METCALFE SHRUGS OFF PRESSURE TO CLINCH MAIDEN WIN
Jeremy Metcalfe (Fleet) won his first Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship victory by less than a car length in round one at Brands Hatch Indy on Sunday, 1st April. The AKA Cobra driver held off intense pressure throughout the 24-lap race from Fortec Motorsport’s Duncan Tappy (West Ewell) who crossed the line just 0.061s behind. Metcalfe’s team-mate Adam Christodoulou (Lichfield) was the leading Graduate Cup driver in third place.
The front three came home in grid order after Metcalfe had claimed NGK Laser Platinum pole position on Saturday, but it was far from straightforward for the 18-year-old in his third season of Formula Renault UK. Tappy was never more than half a second behind and made repeated attempts to pass at the tight 1.20-mile circuit.
As the first race of the season got underway, Fortec Motorsport’s Riki Christodoulou (Sutton Coldfield) made a poor start to drop from fourth on the grid to lie seventh. Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Will Bratt (Banbury) was the chief beneficiary, climbing two places to fifth behind AKA Cobra’s Chris Holmes (Ilkley). Manor Competition’s Alexander Sims (Peterborough) had the worst possible start to his debut season, running wide and into the gravel trap at Druids Hairpin on the opening lap.
His team-mate Alex Morgan (Birmingham), starting from the back of the grid after a brake problem in qualifying, gained four places on the first lap to lie 13th. He then passed Borthwick Motorsport’s Ryan Borthwick (Hawick) and Eucatex/Premier Pet/Shoptour’s Adriano Buzaid (Oxford) on lap four to claim 11th place.
As the top six drivers broke away from the rest of the field, which was headed by Riki Christodoulou, Eurotek Motorsport’s Jordan Oakes (Hopton) spun on the exit of Paddock Hill Bend, but was able to recover and continue. Fortec’s Ryuji Yamamoto (Northampton) moved to avoid Oakes but was unable to avoid hitting Buzaid, the Japanese forced into retirement on just the fourth lap.
As Tappy pressed Metcalfe for the lead, Adam Christodoulou waited for an opportunity to take second place and despite their battle, the trio were able to open a gap to Holmes, Bratt and Dean Smith (Wolverhampton). In midfield, Manor Competition’s Richard Singleton (Conwy) passed Mark Burdett Motorsport’s Sho Hanawa (Skegness) for eighth place but could not find a way past Riki Christodoulou.
The lead almost changed hands on lap eight as Tappy pulled alongside Metcalfe as they crossed the start/finish line. Metcalfe defended the racing line forcing Tappy to the outside and the Fortec driver was unable to complete the pass. Smith attempted a similar move on Bratt on lap 14, but the Apotex Scorpio Motorsport man was also able to block the line.
On lap 16, Oakes dived through on the inside of Buzaid at Druids Hairpin to move into the top 10. Buzaid then ran wide at Graham Hill Bend before a puncture caused him to spin at Surtees to end his race. Two laps later, Smith made a second bid for Bratt’s fifth place, successfully moving to the inside at Clearways to complete a confident pass.
Buoyed by this success, Smith set about closing on fourth-placed Holmes and on the penultimate lap, out-braked the AKA Cobra man after setting up the move on the previous lap. However, the gap was too large to Adam Christodoulou for Smith to make a bid for a podium finish. Smith does pick up two bonus points for setting the fastest lap of the race, with a time of 44.956s (96.00mph) on lap six.
As the laps ticked down to the end of the race, Tappy continued to threaten Metcalfe’s lead but could not pass on a track notorious for being prohibitive to overtaking. He pulled alongside Metcalfe on the race to the chequered flag, with the AKA Cobra ace clinching victory by just 0.061s for his maiden Formula Renault UK win.
Commenting after the race, Metcalfe said: “I knew that even though Duncan had the pace in his car, I would be able to drive sensibly and win. At times I was able to slow down mid-corner to push Duncan back towards Adam and earn me a bit of breathing space. It feels really good to get my first win out of the way and it’s the perfect way to start the season.”
Second-placed Tappy said: “It’s frustrating to have got so close and not be able to actually get past to win. I was fast through Clearways but just couldn’t get enough of a tow from the slipstream to get by. I was also wary of Adam behind me so had to keep an eye on him in my mirrors but I’m reasonably satisfied with second place as I’m on pole for round two.”
After securing his first Formula Renault UK podium finish, Adam Christodoulou said: “I was quite nervous on the grid with two minutes to go because I knew that these are some of the top drivers and unlikely to make any mistakes. I tried a few moves to pass Duncan but the main thing was to get to the finish and third is a great result for me in my first race.”
Drivers’ Championship standings after Round 1 - provisional
1 Jeremy Metcalfe GBR AKA Cobra 32 pts
2 Duncan Tappy GBR Fortec Motorsport 28 pts
3 Adam Christodoulou GBR AKA Cobra 25 pts
4 Dean Smith GBR Fortec Motorsport 24 pts
5 Chris Holmes GBR AKA Cobra 20 pts
6 Will Bratt GBR Apotex Scorpio Motorsport 18 pts
7 Riki Christodoulou GBR Fortec Motorsport 16 pts
8 Richard Singleton GBR Manor Competition 14 pts
9 Nathan Caratti AUS AKA Cobra 12 pts
10 Jordan Oakes GBR Eurotek Motorsport 11 pts
FIRST VICTORY GIVES TAPPY EARLY CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD
A first victory in the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship for Duncan Tappy (West Ewell) has put the Fortec Motorsport driver to the top of the drivers’ standings after the opening two rounds at Brands Hatch Indy on Sunday, 1st April. The 22-year-old led from pole position to win by a margin of 5.409s from AKA Cobra’s Adam Christodoulou (Lichfield) with Fortec’s Dean Smith (Wolverhampton) in third.
For the second successive race, Fortec’s Riki Christodoulou (Sutton Coldfield) made a poor start and dropped from second on the grid to fifth. Manor Competition’s Alexander Sims (Peterborough) made a clean start to gain two places to lie eighth, behind team-mate Richard Singleton (Conwy) and round one winner Jeremy Metcalfe (Fleet).
Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Will Bratt (Banbury) started from third on the grid and had challenged Tappy for the lead at Paddock Hill Bend. But the 18-year-old had made a jump-start and was served with a drive through penalty, which forced him to rejoin at the rear of the field before eventually finishing 15th.
AKA Cobra’s Chris Holmes (Ilkley) passed Eucatex/Premier Pet/Shoptour’s Adriano Buzaid (Oxford) on lap two to claim ninth place. The Brazilian then ran wide at Druids on lap five, allowing Eurotek Motorsport’s Jordan Oakes (Hopton) through to take 10th. On the same lap, a small error by Mark Burdett Motorsport’s 12th placed Sho Hanawa (Skegness) allowed Manor’s Alex Morgan (Bridgend) and Fortec’s Ryuji Yamamoto (Northampton) to each gain a place.
Bratt served his drive through penalty at the end of lap six, meaning Tappy’s lead grew to 3.2s over the new second place man Adam Christodoulou. Smith was putting Christodoulou under increasing pressure, as Riki Christodoulou fell away slightly from the podium positions.
Oakes was showing good pace in ninth place and after pulling away from Buzaid he was repeatedly able to threaten an overtaking move on Holmes. Each time, however, Holmes was able to cover the middle of the track forcing Oakes to abort his attempt. Oakes then ran wide at Graham Hill Bend, briefly giving Buzaid an opening before Oakes recovered.
With five laps to go, Smith looked to be closing the gap on Adam Christodoulou in the race for second place but his challenge faded in the closing stages. On lap 20, Yamamoto passed Morgan for 11th place in the final positional change of the race as Tappy cruised to a dominant victory. He also collected two bonus points for setting the fastest lap of the race with a time of 44.818s (96.30mph), which establishes a new lap record for the 1.20-mile circuit in the new-for-2007 Formula Renault 2.0 car.
Commenting on his first Formula Renault UK win, Tappy said: “It’s been a really good day and a great weekend overall. Being able to conserve the tyres and the car in round one was a big help for this race. Unfortunately for the spectators it wasn’t so exciting in terms of battling for the lead but that’s how a driver prefers it! It was just a case of keeping the car on the track and take a pretty comfortable win.”
Second-placed Adam Christodoulou commented: “After a few ups and downs in Friday’s practice, qualifying went well and second place here is even better. Duncan drove the perfect race and kept inching away while I defended against Dean and Riki but the way the weekend has gone it is a fantastic result for me.”
Third-placed Smith commented: “The team has done a brilliant job but I need to improve my qualifying to give me a chance at the win. I’ve never been a fan of Brands Hatch Indy circuit and this is my best ever result here. I tried to smoothen out my driving style but just couldn’t quite get it together on Saturday to put me in a position to challenge today.”
Rounds three and four of the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship will be on the Rockingham International Super Sportscar circuit on 21st/22nd April.
Drivers’ Championship standings after Round 2 - provisional
1 Duncan Tappy GBR Fortec Motorsport 62 pts
2 Adam Christodoulou GBR AKA Cobra 53 pts
3 Jeremy Metcalfe GBR AKA Cobra 50 pts
4 Dean Smith GBR Fortec Motorsport 49 pts
5 Riki Christodoulou GBR Fortec Motorsport 38 pts
6 Richard Singleton GBR Manor Competition 34 pts
7 Chris Holmes GBR AKA Cobra 34 pts
8 Will Bratt GBR Apotex Scorpio Motorsport 24 pts
9 Jordan Oakes GBR Eurotek Motorsport 23 pts
10 Nathan Caratti AUS AKA Cobra 19 pts
For all the latest Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship news visit the official Renault Sport UK website www.renaultsport.co.uk built by Racecar
Full result times available at www.msttiming.com
