BRITISH motorsport fans at Donington Park will have three drivers to cheer at this weekend’s World Series by Renault including international karting star Ben Hanley, girl racer Pippa Mann and Formula Renault champion, Ryan Sharp.
The three Brits will line up alongside drivers from 33 nations - including Morocco, Poland, Russia and the USA - making this meeting among the most multi-cultural of the season.
Sharp, from Aberdeen, is making his second appearance in the headlining World Series Formula Renault 3.5 championship after finishing 9th in his debut at Oschersleben, Germany. The 26-year-old has spent most of his racing career with Renault starting in Formula Renault UK with Michelin in 2002 and moving into the German championship in 2003, which he won. “Renault is probably the only car manufacturer that’s got a staircase in place which can take you right the way through to F1,” said Sharp. “It reduces the cost and gives people like me the chance to make it in motorsport. I’m really looking forward to racing at Donington, especially in front of my home crowd. It always gives you that extra motivation.”
Hanley, who enjoyed incredible success in the CIK-FIA World Championship, is a relative novice to cars – starting only this year in the Italian Formula Renault Championship. But the 20-year-old, from Ramsbottom, Bury, has made amazing progress, winning five of the season’s 14 races so far. He is confident his guest appearance in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 championship will see him continue that success.
“Winning his first race at Monza was a real turning point for Ben,” said manager Paul Ibbotson, who thinks Hanley’s inexperience at Donington will not hinder him. “He’s become a very mature racer and a real master at learning circuits. At Imola in the first morning session he set the fastest time. I couldn’t believe it. He’d never even been there before.”
Michael Ammermüller is currently leading both the Italian and the Eurocup FR2.0 championships but Hanley has already beaten him more than once, most recently last weekend. “Ben’s here to win,” said Ibbotson. “Every race he is learning more and more so this weekend should be good.”
All 150,000 tickets for the World Series by Renault have been allocated meaning Donington could see its largest ever car-racing crowd. Pippa Mann, from Aldeburgh, Suffolk, says that is one of the biggest successes of the World Series. “It’s going to be a really great atmosphere,” said the 22-year-old Comtec Racing driver, who has raced in the Eurocup FR2.0 all season. “Me and the other girl on the grid seem to pick up a bit of support with people willing us on wherever we race. But I’ve never been in this situation where I’m one of the only drivers for a home crowd to support. It’s going to be strange.”
Along with the Mégane Trophy these two racing series travel the world to circuits like Le Mans, Bilbao and Monaco. For this UK round the package will be supported by the UK-based Formula Renault and ELF Renault Clio Cup, providing more local talent for the home crowds to follow.
But there is more to the World Series by Renault meeting than these ground-breaking championships. Spectators will also get the chance to see Formula One cars in action as grand Prix winner Rene Arnoux gives fans a taste of the power in Fernando Alonso’s 2004 R24 on both Saturday and Sunday. Also on show will be the RR60 turbo-charged machine from 1985 and former F1 driver, Martin Donnelly will complete parade laps in one of Ayrton Senna’s race-winning cars.
Off track the festival will give motorists their first opportunity to see the yet-to-be-launched New Clio, due on the UK’s roads in October. There will be a massive funfair, safety displays, autograph sessions with famous drivers, a huge range of collectors’ cars, product and trade stands, aerobatic displays by the Renault-engined biplanes of Tiger Airways as well as on-track displays from incredible cars.
All the action will be broadcast on Radio Renault on 107.5fm.
