16-year-old Alex Walker, from Oldham, is gearing up to make his Formula Renault UK debut in Rounds 15 and 16 of the championship at Rockingham this weekend.
Fortec Motorsport, who are running Walker in the InterSteps Championship already this season, will enter a fifth car at the Northamptonshire circuit in addition to their usual four-car squad, having impressed Team Principal Richard Dutton with his rapid development and outright pace in his maiden car racing season.
The Formula Renault UK Championship, which has seen the arrival of some of the sports' biggest talents over the years including Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and Heikki Kovalainen, will take its' usual slot, supporting the British Touring Car Championship in front of large crowds, and Sunday's Race 2, scheduled to start at 4.00pm, will be included in the live broadcast of the meeting on ITV4 from 11.00am until 6.00pm.
Alex Walker:"This is a really good opportunity for me so I will be out to make a good impression and learn as much as I can in, and out, of the car. It's going to be a different environment to what I have experienced so far in InterSteps this season with a big crowd expected but I like to push myself and I'm confident I'll adapt pretty quickly.
"It will be challenging as I'll be up against some of Europe's top drivers that have been in Formula Renault's all season, and who have more experience than me, but two of the Fortec cars are in the top three in the drivers' standings so I'll be looking to learn what I can from them and do my best.
"I want to get the most out of the weekend and I'll be looking for a strong result to pay back the faith my sponsors Alpine Properties, Roger Hannah, Thompson Jones, Reich Insurance and Howarth Bros. have given me, and also Fortec Motorsport for this exciting opportunity."
TV Timetable:Live on ITV4: Sunday 11.00 - 18.00
Certina Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship: Rounds 15 & 16:Qualifying 1: Saturday 10.20 (20 mins)Qualifying 2: Saturday 14.30 (20 mins)Race 1: Sunday 10.40 (16 laps)Race 2: Sunday 16.00 (16 laps)
