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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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Manor Competition now heads into the winter break preparing for the introduction of the brand new Formula Renault single-seater which will make its debut in the UK Championship in 2010.
Final 2009
Michelin Formula Renault UK Winter Championship Standings:
. pics . Jakob Ebrey Photography
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mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk Manor Competition 2009 Winter Championship IDAFAR JUST EDGES HYLKEMA FOR TOP THREE WINTER SERIES FINISH
Both drivers proved to be every evenly matched during the opening two rounds at Snetterton in Norfolk and at the 1.94-mile Northamptonshire venue on Saturday, there was very little to choose once again between the team-mates. Two top six results were enough to give 18-year-old Idafar his highly creditable third place finish in the championship while Dutchman Hylkema claimed an impressive fourth position thanks to a best result of fifth during the final race of the series, added to a top seven placing from the earlier race. David McDonald overcame yet more horrendously bad luck to salvage a top eight series finish, seventh place in race two his highlight after being forced to miss the opening encounter due to the failure of a new wiring loom – a particular disappointment for the Manor Competition team considering the squad’s outstanding reliability all year long. Category rookie Robert Foster-Jones, the 2009 B4/Renault MSA British Karting Champion, claimed a fine eighth place in the first race – after a similarly strong run in qualifying – but was lucky to walk away uninjured from a substantial collision with the barriers on lap five of race two. Commenting on the winter series finale, Manor Competition co-owner Sarah Shaw said: “We’ve had a fairly successful winter campaign and we’re pleased with the progress made by all four drivers, it’s just unfortunate David has had such bad luck yet again, especially due to the failure of a new part. He undoubtedly has the pace, he’s shown that time and again, he just needs some better fortune. “It’s been a steep learning curve for Robert but he’s done a good job this weekend and we were all very relieved to see him walk away from his race two accident without injury. It was big impact but the chassis did its job in keeping him protected.”
McDonald and
Foster-Jones both suffer misfortune
In race one
all drivers ran on slick tyres, with the track having dried sufficiently
since the start of the day’s activity, but luckless 19-year-old McDonald
didn’t even get the opportunity to line-up on the final grid due to the
wiring loom failure. Following a one lap Safety Car period, racing resumed on the third tour and Hylkema continued his inspired drive with a superb pass on Nick Yelloly to claim fourth position at Deene. Behind, Idafar also made up ground by passing Foster-Jones and Joseph Reilly but Hylkema suffered some bad luck on lap eight when he overshot the braking area at Deene and slipped to seventh. Manor’s remaining trio stayed in those positions to the chequered flag with Idafar finishing in sixth, Hylkema seventh and Foster-Jones sealing his career-best result of eighth. In race two, Foster-Jones and Hylkema both produced better starts than Idafar with Foster-Jones actually edging into the top five momentarily before 21-year-old Hylkema made the position his out of Deene. McDonald, meanwhile, was up into the top nine from 12th on the grid thanks to a terrific start and first lap before going one better into eighth place. As Hylkema held on to fifth, Idafar got past McDonald to move into the top eight and he then took seventh from Luke Wright on lap four. On the following tour, Foster-Jones had a spin at Gracelands and hit the retaining barriers hard, an incident which brought out the Safety Car. Thankfully though, he emerged unscathed and uninjured. The re-start came over a distance of seven laps and finished with Hylkema taking fifth and Idafar grabbing sixth from McDonald at the exit of Pif-Paf on the final tour when the Surrey racer had a moment across the grass on the inside as he pushed hard.
HYLKEMA & IDAFAR SECURE MAIDEN PODIUMS DURING WINTER OPENER
Dutchman Hylkema visited the rostrum in both of the day’s rain-affected encounters after bagging a brace of richly deserved third places off the back of two outstanding starts from lower than expected grid positions. Producing tremendous speed in each race, the 21-year-old aerospace student proved just what he is capable of in Formula Renault UK with two career-best performances. “I’m extremely happy”, said Hylkema, “The team has kept confidence in me all the time and they’ve pushed me to improve. I’m absolutely delighted to be on the podium and I want to thank Tony (Shaw) and Sarah (Shaw) for all their help, Manor is the best team in Formula Renault.” British-born Bahraini Idafar, racing with Manor Competition for the first time this weekend, was equally impressive. Qualifying fastest of the team’s four drivers to seal a pair of front-row starts, the 18-year-old went on to finish a fighting fourth in round one and a best-ever second place in round two to take his first Formula Renault UK podium. In addition, he posted the fastest lap in race two. Like much of his main championship bid this year, Surrey 19-year-old David McDonald had to endure some bad luck during the Winter Championship opener. Determined as ever though, he secured a fine sixth place in the first outing, along with the second best lap of 1m15.828 seconds, and pushed Hylkema hard for the final podium spot in round two – finishing just 0.8 seconds adrift at the flag. Car racing rookie Robert Foster-Jones, the reigning B4/Renault MSA KF1 British Karting Champion, took a brace of solid top 10 results on his competitive Formula Renault UK debut in conditions which couldn’t, realistically, have been much trickier for a category newcomer. Posting a best finish of ninth in round two, the 19-year-old from Southend-on-Sea will surely be a future front-runner. Following rounds one and two, Idafar is second in the championship on 52 points with Hylkema just a couple of points adrift in third place. McDonald is a further 10 points back in fifth position while Foster-Jones is 10th on 23 points. Commenting on the season-opening event, team co-owner Sarah Shaw said: “It’s been a very good day for us as a whole, all four drivers finished in the top 10 in both races and to have taken three podiums in total – two with Thomas and another with Menasheh – was great to see. We’ve been quick throughout testing so it’s pleasing to confirm that pace in race conditions. “David and Robert deserved more today, they both had some bad luck, but David proved his speed with the second fastest lap in round one and was within touching distance of the podium in race two. In dry testing on Friday, Robert was fifth behind David and Menasheh. Unfortunately the rain made his debut qualifying and races that much more difficult but he still did a very good job.”
Manor proves championship credentials once more
Overnight rain and continued precipitation throughout Saturday morning resulted in extremely difficult conditions for qualifying but Idafar came through to set the second fastest time for both grids. McDonald was sixth fastest for the round one starting order but an improved fourth for round two while Hylkema was seventh and sixth and Foster-Jones 10th for both encounters. Round one was abandoned a third of the way through the initial running following a couple of incidents, one under Safety Car conditions, and rescheduled for the end of the day. Having made a good start to the original race, Idafar didn’t get away as well during the re-run and slipped to fifth on the opening lap before fighting back into fourth on the second tour at the Esses. Hylkema rocketed away from sixth on the grid and was third by the time the cars reached the Bomb Hole on lap one. Remaining in the podium placing all the way to the flag, he was reeled-in by Idafar during the closing stages but maintained his position for a terrific rostrum. McDonald was pushed back to eighth place early on but started to work his way back through just before half distance. Glued to the tail of Dino Zamparelli’s car on lap 10, the Manor ace made his move to climb back into sixth and as he closed down Marlon Stockinger towards the finish he also posted the second fastest race lap – less than 0.3 seconds shy of the best of all. Rookie Foster-Jones battled hard with fellow ex-karter Joseph Reilly and emerged on top by taking 10th place. As the track dried towards the finish, the change in conditions meant yet another variable for the debutant to become accustomed to but he handled it well. At the start of round two Idafar held second position nicely and although pole-sitter Harry Tincknell managed to breakaway early on, his advantage was reduced during the final five laps. Idafar showed excellent pace and on his way to a career-best finish he set the fastest lap of 1m15.946 seconds. Hylkema earned his second ever Formula Renault UK podium with third place after another lightning getaway while team-mate McDonald did pressurise his fellow Manor racer towards the end while also doing a great job to keep Zamparelli at bay. Foster-Jones claimed his best result of the day in ninth, finishing well clear of the much more experienced Marlon Stockinger.
MANOR COMPETITION WINS 2009 FORMULA RENAULT UK DRIVER’S TITLE
The 2009 driver’s title triumph caps a superb year for New Ollerton-based Manor Competition, one in which the team has battled from a 50 point deficit to win the championship with a round to spare after a stunningly consistent campaign. The squad also finishes runner-up in the entrant standings. Furthermore, 21-year-old Smith adds his name to a star-studded list of past Formula Renault UK Champions run to the title in a Manor badged car, none more famous than FIA Formula One World Champions Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton – title winners in 2000 and 2003 respectively. Oliver Jarvis, current DTM touring car front-runner with Audi, boosted his career with the title in 2005. “I’m absolutely over the moon”, commented Tony Shaw, “The team has worked unbelievably hard this year and Dean thoroughly deserves the championship, he’s an exceptional talent. It’s by no means been easy, especially with Dean only returning to the championship after the first couple of rounds had taken place, but that’s testament to the effort of the whole team. “When Dean joined us we had no test prior to Thruxton, it was straight into qualifying but as soon as we had the two-day test at Croft everything clicked. All of the others had winter championships they raced in, testing in the UK and abroad, but Dean went into Thruxton with no mileage at all which makes the end result all the more satisfying.” Shaw continued: “Motor racing is a team sport and our guys are second to none. We’ve proven again our reliability is fantastic, the processes we have at the workshop are amazing and all of our individuals are very committed and thoroughly professional. Sarah (Shaw), of course, deserves a lot of credit for engineering Dean to the title as does Jeremy (Cotterill) for the huge role he’s played this year. “This championship has produced the last two Formula One Champions, let’s not forget, and it’s nice to say they drove for us and came through our environment. Our record speaks for itself, Manor as a company is exceptional at bringing on young drivers.”
McDonald lucky to escape
unscathed from huge qualifying accident Qualifying was something of a bittersweet affair on Saturday though with Smith claiming pole position for round 19 and McDonald posting the seventh fastest time in the opening session before a huge accident at Westfield Bend destroyed his car and brought an early end to proceedings. Luckily, the 19-year-old emerged unscathed from the high-speed incident but he later had his best time taken away, as did Smith, after they were deemed to have set their quickest laps when yellow flags were displayed. Nonetheless, Smith’s second best effort was still good enough for pole while McDonald slipped to 11th on the grid – three spots ahead of Alice Powell with Thomas Hylkema 18th. While Smith totally dominated at the front to win the race and the championship, 16-year-old Oxfordshire racer Powell was Manor’s second highest finisher with an excellent drive to 11th position overall and fourth in the Graduate Cup Class. The team produced a tireless, monumental effort in order to rebuild McDonalds’ car in time for the first race of the weekend on Sunday morning but his outing was compromised after sustaining a broken front wing. Having pitted, he ended the race outside the points but Dutchman Hylkema raced very impressively to a superb 13th place finish – a gain of five positions. In round 20 Smith climbed into the top three, from fourth on the grid, on the opening lap and hustled second-placed Lewis Williamson all the way to the chequered flag to end the season with yet another podium. McDonald battled through superbly from the back of the grid – having been forced to miss second qualifying following his major accident – to take a richly deserved 13th place result. Powell, meanwhile, ended her first season in single-seaters with 16th place while Hylkema’s hopes of another strong run were stymied when given a drive-through penalty after being adjudged to have started the race slightly out of position in his grid box. He finished in 19th place. “It’s been a great year all round for us, we’ve been delighted with the performance and effort of all of our drivers”, added Shaw, “David has got better and better as the year has gone on and we’re thankful he was uninjured in qualifying as it was a huge accident. The team did a superb job to give him a repaired car for the races and David showed outstanding determination. “Thomas again proved he has good pace and without some of the bad luck he’s had this season, he would have been a regular in the top 10. Alice has impressed throughout the year, she’s been a revelation – especially considering her age and lack of experience in single-seaters – and we’d be only too happy to work with all three of them again next year.”
PERFECT ROCKINGHAM DOUBLE MOVES MANOR CLOSER TO 2009 DRIVER’S TITLE
On a weekend of sheer dominance from the team and its British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star, the 21-year-old was utterly peerless as he backed up an incredible victory during Saturday’s 17th round of the season with an equally outstanding win in round 18 – the latter screened live across the UK on Freeview, cable and digital satellite channel ITV4. Rapid from the off during Friday’s pre-event test sessions, Manor looked comfortable throughout the weekend. Smith secured pole position for each encounter and went on to convert them both into unchallenged race victories, his fifth and sixth wins of the season. Also posting the fastest lap in each race, including a new Rockingham lap record on Saturday, Smith took a maximum 68-point haul from the weekend and now leads the driver standings by 25 points from closest rival James Calado.
During Sunday’s outing, Dutchman Hylkema produced the best performance of his Formula Renault UK career to date with an excellent drive to sixth position. Starting round 18 from ninth on the grid, the 21-year-old held his spot ahead of a short Safety Car period and then moved into seventh place when Jesse Krohn and Lewis Williamson tangled exiting Turn 1. On the following lap, Hylkema grabbed another place to move into the top six and remained there to the chequered flag on lap 18, crossing the line just nine 10ths of a second behind erstwhile series leader Oli Webb. Furthermore, his best lap was just half a second shy of Smith’s race winning pace. Single-seater rookie Powell secured a fine 13th place finish in round 18 to add to her third top 12 of the season on Saturday and the 16-year-old therefore maintains her top six position in the Graduate Cup standings for inexperienced competitors. While race two wasn’t a high-point for McDonald due to a broken front-wing compromising his potential and forcing him to pit on lap seven, his superb top six finish in round 17 easily consolidated his top 10 placing in the championship. Although Sunday was a disappointment for the 19-year-old, he was credited with an 18th place result and therefore still scored a handful of points. Commenting on the weekend, Manor Competition co-owner Tony Shaw said: “I can’t thank the team enough for the phenomenal work they’ve done this weekend. To win both races in such dominant style with Dean and to see such good performances from Thomas, David and Alice over the course of the weekend is not only credit to them, but also to the team’s hard work. “The lads have been working tirelessly, both at the workshop and the track, and Sarah’s decision making was second to none. The changes she made between the two qualifying sessions on Saturday were absolutely spot-on.” Shaw added: “We had a pretty tough weekend at Silverstone last time out and it was hard to decipher why but we all worked together to get our heads around it. This weekend’s results are just reward for the efforts of everyone in the team, I’m absolutely over the moon.”
FIFTH WIN OF SEASON EXTENDS SMITH’S CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD
Setting the pace during Friday’s pre-event practice, the Nottinghamshire-based team went on to secure pole position with Smith for both of the weekend’s races on the 1.94-mile International Super Sports Car Circuit. Further domination followed during the opening encounter with a stunning lights-to-flag performance from the 21-year-old. Running consistently faster than anyone else lap-after-lap, Smith opened up an eventual winning margin of 6.5 seconds and also took two bonus points for the fastest lap of the race, 1m15.935 seconds (91.97mph) – a brand new circuit record. The Wolverhampton racer’s result means he now holds a 13-point lead in the championship standings ahead of Sunday’s 18th round. Smith commented: “From first practice we were right up there, in the second practice we were fastest and then in qualifying this morning we were fastest again. There was still more to come though and in the second qualifying session to be four 10ths clear was fantastic. In the race I was able to pull away fairly easily. It’s fantastic to be back on the top step of the podium, the team did an awesome job.” Behind Smith, 19-year-old team-mate David McDonald raced superbly to his fifth top six finish of the season with an impressive drive from 11th on the grid. Qualifying just six 10ths of a second shy of pole position, McDonald lined-up on the sixth row of the grid but picked his way through a chaotic opening lap at Deene Hairpin to gain five places. Chasing down Euan Hankey ahead, Ewell-based McDonald closed to within one second at the finish and was, in turn, over three seconds clear of his nearest pursuer. Underlining the competitiveness of the race, the Manor star was just 1.9 seconds shy of the podium and his result closes him to within just four points of ninth position in the championship. Alice Powell climbed three places in the overall driver standings with an excellent 12th place result this afternoon and also boosted her position in the Graduate Cup – a championship within a championship for inexperienced category rookies – to sixth. Starting round 17 from 19th on the grid, Powell also managed to thread her way through the carnage at the first hairpin. Into lap two the Chipping Norton 16-year-old was in 14th position and after gaining a further place on lap seven, she moved up another spot at the expense of Manor’s Dutch driver Thomas Hylkema who was forced into the pits with a damaged front wing. The 21-year-old, from Maarn in the Netherlands, had been enjoying an outstanding race inside the top 10 – up from 13th on the grid – but race officials forced him to pit from ninth position after deciding his damaged front wing was dangerous. Bitterly disappointed to see his fourth top 10 result slip away, Hylkema will be aiming to make amends at Rockingham tomorrow. Speaking on the day’s action, Manor Competition co-owner Sarah Shaw said: “It’s obviously fantastic for the championship to have won today, Dean did an amazing job and his pace was stunning. It looked set to be a great finish for all four of our drivers, they raced brilliantly, but the decision to bring Thomas in for his front wing spoiled that. “It was a huge shame for him as, even with a loose front wing, he was lapping really quickly and running strongly in ninth place. David’s top six was very well deserved, as was Alice’s top 12, they both produced excellent performances and should be very pleased.”
SMITH TAKES CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD FOR MANOR AT SILVERSTONE
The 21-year-old British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star took his eleventh podium finish of the year during round 16 on Sunday with a fine drive to second place and is now tied on 366 points at the top of the championship with Oli Webb. With Formula Renault UK’s ‘drop-score’ ruling applied though, the Manor Competition ace actually has a seven point lead over James Calado. While delighted to see Wolverhampton-based Smith ascend to the head of the driver standings, the Nottinghamshire squad’s three other drivers, David McDonald, Alice Powell and Thomas Hylkema, each had a frustrating weekend with separate incidents costing them all in both encounters. Surrey star McDonald raced competitively and although a couple of moments did cost him vital time and track position, he at least scored points in both outings with an 11th place finish in round 15, from 13th on the grid, and 14th position in round 16, from 16th on the grid. While not the results he was hoping for, McDonald at least retains 10th place in the championship. Race two was certainly the high-point of McDonald’s weekend in terms of the racing and by lap seven he had risen into ninth place following a great move around the outside of Will Stevens at Brooklands. On lap nine though, an unfortunate spin dropped him down the order and he subsequently slipped to 14th place before the finish. Powell and Hylkema both failed to finish the opening race on the same lap as each other ironically, the Chipping Norton lady racer involved in an incident with Australian Josh Scott at Becketts while Hylkema was pitched into a spin and a retirement of his own on the fourth tour. Both Manor drivers had been running strongly at the time, Hylkema driving well in 14th having started the race down in 20th place and Powell in 16th position having gained a place on her starting slot of 17th. Round 16 offered better fortune for the Dutchman as he scored points for 16th place although he was on course for better at mid-distance. Powell once again had the disappointment of another retirement, a spin into the gravel on lap one compounding a difficult weekend at her home track. Smith, meanwhile, achieved a fifth place finish in race one to add to his round 16 podium. Getting a great start, he was boxed in at the first corner and although grabbing fifth place from Bahraini driver Isa Yousif at Brooklands on lap one he wasn’t able to make any further progress. Although quicker than Harry Tincknell ahead, there just wasn’t the opportunity for a clean pass to be made. Looking back at the Silverstone weekend, Manor Competition co-owner Sarah Shaw said: “We’re obviously delighted Dean has moved to the top of the championship but we’re all a bit disappointed we weren’t stronger this weekend on the whole. To be on the podium again is fantastic but we had hoped for a bit more, especially for Thomas, David and Alice who all had bad luck. “It just seemed to be one of those events for us really, David raced well but a couple of moments meant he didn’t score as well as he should and Thomas and Alice were both very unlucky to pick up retirements. It’s been quite frustrating but now we’re looking ahead and turning our attention to Rockingham where we aim to have all four drivers back where they should be.”
SNETTERTON PODIUMS MAINTAIN SMITH & MANOR’S TITLE CHARGE
The New Ollerton-based squad was in fine form all weekend at the 1.95-mile track. While Smith continued his unbroken podium run in rounds 13 and 14 with a pair of second place finishes, less experienced team-mate David McDonald produced his best and most consistent performances of the season with a superb fourth place in race two backing up an earlier top six. Not to be outdone, Dutch driver Thomas Hylkema recorded his third top 10 result of the campaign in round 13 but the second race proved to be a luckless one for the second year driver when he was taken out of proceedings at the Esses on the opening lap through no fault of his own. Talented category rookie Alice Powell produced impressive pace in qualifying and looked very well placed to achieve her season’s best performances but the 16-year-old didn’t get the results she deserved after two unlucky race outings. With Smith and McDonald providing a brace of strong finishes each though, Manor Competition has climbed into second position in the entrant standings. Reflecting on the team’s overall performance, co-owner and race engineer Sarah Shaw said: “We’re very happy with the way things went in general this weekend. Two more podiums for Dean is exactly what he needed for his championship bid while David produced the best two races we’ve seen from him all year, he really did a fantastic job. “Thomas’ drive in race one was fantastic but the luck just wasn’t with him at all in the second one when he got taken out on lap one. For Alice, it was a similar story really. She had excellent pace all weekend but her potential couldn’t be fulfilled due to nothing other than bad luck really.” As a mark of respect to the late Henry Surtees, his former Formula Renault UK team competed at Snetterton with a commemorative decal on the nose cone of each of its cars in remembrance of the talented teenager who tragically lost his life in a Formula 2 event at Brands Hatch a fortnight ago. Smith lined up third on the grid for the first Snetterton encounter on Sunday morning and he made a good getaway to move into second place as McDonald made the most of an equally fine start to move up into fourth position ahead of championship points leader Oli Webb. The best getaway of all though came from Hylkema who enjoyed a stunning opening lap. Lining up an uncharacteristic 18th on the grid, he scythed his way through the midfield to emerge on lap two in 13th position behind team-mate Powell, herself up from 14th on the grid. Unfortunately slipping back to third at the Esses on the first lap behind James Calado, Smith had good pace even though he had some understeer issues to contend with. On lap 16 though, he had the chance to move into second place when front-runner Dean Stoneman slipped back to fifth.
Round 14 started perfectly for pole-sitter Smith as he made a good getaway to lead Stoneman and Calado with McDonald once again getting the better of Webb off the line to move ahead into the top four where he would remain to the finish to match his season’s best result. For Hylkema, things weren’t so enjoyable this time around as he was taken out of the action at the Esses after being caught up in a collision between team-mates Harry Tincknell and Lewis Williamson on lap one. It was a big disappointment for the Dutchman as his pace had been excellent throughout the weekend, right from the opening practice session on Friday morning. Powell also ended her race in retirement, another strong run ruined through no fault of her own when she was forced to take avoiding action as eighth placed Fredrik Blomstedt’s car was pitched into a spin when the suspension failed. With nowhere to go other than onto the grass to miss a collision with Blomstedt’s car, Powell unfortunately picked up damage to her own rear suspension in doing so. The outcome was all the more disappointing as she was a superb ninth at the time with just a couple of laps to go but the incident brought out the red flags. Smith lost the lead to Stoneman at the Esses on lap nine but during the final few laps he worked out a way to extract more pace from his car and edged closer and closer to his rival. Posting the fastest lap a couple of tours prior to the stoppage, he really started to pile on the pressure and had the race run its full intended distance the result could have been another win for the Manor star.
EIGHT PODIUMS FROM EIGHT RACES FOR SMITH & MANOR COMPETITION Manor Competition celebrated more podium success over the weekend, 4th/5th July, at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit when Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship front-runner Dean Smith secured the team’s seventh and eighth rostrum results of the season in rounds 11 and 12. The Nottinghamshire squad, based in New Ollerton, has consolidated third place in the entrant standings while in the chase for the driver’s title, 21-year-old Smith is now second on overall points scored and actually leads the way when the ‘double drop-score’ ruling is taken into account – all drivers having to subtract their two lowest results come the end of the season. Formula Renault UK rookie David McDonald also impressed at the Northamptonshire venue in-front of an incredible two-day crowd of 135,000 spectators with an eighth place finish in the opening race of the weekend and ninth position in race two. At the beginning of round 11 on Sunday morning, 5th July, Smith made an electric start from fifth on the grid to scorch into third place on the run through Copse while McDonald gained three places on the opening lap to move into the top 10. Running in close quarters with race leader, and pole-sitter, Josh Scott and second placed James Calado, there was very little to choose between the top three and positions remained static all the way to the chequered flag with less than a second splitting the trio of podium finishers.
Team-mate Thomas Hylkema held ninth place from the start up to lap eight where he slipped behind Jesse Krohn. Battling back into 12th position on lap 12, he was then passed by Harry Tincknell and remained in 13th place to the finish. For Alice Powell, round 11 was the definite weekend highlight as she climbed from 23rd on the grid into an 18th place points finish. Dropping a position on lap one, the 16-year-old fought back well and after moving into the top 20 on the fourth tour, she took 18th place on lap eight. In round 12, the Ginetta Junior graduate’s participation unfortunately ceased on the opening lap after an incident involving Croatian driver Sasha Radola at Abbey. Radola’s car was tagged from behind and the resulting spin pitched him into Powell’s car, leading to broken rear suspension. At the front, Smith started in fourth place and was up into third but a huge amount of dust and dirt at Copse caused him to get out of shape. Slipping to fifth place, he soon got back ahead of Dean Stoneman and after fending off his attentions, Smith proceeded to challenge Jordan Oakes. Held-up by Oakes for a number of laps, as soon as he managed to get by on the seventh tour he immediately pulled clear and was ultra-fast. Consistently the quickest driver on track, the West Midlander produced fastest lap pace as he reeled in the top two and even though he was held up badly early on, Smith still finished a mere two seconds shy of second position.
McDonald did slip to 13th place on lap one of race two but he fought back very well indeed and secured ninth spot on the 10th tour after a good battle with Laine and Harry Tincknell. In the thick of the action throughout, the Surrey driver is now just nine points shy of the championship top 10.
Luckless Hylkema wasn’t able to get away from the grid after his clutch overheated and he stalled but after his car had been pushed back to the pits by track marshals, he eventually managed to join-in albeit a lap down on the leaders after a bump-start by the Manor mechanics. In the end, he circulated with top 10 pace – proof of what might have been – and finished in 23rd place. Looking back on the weekend’s action, team co-owner Sarah Shaw said: “It was great to be on the podium again in both races, in the second one in particular Dean had the pace to win had he not been held up so much early on. David put in two excellent performances as well to make some inroads on the people ahead of him in the championship. “It was a bit of a mixed weekend on the whole I suppose as while Dean and David had some success, Alice and Thomas both had to contend with misfortune – Alice’s lap one exit from the second race and Thomas unable to get off the grid. Even so, we showed some good pace this weekend and in terms of the championship, everything’s looking ok.”
RAPID SMITH WINS AGAIN FOR MANOR COMPETITION AT CROFT
Finishing a very close second to James Calado during the first race on Saturday, Wolverhampton ace Smith went on to completely dominate Sunday’s encounter by taking a superb lights-to-flag victory and claiming two bonus points for the fastest lap. Having claimed a quartet of race wins and two second places in the last six races, the 21-year-old is easily the highest scoring driver since the beginning of the Donington Park weekend in mid-May and his performances have also helped consolidate Manor’s top three position in the entrant standings. Lining up second on the grid for both of this weekend’s Croft encounters, Smith wasn’t able to leap-frog pole-sitter Calado at the start of round nine and with both drivers very evenly matched throughout, the Manor ace had to settle for second position. Round 10 was a different prospect altogether though and after scorching into the lead off the grid, Smith pulled well clear of his pursuers to firmly stamp his authority on proceedings and then ease to a comfortable, unchallenged win. “It’s been another fantastic weekend for Dean, he’s edging closer and closer to the championship lead”, said Manor Competition co-owner Sarah Shaw, “We had the pace all weekend and his run in the second race, in particular, was outstanding and underlined his quality.”
Battling valiantly, McDonald did a great job to keep a long train of cars behind him lap after lap but with the problem making things progressively more difficult, he eventually had to succumb and slipped outside the points before retiring in the pits at the end of the penultimate lap. Thomas Hylkema recorded a brace of points scoring results, the best of which coming with a fine drive to 11th place in round 10. Like team-mate McDonald, it was the first of the weekend’s outings which proved to be least successful but the Dutch driver did manage to salvage a 16th place finish following a tricky run. Alice Powell’s best performance came in round nine on Saturday afternoon where she gained a couple of positions from her starting slot of 17th position to record a deserved top 15 result and sixth overall in the Graduate Cup. On Sunday, the Chipping Norton 16-year-old was in the thick of a frantic multi-car scrap at the lower end of the points positions and grabbed the final point for 20th place. Shaw added: “David, Thomas and Alice all did a good job. It’s so difficult to pass in Formula Renault at Croft, as soon as you get close enough to the car in front you lose front end downforce, especially when the grip of the tyres has gone. We’re pleased with the weekend as a whole and really looking forward to the next two rounds at Silverstone GP.”
DOMINANT DOUBLE FOR SMITH LIFTS MANOR INTO CHAMPIONSHIP TOP THREE
While the Wolverhampton 21-year-old has leapt into third place in the driver’s championship, his stunning set of results from rounds seven and eight – added to impressive finishes for team-mates David McDonald, Alice Powell and Thomas Hylkema – have also lifted Manor into third position in the entrant standings. Qualifying third on the grid for the first of Sunday’s races Smith produced an outstanding effort and after running in second place up until a Safety Car period on lap six, at the re-start he pounced with absolute precision to pass erstwhile leader Harry Tincknell with a perfectly timed move as the race resumed into lap eight. From that point on he was never headed. Smith then managed to top that performance in round eight with an incredible lights-to-flag victory from pole position. Making a faultless start as he catapulted into Old Hall for the first time, the Manor ace not only recorded his second win of the weekend – and third of the season – but he also set a brand new circuit lap record of 1m18.926 seconds (101.53mph). “What a fantastic weekend”, said delighted Manor co-owner Sarah Shaw at the conclusion of the Oulton Park event, “We knew we’d turned a corner at Donington two weeks ago when Dean took his first win of the year but to come here and take another pole position and two more wins is really great and puts us right up there in the championship. Dean did a terrific job, we’re all delighted.” McDonald equalled his career best Formula Renault UK finish of fourth position during round seven, the 19-year-old racing very well from sixth on the grid and lapping just three 10ths of a second shy of Smith’s pace. The second encounter wasn’t as positive for McDonald as he slipped down the order at the start having been boxed out but he fought back with great determination into a top 13 finish, the result of his combined points tally meaning he is tied in 11th position in the driver standings.
Lining up a fantastic eighth on the grid, and as the second highest of the Graduate Cup drivers, the 16-year-old wasn’t able to make the most of her tremendous qualifying effort when contact to the rear of her car early on resulted in a very badly damaged rear wing. The Manor team worked wonders to get Powell’s car repaired and she eventually rejoined to finish just outside the points. In round eight, Powell achieved her second best result of the year with a very impressive 10th place finish having emerged victorious from a very entertaining, and closely fought, battle with Dutch team-mate Hylkema – Powell taking the chequered flag just three 10ths of a second to the good and third in the Graduate Cup. For Hylkema, Oulton Park undoubtedly marked his most successful and competitive weekend of the season. Climbing through the order from 11th on the grid to seventh place in race one and finishing just four 10ths of a second away from the top six, the performance lifted him into the top 15 in the championship and could well mark a watershed moment. In round eight, another impressive drive netted the 20-year-old his 11th place result, right on the tail of team-mate Powell, having come through from 15th on the grid at the start. Added to his seventh place points, Hylkema climbed one more place into 14th in the standings. Further celebrations for the New Ollerton team came at the conclusion of the weekend when Renault Sport UK announced Smith was the ELF/Atol Driver of the Day for round seven and Powell was awarded the same accolade for her performance in round eight. Shaw added: “This has been a fantastic team performance. Obviously the two wins are the highlight but David, Alice and Thomas each raced brilliantly and all three achieved some really excellent results. Everything seems to be falling into place nicely for us at the moment but we’re not resting on our laurels, we’ll keep pushing on to get faster and stronger as the season progresses.”
FIRST WIN OF SEASON FOR MANOR & SMITH AT DONINGTON
The 21-year-old from Wolverhampton, who made a late entry to the season ahead of the third race of the year at Thruxton, has been working hard with Manor co-owners Tony and Sarah Shaw in recent weeks and the fruits of their labour were there for all to see on Sunday morning. Securing pole position for both of the weekend’s races, Smith was never headed in round five as he claimed his first victory since returning to Formula Renault UK. In the second of the Donington Park encounters he finished a highly creditable second to bag a whopping total of 60 points. Beginning the weekend 17th in the championship after a difficult time at Thruxton, Smith has rocketed into the top eight in the driver standings and looks very well placed to mount a sustained title bid as the year progresses with the Nottinghamshire squad. Team-mate David McDonald produced easily his best ever performance in Formula Renault UK with a superb drive to fourth place in round five, finishing ahead of championship leader Dean Stoneman after a titanic, wheel-to-wheel battle. The pair did bang wheels on more than one occasion but the Surrey ace simply wouldn’t be beaten and held on for a terrific result.
Yet more
fantastic news for the Manor contingent came with Alice Powell’s
(pictured below) career-best drive in the first race to claim her
first Graduate Cup class victory. Finishing in ninth place, she raced
incredibly with a drive belying her experience to keep a train of half a
dozen cars at bay, soaking up every last bit of pressure. Her efforts
also earned the ELF/Atol Driver of the Day accolade.
On the flip side, round five wasn’t the best of outings for Thomas Hylkema, a 20th place finish at least seeing him grab a championship point. In the second of the weekend’s races though, the Dutchman came to the fore with a well deserved top 10 finish having started 16th on the grid – his best result so far this year. Unfortunately for both McDonald and Powell the second race wasn’t a success with the former ending the encounter in 20th spot after stalling on the grid because a trackside beacon interfered with his dash readout and he wasn’t able to see the rev counter – a bitterly disappointing stroke of bad luck. Powell was forced to retire after an initial excursion into the barriers at Coppice. She did rejoin the circuit after being pushed back onto the track by marshals but the gravel which entered the engine bay caused a problem with the auxiliary belt and, subsequently, blew the engine. The 16-year-old therefore pulled off on the inside at McLeans. Commenting on the event, Manor’s Sarah Shaw said: “It’s been a great weekend for the team overall and to have a driver back on the top step of the podium is a fantastic feeling. Dean did a superb job in qualifying to get pole for both races and his win was tremendous. We worked hard on the set-up at Croft during the recent official test and that paid off for us. “David drove an incredible race in the first one to keep (Dean) Stoneman behind him, he really did a superb job and is improving all of the time. He’s beginning to show the sort of pace that should see him fighting for the podium very soon.” She added: “Alice did an absolutely unbelievable job in that first race, it was an amazing drive to keep so many cars behind. When you take into account she missed the whole pre-event test due to school exams, the performance speaks for itself. “The first race was an unfortunate one for Thomas which was a great shame as he should have had a top 10 finish. He drove well in the second one to take his best result of the year so far and hopefully he can build on that at Oulton Park in a couple of weeks.”
McDONALD SECURES SEASON BEST TOP EIGHT AT THRUXTON
On a mixed weekend for Nottinghamshire based Manor Competition, McDonald produced the highlight performance during Sunday afternoon's encounter as part of a close-run race with team newcomer, and championship returnee, Dean Smith and Dutch team-mate Thomas Hylkema. Climbing into the top eight from 20th on the grid, 19-year-old McDonald was in great form and just shaded 2007 Formula Renault UK Vice-Champion Smith by nine 10ths of a second at the chequered flag on lap 19. Hylkema, who had been running in the tight midfield pack, was unfortunately forced to retire with a cut tyre while the championship's youngest competitor, Alice Powell, was also taken out of proceedings when she was involved in contact with Ollie Hancock and Jordan Williams at the exit of the complex. After being squeezed by Hancock as they ran closely on lap five, the cars touched and Williams' Formula Renault then collided with the back of Powell's car, destroying the rear wing and causing further rear-end damage to mean an unavoidable and disappointing retirement. Saturday's opening race of the weekend required a major effort from Manor's quartet due to qualifying not working out as planned. With the session taking place on a damp yet drying track, teams had to gamble on when -- if at all -- to utilise slick tyres. Sadly for Smith, he was the first driver to take the chequered flag at the end of the session just as he was about to head onto his fastest lap. In the first sector alone after the chequer was displayed, the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) Rising Star was significantly faster but the time wouldn't count so he had to start from an uncharacteristic 22nd on the grid. The situation was exactly the same for the other Manor drivers with Powell 24th, McDonald 25th and Hylkema 26th for round three. However, the worst luck was to come at the start of Saturday's race when contact between several cars off the line resulted in both McDonald and Hylkema colliding with the pit wall -- a bitterly disappointing occurrence. Smith fought his way through well into a 13th place finish on lap 19 while Powell was also in good form to climb into the top 16 as she continues to improve in her first season of single-seater action in the UK's premier junior championship. Commenting on the weekend, Manor Competition team boss Tony Shaw said: "Qualifying was where the problems started really, from there you're always going to struggle in the races and that's what happened. We had a lot of bad luck this weekend but the drivers did a great job of fighting through to respectable finishes. "It was such a shame for David and Thomas to be involved in the start-line collision in the first race but David's performance in race two was excellent. Alice continues to impress considering her limited experience and it was just unfortunate she was in the wrong place at the wrong time when her car was hit from behind." Shaw added: "Obviously we have very high hopes for Dean, he's a quality driver. This weekend was always going to be tough as Dean hasn't driven a Formula Renault at Thruxton since 2007 but he did a good job and we're looking forward to the Croft test next week now where the work really starts." MULTIPLE POINTS FINISHES FOR MANOR TRIO DURING MIXED SEASON OPENER
Qualifying on Saturday, 4th April, at the 1.2-mile Indy Circuit proved to be of utmost importance, especially in session two where the top 20 cars were covered by just half a second. In that session, Hylkema led the Manor contingent with a best time of 44.500 seconds (96.96mph) and although just 0.393 seconds shy of pole position, it meant the 20-year-old would start 15th on the grid. Graduate Cup runner Alice Powell was 16th fastest, just 0.019 seconds adrift of her team-mate, while David McDonald was a mere four 100ths of a second further back with the 18th quickest time. During the rain affected opening session, the Manor drivers were unfortunately pegged back to the midfield again with McDonald leading the way with the 14th best time ahead of Hylkema in 15th and Powell in 16th, the fifth fastest Graduate Cup contender. On a circuit renowned for a distinct lack of overtaking opportunities, particularly in ‘slicks and wings’ single-seater cars, McDonald shone during round two on Sunday afternoon, 5th April, by climbing a full seven places during the 27-lap encounter to just miss-out on a deserved top 10 finish. Inspired from the off, McDonald made great progress throughout round two to take 11th place, just three 10ths of a second away from a coveted top 10 placing, while Powell enjoyed her best overall result of the day in 13th position – fifth in the Graduate Cup – and Hylkema was just two 10ths of a second shy in 14th place. All three Manor racers started the Sunday morning season-opener well with good getaways, Hylkema gaining three places to climb into the top 12. As is the way at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit, Formula Renault UK races are usually very processional but McDonald provided an exception to that rule with a move past Lewis Williamson on lap 11 to grab 13th place. The 19-year-old then mounted a great attempt to grab a final position on the line as the competitors raced around Clearways towards the chequered flag. With fantastic drive out of the final corner, McDonald crossed the line a mere 0.071 seconds behind 12th placed Swede Frederik Blomstedt. Hylkema fought his way through to an 11th place finish in round one, just over a second shy of the top 10, while Powell ended her first ever single-seater race in a highly creditable 15th position and an excellent fourth in the Graduate Cup class. One of only three drivers in Sunday’s races to have never started a Formula Renault race before, the West Oxfordshire 16-year-old was the best of the bunch and performed brilliantly considering her complete lack of experience in the ultra-competitive category. Reflecting on the first weekend of the 2009 season Tony Shaw, team owner of New Ollerton based Manor Competition, said: “We’re disappointed not to have scored more points but we can’t fault the effort of all three drivers, they raced very hard on a track which is almost impossible to overtake on and they kept pushing throughout both races. “Qualifying is so important at Brands Indy, just a couple of 10ths of a second can lose you 10 positions or more on the grid. Unfortunately, we didn’t qualify as well as we wanted but we’re delighted with the effort David, Alice and Thomas are putting in and looking forward now to an improved run at Thruxton in three weeks.”
all pics . Jakob Ebrey Photography |
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Manor
Competition drivers Menasheh Idafar and Thomas Hylkema ended the 2009
Formula Renault UK Winter Championship at Rockingham on Saturday, 7th
November, split by a mere two points in the standings – Middle Eastern
racer Idafar just edging the battle to finish the series third overall. 
Shaw
added: “Menasheh and Thomas (right) carried on their close battle
from Snetterton and although they were both disappointed not to be on
the podium again, they raced well and were split by very little in the
end. It’s clear to see all four drivers have what it takes to be strong
runners in the main championship next year.” -.jpg)
Nottinghamshire-based
Formula Renault UK team Manor Competition enjoyed a hugely successful
start to its 2009 Winter Championship campaign at Snetterton Circuit on
Saturday, 31st October, with Thomas Hylkema and Menasheh Idafar each
securing their maiden category podiums. 
During
officially timed pre-event testing on Friday, 30th October, Manor
Competition’s quartet were all among the quickest six drivers with
McDonald leading the way with the third fastest time of 1m04.522 seconds
(108.91mph) ahead of Idafar in fourth, Foster-Jones in fifth and Hylkema
sixth.
Manor
Competition’s Dean Smith sealed the 2009 Formula Renault UK Championship
with a superb race victory – the team’s seventh of the season – at
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit on Sunday, 4th October, to bring the
prestigious crown back into the Manor fold for the first time since
2005.
Another
breathtaking win for Manor Competition’s Dean Smith at Rockingham in
Northamptonshire on Sunday, 20th September, has helped move the
Nottinghamshire squad another step closer to its aim of securing the
2009 Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship drivers’ title. 
In
addition to Smith’s superb winning double, Manor Competition also had
plenty to celebrate with Thomas Hylkema,(left) David McDonald and
Alice Powell who each produced some outstanding race performances.
Combining the two best results from each race, the team has also moved
into second position in the entrant’s championship, 11 points clear of
CRS. 
Manor
Competition made a welcome return to the top step of the podium at
Rockingham in Northamptonshire on Saturday, 19th September, with Dean
Smith taking his fifth victory of the season during the 17th round of
the 2009 Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship.
For
the first time this season, Manor Competition’s Dean Smith has taken the
lead in the 2009 Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship driver
standings following the 15th and 16th rounds of the campaign at
Silverstone National Circuit over the weekend, 29th/30th August. 
Michelin
Formula Renault UK Championship title contender Dean Smith edged a step
closer to the overall lead in the driver standings at Snetterton Circuit
in Norfolk on Sunday, 2nd August; two more podium finishes for the Manor
Competition ace closing the gap to a mere six points. 
McDonald
looked very rapid and actually posted a quicker best lap time than Smith
at mid-distance having been forced to fightback into the top six when he
ran wide at the Bomb Hole on lap three and lost three positions.
Nonetheless, sixth place was a great result.
On
lap four, McDonald (left)grabbed ninth place at the expense of
Matias Laine and then moved ahead of Fredrik Blomstedt on the ninth lap
to cap a good drive with a soild eighth place, his fifth top eight
result of the year. 
Dean
Smith produced two more excellent performances for Manor Competition
during rounds nine and 10 of the 2009 Michelin Formula Renault UK
Championship over the weekend, 13th/14th June, to move to within just 19
points of the series lead. 
David
McDonald impressed once again with a fine seventh place finish in round
10 on Sunday, but the Ewell-based driver had the misfortune of
sustaining a broken front wing early on during the first of the
weekend’s races which totally ruined his chances of an expected good
result. 
Nottinghamshire
based Michelin Formula Renault UK team Manor Competition enjoyed its
best race meeting of the season at Oulton Park Island Circuit over the
weekend, 30th/31st May, with Dean Smith racing to a pair of dominant
victories to lift the team into third place in the title standings.
For
rookie team-mate Alice Powell, the weekend was a reversal on McDonalds’s
fortunes in many respects as it was the opening encounter which turned
out to be luckless and race two where she enjoyed an excellent result.
Manor
Competition returned to winning ways at Donington Park in Leicestershire
on Sunday, 17th May, with an outstanding lights-to-flag victory for Dean
Smith during the fifth round of the 2009 Michelin Formula Renault UK
Championship. 
David
McDonald produced his best performance so far in the 2009 Michelin
Formula Renault UK Championship at Thruxton Circuit on Sunday, 26th
April, with a top eight finish during the fourth round of the campaign.
Surrey
teenager David McDonald and Dutch team-mate Thomas Hylkema ended the
opening race meeting of the 2009 Michelin Formula Renault UK
Championship at Brands Hatch over the weekend almost level pegging on
points after a mixed start to the season for the Manor Competition
squad.