CHAMPIONSHIP SET TO GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH
A provisional entry list of 22 for the opening round of the Formula Renault BARC Championship at Silverstone National on Saturday, 22nd April confirms the low-cost single-seater series is set to build on the success of 2005, its first under the control of Renault Sport UK. With less than a week to go before the first green flag of the season, more entries are still expected for what is sure to be a competitive season as the two-class Championship enters its 12th year.
Of those already confirmed on the grid for the opening race, 13 will compete in the FR2000 Class with the other nine, including defending champion Ian Pearson (Didcot, Oxon) in Club Class, the category for pre-2000 cars. This represents a significant increase in competitors in both categories, making it harder than ever to predict a winner.
One of the catalysts for the expansion of the Championship is the involvement of teams who also compete in the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship. The FR2000 Class in Formula Renault BARC uses identical cars to Formula Renault UK, making it the ideal arena for drivers to prove themselves before progressing to the higher-level series.
In 2006, Russell Racing, Mark Burdett Motorsport and Falcon Motorsport are all scheduled to race as Entrants in both Championships. Nick Streatfield, Team Principal of Falcon Motorsport, has been involved in Formula Renault UK since its inception in 1990 and also entered drivers in Formula Renault BARC last year. He is backing the series to go from strength to strength, saying: “Last year was a chance for us to get established in the FR2000 Class and we were very happy to be a part of the championship. I very much expected numbers to come up this year and they certainly seem to have taken off.”
Streatfield, who will guide Robin Palmer (Yelverton, Devon) in the FR2000 Class in 2006, went on: “From a team point of view, it enables us to offer drivers whom we don’t think are quite ready for Formula Renault UK the opportunity to prove themselves in the same car. It’s a great grounding at an affordable budget for them before they make the step up. We are trying to get young drivers to break through and we can offer them good professional racing at a sensible budget.”
Commenting on the benefits of the two-class system, Streatfield added: “As well as the young drivers coming through, we also have plenty of people who race for the pure enjoyment of racing in a state-of-the-art car and there is certainly a place for them too. Racing was competitive in both classes last year and now that numbers have nearly doubled, especially in the FR2000 Class, the competition can only get tougher. I think we’ll see even more cars on the grid by the middle of the season.”
The season gets underway at the British Grand Prix venue with the opening round on the National circuit on Saturday. Spread over eight weekends at the UK’s leading circuits, four double-headers and four single-race meetings form the 12-race series. For the first time, the Championship will feature on the British Touring Car Championship package with the season climax at Brands Hatch on September 23rd/24th.
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
