For Winter Championship

Teenage Formula Renault UK driver  Will Bratt has confirmed he will compete in next month’s four-race Winter Championship, having agreed to remain with the Scorpio Motorsport team.The 17-year-old, from Adderbury near Banbury, faced a very steep learning curve during his maiden season of single-seater racing this year but made great progress throughout the 20-round series to become Graduate Cup Vice-Champion.As the youngest driver in Formula Renault UK during the main 2005 season, Will arrived with a great deal of pressure on his shoulders. Not only was he the reigning BRSCC T-Car Champion, he was also in the midst of completing his AS-Level exams and had no previous single-seater experience to draw from.Will ended the year in an impressive 15th position overall, ahead of several more experienced drivers and only missing out on the Graduate Cup title to a competitor who had previously raced in both BRDC single-seaters and Formula BMW, Richard Keen.His best race result of 11th position came at Oulton Park Island Circuit during round eight of the season before matching this effort at Silverstone National during round 17. For the final races of the year at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit, however, Will could easily have hoped for a top eight finish at the least.But, as was the case throughout the year, circumstances conspired against him. Having qualified in a superb 10th position for round 20 he was eliminated from the race by another driver, having run as high as eighth. It was a bitter disappointment for Will and the whole Scorpio team but his genuine pace has given them all great confidence.Speaking on his Winter Championship deal, Will said: “We always planned to take part in the winter series and I’m delighted to be continuing with Scorpio. We built up a great relationship with the team during the year and we’re confident the improvements we made towards the end of the season can be continued through the winter.“Personally, I feel I’ve improved as a driver during the year and I’m quite excited at the prospect of some good results in the winter. Brands Hatch and Croft are two good circuits so I’m looking forward to it – I think we have a great opportunity.”Loughborough-based Scorpio has high hopes for the continued partnership, team boss Jon Pettitt commenting: “Will was undoubtedly the best of the guys without any previous experience of single-seater racing in the main championship and I think he progressed very well during the season.“Actually, his performances were far better than the results listings will show. He was particularly strong at Donington in September and then, during the final meeting at Brands Hatch, Will was very quick and deserved far more.“People tend to forget, Will is still only 17-years-old. He’s learned a lot during the year and there’s a hell of a lot of talent there. For us as a team, it’s fantastic to have the continuity of retaining Will and we’re all looking forward to showing what we’re truly capable of. “The benefits of the Winter Championship are two-fold for drivers. Not only does taking part in the short series give them extra race mileage against rivals they’re likely to face the following season, it also provides a golden opportunity to strive for the prize of a free registration into the 2006 Formula Renault UK Championship – worth around £15,000. Brands Hatch Indy Circuit will host the opening meeting of the 2005 Formula Renault UK Winter Championship on 5th/6th November, with the series concluding at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire the following Saturday, 12th November.