AT DONINGTON PARK
Atech Reid GP dominated the fourth round of the 2011 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship at Donington Park this weekend, with Cypriot teenager Tio Ellinas leading from pole to flag, to secure his and the team’s first win of the season. The 19 year-old also took second place in the opening race, while his British team-mate Oscar King, who started both races from tenth on the grid, finished 9th and 11th.
Race one had Tio start from the front row and a good getaway allowed him to slot into second place into the first corner. Over the course of the race he managed to stay with the leader, maintaining a gap of just over a second. On the very last lap, part of the airbox of the leader’s car began to come adrift, allowing Tio to close the gap to just seventh-tenths of a second at the flag.
From row five, Oscar made a superb getaway to gain a place, but going into the first corner he was hit by a rival, damaging part of his front wing. As they entered the Old Hairpin, Oscar found it hard to turn in, running wide onto the kerb and wet grass, pitching him into a spin. He dropped to last but recovered to finish 11th.
In race two, Tio lined up on pole, and a good start by the youngster allowed him to hold the advantage into the first corner. A determined drive over the remaining laps saw him pull away and despite his tyres going off in the closing stages, was able to keep the second placed driver behind. Oscar made another superb getaway off the line too and got up to seventh place but lost out to more experienced drivers, dropping him back to ninth at the flag.
Tio Ellinas: “What a great weekend. I’m very happy to have got my first win so early in the year, but we have shown we’re on the pace not only here but in all the races so far. To get four podiums in four races is a great result. The team worked hard again and it’s a great result for them. In the first race, I could see Alex’s airbox was coming away and I managed to close down the gap, maybe another lap and I could have passed him. In the second I pulled out a gap at the beginning and pulled away, and although it was a bit close on the last lap, we had the pace we needed.”
Oscar King: “I am a little disappointed not to have got better results but to be honest, that’s because qualifying wasn’t as good as I’d hoped and as the pre-event testing had indicated it would be. In the opening race, I suffered a bit of front-end damage from the collision at the first corner and struggled with the handling going into the Old Hairpin and lost it. However, I’m very happy with my starts in both races and I’m learning so much each time I go out. This will only make me stronger for the next rounds.”
Team Principal David Hayle: “It’s been a good weekend for us, another two podiums, this early on, for a rookie driver is a great result. But, after the pre-season testing form you do almost expect this kind of result, your expectations change based on a drivers’ performance, so we’re not really surprised by the result, just very happy to have a win in only the second event of the year. Oscar was very unlucky in race one, he suffered some front-end damage which put him off-line going into the hairpin, and cost him any chance of a top six finish. In the second race, he made another good start and could possibly have had sixth but got swamped by more experienced drivers – he is however, improving every time in the car and we hope for a good performance from him, and Tio, next time out.”
