Alex Lynn is the Formula Renault UK Winter Cup champion after keeping his composure during a hectic weekend of four races at the Pembrey circuit in South Wales.
The 17-year-old from Essex drove his Fortec Motorsport car to his third race win of the Winter Cup in the second of the four races, and played a savvy game in the remainder of the races to maximise his points and emerge on top of an ultra-competitive series.
Lynn’s major title rival going into the weekend was Ollie Millroy, already winner of a UK championship race during the 2010 season. Among the other leading competitors were Josh Hill, son of 1996 World Champion Damon, Red Bull-backed Russian Daniil Kvyat, McLaren protégé Oliver Rowland and Alex’s former karting team-mate Robert Foster-Jones, another winner in FRUK this year.
But it was Alex’s new Fortec team-mate Joni Wiman from Finland, who is mentored by multiple World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm, who emerged as the major thorn in the side of the Dunmow teenager.
Wiman took a victory in the first race that could very easily have been Lynn’s. Alex, who qualified second for both Saturday races, said: “I got a bit lucky because the dry line was on the outside of the grid. Jack Hawksworth, the poleman, was on the wet, and I made a good clean start and nailed him before the first corner. I was away in a comfortable lead, and had fastest lap, when they pulled the red flag out at half-distance because someone had spun.
“I thought they would restart behind the safety car but I was told I’d have to line up on pole for a restart – from the wet side of the grid. Not a nice present! I had a bad start and dropped to fourth, then had to go wide to avoid two cars at the first corner. I cut back onto the track but I could only finish 11th – that was a shame but at least I got 10 points.”
Lynn put that right in race two: “This one definitely made up for it. I didn’t make a great start but I was able to start hustling Hawksworth for the lead for the first half of the race. I pressured him into a mistake at the last corner and then I lunged him into the hairpin.” From there, Lynn was able to pull away to a comfortable victory, his third in the series.
On Sunday, Alex earned the first pole position of his car-racing career, although ironically it was one he felt he could have done without! “It was wet all day, and I knew second place would be the best position to start from. At one point I was sitting pretty with two seconds, but ended up with a pole and a third. Me and Russell Dixon, my engineer, were trying to work out when to go, and we made the right call – to run early when the track was wet, rather than rely on setting a time on a greasy track later on, which can be even worse than when it’s full-wet.”
Lynn started the first of the day’s races from third, but got a disappointing getaway from the wetter side of the grid and was then hit by Kvyat at the exit of the first corner, damaging his left-front wing: a crucial handicap on a clockwise circuit. “I was pretty slow but I managed to bring it home in sixth, which I was very pleased with,” he said.
The second race started with the track beginning to dry. “It was only people who were a long way down the grid with nothing to lose who went for wet tyres,” said Lynn. “That was the quicker option early on and, because we had a couple of safety cars, that made it harder for the rest of us to warm up our slicks.” In the end Alex finished fifth (second of those on slicks), crossing the line to clinch his championship just two minutes after Sebastian Vettel did the same in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix! “I just had to concentrate on keeping it on the island because I knew Joni was behind me,” he said. “I was very happy with the result and delighted to win the championship.
“It’s been a very tough weekend and conditions were so varied it was unreal, but I’m so pleased with how it turned out. I learned how to win races at Snetterton in the first weekend and now I’ve won a championship at Pembrey. Thanks to everyone at Fortec, who have made this such a special first year in car racing for me. Now we’re going to start testing in earnest with Fortec to win the Formula Renault UK title in 2011 – I’m going to give it a big go.”
Fortec Team Principal Richard Dutton added: “Alex did a fantastic job to win three races and the title – to add to the UK championship Tom Blomqvist won with us. His maturity was excellent – when he knew he couldn’t win races, or that it would be tough because he was starting on the damp side, he just brought it home. He is coming on very quickly. He was effectively fastest in every day of testing at Pembrey, and I’ve been really impressed with him. Roll on 2011!”
Lynn concluded, “Lastly, there are a load of people I want to thank for their support this year: all the Fortec team of course, the best Renault team by a mile! Thank you Mick, Russell, Alex and Pat; all the team at RenaultSport who organise the series; Darren Turner of Base and James Turner and Charlie Hirons of Fuel for all their help off the track with putting me in the best place to win races; my sponsors, especially BGC, Brand Fuel and Replay, who I am very proud to represent and, finally and most importantly, my family: Max, Jemima and Mum and Dad – I could not have done it without your support and encouragement – thank you so, so much.”
