tally at a wet Thruxton in Hampshire on Sunday, 11th
October, to conclude his debut car racing season a highly creditable fourth
overall in the driver standings. 
Josh
Mulholland produced a career-best drive during round 11 of the Protyre
Formula Renault BARC Championship at Rockingham in Northamptonshire on
Sunday, 6th September, to move back into the coveted Vice-Champion’s
position in the driver standings with a richly deserved maiden race win. 
Northern
Ireland’s single-seater rookie Josh Mulholland battled the odds at Brands
Hatch Indy Circuit on Sunday, 23rd August, to maintain his place in the 2009
Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship standings. 
With
four podium finishes from the first seven races of the 2009 Protyre Formula
Renault BARC Championship, 20-year-old car racing rookie Josh Mulholland has
made a remarkable start to his debut season in single-seater competition.