Chris Middlehurst (St. Helens), the runaway points leader of the 2013 Protyre Formula Renault Championship, will feature on the Sky Sports F1 channel this evening, Thursday, 27th June, as part of a piece filmed at Daytona Sandown Park with the MSA Academy for The F1 Show programme.
Joining fellow MSA (Motor Sports Association) backed racers and drivers from FIA Formula One World Championship support categories GP2 and GP3, the 18-year-old took part in a specially organised kart race which included Sky Sports F1 pundit, and Grand Prix winner, Johnny Herbert.
As a member of the MSA Academy, Middlehurstwho competes with MGR Motorsport in the Protyre Formula Renault Championshipwas thrilled to be invited along for the feature which will form part of the build-up to Sky Sports F1s pre-event coverage of this weekends British Grand Prix.
It was an absolutely fantastic day, really good fun, and great to be battling on track with a driver like Johnny Herbert, said the Merseyside racer, We had a five minute practice before we were split into two groups for qualifying. We all raced hard, it was a bit like bumper cars to be honest, and in the B Final we were four or five abreast into one cornerit should make for good TV!
So far this year in Protyre Formula Renault, Middlehurst has been head and shoulders above the competition and from the first eight rounds he has taken six race victoriesincluding the last four back to back. He hasnt finished any lower than second up to now, has qualified on pole position on four occasions and has set the fastest race lap no less than five times.
The teenager, who is also a British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) Rising Star, says being part of the prestigious MSA Academy has been a major plus for his career development with courses teaching a range of skills added to the provision of key advice on things like nutrition.
The MSA Academy is a great scheme, he commented, You get all sorts of coaching from people like David Brabham [former F1 racer and Le Mans 24 Hours winner] and Tom Onslow-Cole [2006 Renault UK Clio Cup Champion and current touring car racer]. They give you a really good, in-depth knowledge of how to be the best you can in and out of the car.
We do a lot of work at the Human Performance Centre at Silverstone, they teach you whats good and bad with diet and the best nutrition at an event and before an event. Theres also a lot of focus on the hydration side of things, media training and also how to get the most from your car and how best to work with your engineers. It really is a privilege being part of the Academy.
Middlehurst will be back in action against his Protyre Formula Renault Championship rivals next weekend, 6th/7th July, at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire for rounds nine, 10 and 11 of the season. To see how he got on in the Daytona Sandown Park event, dont forget to tune-in to the Sky Sports F1 channel from 20.00 tonight.
Along with headline sponsor Protyre, Formula Renault is additionally supported by Michelin, The Lubricant Consultancy, Petronas Syntium and NGK Spark Plugs.
Click here for the Official Renaultsport web site - designed and built by Racecar
