SEAN McIntosh (Vancouver, Canada) dominated this weekend’s Formula Renault UK Championship with Michelin at Snetterton winning both rounds to move up to third in the driver points.
“It’s a great way to kick-start the second half of the year,” said McIntosh, who drives for Team Firstair. “If we carry on like this I’m sure we can catch the championship leader. I’m really pleased to get back onto the top step of the podium and it’s even better to do it twice in one day. Two poles and two wins - it’s a perfect weekend and I really have to thank my team for doing a great job.”
In Saturday’s round 11 the 20-year-old took victory despite finishing second on the track after race-leader Stephen Simpson (Aldeburgh, Suffolk) incurred a 10 second penalty. The South African had a clutch problem on the grid which led to an aborted start so despite leading the race from the first corner, where he passed McIntosh on the outside, he was in fact making his way up from the back. He eventually finished fifth in that race and third in round 12. “I really enjoyed this weekend,” said the 21-year-old, who drives for Team JLR. “And even if on paper I didn’t win the first race, I consider that I did. In the second race it was just a case of trying to do qualifying laps all the time. Even though I wasn’t right up behind Jakes I was close enough to be getting a slipstream. I could have been at least a tenth a lap quicker.”
James Jakes (Cullingworth, West Yorkshire) also has his sights on the championship silverware after being awarded Driver of the Day for a brilliant recovery from a bad start to finish fourth in round 11. The Team AKA driver, who turned 18 on Thursday, went on to finish second in round 12 putting him firmly in second place overall, 40 points behind Oliver Jarvis (Burwell, Cambs) who finished seventh in his Manor Motorsport car. “It’s great,” said Jakes. “I got fastest lap in both races and those extra points are really valuable. You can’t ever be sick of coming second, but I’ve not had a win and that’s the next step. Maybe at the next round in Scotland.”
Driver of the Day for round 12 went to Rodolfo Gonzalez (Attleborough, Norfolk) who made two good passes to finish ninth. “We had a good, exciting race,” said the 19-year-old Manor Motorsport driver. “It really got the adrenalin pumping. I passed someone off the start and then about three laps in Cheng and Kimber-Smith were fighting coming out of Sears. I got a good run out and caught Kimber-Smith around the outside and went around the inside of Cheng at the Esses.
In the Graduate Cup, Dave van den Heuvel (Neeritter, Netherlands) won his first race after a two-meeting break. The 18-year-old had to sit out after breaking his hand but the win means he is now lying fourth in the championship for young drivers, 55 points behind leader Richard Keen (Amersham, Bucks) who did not finish round 11 but won the category in round 12.
Provisional Formula Renault UK Championship with Michelin
Points (after round 11&12):
1st Jarvis: 295, 2nd Jakes: 258, 3rd McIntosh: 256, 4th Hohenthal: 244, 5th Hogan: 225, 6th Hall: 211, 7th Storckenfeldt: 182, 8th Gonzalez: 175, 9th Buurman: 174, 10th Kimber-Smith: 134
For all the latest Formula Renault UK Championship with Michelin news visit the official Renault Sport UK website www.renaultsport.co.uk built by Racecar
