With the exclusion overturned, Jeremy has an additional seven points to add to his championship total which places him just 15 points adrift of the top three in the driver standings. Furthermore, the round 12 race result of 14th position can now be counted as one of his two ‘drop-scores’ at the season’s close before calculating his final total.This also means great news for Jeremy in the Donington Park Racing Association Club (DPRAC) Cup standings, a trophy which will be presented next weekend to the British driver who has scored the most points over the course of the four Formula Renault UK races which will have been contested at the Leicestershire venue this season.
With a combined 29-point haul from the Donington Park National Circuit races at the end of July, Jeremy is now just five points adrift of DPRAC Cup leader James Sutton in the battle for the trophy and able to go into next weekend’s 15th and 16th rounds of the season as a genuine contender for the coveted prize.Rather than its usual slot as a support category to the British Touring Car Championship, Formula Renault UK will appear at Donington alongside the World Series by Renault for a meeting which is expected to attract a minimum of 50,000 spectators.In addition to World Series by Renault action, Formula Renault UK will share billing with Formula Renault Eurocup, Renault Clio Cup and Eurocup Megane Trophy. There will also be a special on-track exhibition of Fernando Alonso’s 2005 Formula One World Championship-winning car with Renault F1 test driver Heikki Kovalainen at the wheel.Speaking ahead of the race meeting, Jeremy said: “I’m really looking forward to being back in the car and very confident we’ll have a good weekend at Donington. Obviously, I’m very pleased with the outcome of our appeal and I’d like to thank everyone involved for their help, support and guidance.“I’ve known and raced with Sam (Bird) for a long time now, without incident. What happened was unfortunate and I’m glad to see Sam is okay. Bit I want to refute any suggestions I was in any way happy with the incident upon my return to the pits after round 12, as has been suggested in some quarters. I was as shocked as I imagine Sam was.“You don’t crash into anyone deliberately in single-seaters and I am pleased the court took the view it was nothing other than a racing incident. I am just glad it’s all over. We shook hands after the hearing – which is the way it should be – and talked about the competitive race we both enjoyed at Snetterton during the last race meeting.”He added: “I’m fully focused on the next two races now and with a chance to challenge for the DPRAC Cup as well it should be an exciting weekend. I’m keen to return to the podium and with the recent test at Silverstone having been so positive for us, I’m certain we’ll be on the pace at Donington.”Official testing ahead of rounds 15 and 16 of the season will take place on Wednesday, 6th September, with qualifying scheduled for Saturday, 9th September. Both races are timetabled for Sunday, 10th September, with round 15 expected to start at 10.00 and round 16 set to commence at 16.00.Formula Renault UK Championship Updated Provisional Driver Standings (after rounds 13&14):1st Patrick Hogan, 348pts; 2nd Sebastian Hohenthal, 346pts; 3rd Cheng Cong Fu, 254pts;5th Jeremy Metcalfe, 239pts
