Chris Middlehurst (St. Helens), winner of the 2013 Protyre Formula Renault Championship, will join some of Europe’s top up-and-coming racing drivers at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain on Monday, 21st October, to test a Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 car as part of his prize for claiming the UK title.
Alongside the respective champions from the Formula Renault 1.6 Northern European Cup (NEC) Junior and Formula Renault 1.6 Sweden categories, as well as five drivers from French Formula 4, the 18-year-old will get to experience the current specification FR 2.0 for the first time.
Middlehurst, who enjoyed a remarkably successful season in Protyre Formula Renault this year on his way to a dominant title victory, is considering graduation into a Europe-based Formula Renault category next year and is relishing the prospect of his maiden test outing in Eurocup FR 2.0“Having the opportunity to test a Eurocup specification car at a great track like Barcelona is fantastic, I’m really looking forward to the experience and can’t wait to get out there”, said Middlehurst, “I’ve got to say a big thank you to everyone at Renaultsport for the prize, hopefully we can have a really smooth test and fly the flag for Protyre Formula Renault.”
As well as the single-seater test, Middlehurst’s superb prize package for winning Protyre Formula Renault this year also includes an opportunity to test one of the new fourth generation 1.6-litre turbo-engined Renault Clio Cup race cars which will compete in the UK next season. Final details of venue and date will be confirmed in due course.
Additionally, of course, the British Racing Drivers’ Club ‘Rising Star’ is one of the six finalists for this year’s McLaren Autosport BRDC Award. As the most prestigious accolade in British motorsport, it carries a prize test with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 Team and a sum of £100,000 to the winning driver’s 2014 race budget.
Middlehurst, who is the third driver from Protyre Formula Renault to be announced as a finalist over the course of the last three years, will join the five other finalists for an intensive assessment in the coming weeks at Silverstone. The 25th winner of the annual award will be announced on the evening of Sunday, 1st December, at the Grosvenor House Hotel in central London.
Along with headline sponsor Protyre, Formula Renault is additionally supported by Michelin, The Lubricant Consultancy, Petronas Syntium and NGK Spark Plugs.
