Double win helps Bell close in on title

Lee Bell headed home to High Wycombe from Clay Pigeon in Dorset with renewed confidence in his Renault Formula ICA karting campaign after taking two convincing race victories in the championship finals on Sunday, 30th July.

Running a GFR engine for the first time, Bell won the two qualifying heats on Sunday morning to secure pole position for the first final. He led the race from start to finish and repeated the performance in final two.

“The new engine was ballistic and there’s no drop off in performance, which is a problem I’ve had earlier this year,” said Bell. “The kart was handling very well thanks to my team. It’s boosted my confidence and at the next rounds I won’t be nervous, I’ll keep a cool head.”

He will battle Ollie Millroy (Claygate, Surrey) when the Super One Championships have their final two rounds at Rowrah in Cumbria, in September. Millroy, who has dominated the Renault ICA category so far this year, had a difficult weekend.

Dropping out of the first qualifying heat meant he could only manage an 11th place grid spot for final one, with a 10th place finish. A starting problem in final two left him trailing the pack of 26 karts at the start, but a spirited recovery brought him the fastest lap of the race and 13th place.

Despite his problems, Millroy held onto his championship lead, with a 10-point margin over Bell with two races to go. Matt Truelove (Lincoln) moved into third place in the championship with a pair of podium finishes at Clay Pigeon, and a strong start in final two moved Shaun Carter (Crowthorne) from fourth to second place at the end of the race – raising him to fourth in the series standings.

Renault Formula ICA Championship provisional points

1st – Ollie Millroy 445pts; 2nd – Lee Bell 435pts;

3rd – Matt Truelove 407pts; 4th – Shaun Carter – 402pts;

5th – Jonathan Walker 400pts; 6th – Jason Edgar 388pts.