NICK Wilcox (Camberley, Surrey) extended his Formula Renault BARC Championship lead to 37 points this weekend after his main rival Matt Russell (Harlesden, London) failed to finish one of the weekend’s rounds at Brands Hatch.

Wilcox finished second in both races at the Kent circuit and after third-place Dean Stirling (Shamley Green, Guildford) also tripped up in round eight, the 19-year-old is looking good for the 2005 title with only three rounds left to race.

But it was not a stroll for Wilcox who, along with Russell, was given the handicap of restarting from the pits in Saturday’s round eight after a lap one downpour brought out the red flag. The pair took advantage of the stoppage to change onto wet tyres in their pit garage but the rest of the field made the change in their grid positions and the front-running pair were forced to restart from the pit lane.

Wilcox responded well, overcoming a migraine to pass 12 cars in as many laps to finish second. “It was a really big grid this weekend,” said Wilcox, who is more used to leading races from start to finish. “All I wanted to do was get to the front as soon as possible and I had a few close moments getting there. James Heffernan spun out of Druids and nearly collected me with him as I was passing for position. I had a fight with Martin Bloss for a little bit as well. But all in all it was one of my best races ever – definitely one of the most enjoyable. It’s always more fun when you’re fighting for position with people and making up places.”

Third-on-the-grid, Ian Pearson (Didcot, Oxon), led the race from start to finish, making history as the first Club Class driver to win a race outright.[1]

“Saturday was a great day,” said the 25-year-old who finished nearly 15 seconds clear of Wilcox. “I got away on my own and just got my head down and went for it. I thought they’d catch me but I didn’t see anyone after that.”

The weekend’s double-header concluded on Sunday and was again blighted by red flags much to the frustration of race winner Russell. “I had to calm myself down for the restart,” said the 21-year-old, who had pulled out nearly a two second lead over Wilcox before the stoppage. “It’s just annoying especially when you’re leading. But the car was feeling really good and I was confident I could keep Nick behind me. The championship is by no means over yet.”

The next round takes place at Snetterton on 20/21 August