Protyre Formula Renault podium finisher Alex Gill has confirmed he will be taking part in a test outing at Snetterton next week with Fortec Motorsport, as he strives to secure the budget for a return to the category for the 2014 championship season.
The Doncaster 16-year-old, who only has five races in single-seaters under his belt, impressed in last November’s Autumn Cup at Rockingham with two podiums from three races – including a best of second position to Fortec’s eventual champion Ben Barnicoat (Chesterfield) in the opening round.
Regarding the Tatuus FR 2.0 chassis from Protyre Formula Renault as the best at junior level, Gill is determined to secure the funds for his first full season in cars and is hopeful the test outing next Wednesday, 26th February, and Thursday, 27th February, will bolster his sponsorship negotiations.
Prior to his debut in single-seaters during the final two rounds of last year’s main Protyre Formula Renault Championship season, Gill established himself as one of Britain’s premier karting talents after winning the 2009 Super 1 Cadet Karting title and the 2012 MSA British KF3 Karting crown.
“I’m really looking forward to testing with Fortec and being back out in a Renault, it’s the best car at this level and I want to continue my progression in single-seaters in the Protyre championship”, said the Red Bull Racing affiliated teenager, “We still need to attract more commercial support to be able to finalise a deal for the new season, hopefully a strong test run will help us.
“We had a good run in the Autumn Cup with MGR [Motorsport], I was happy with my pace during qualifying – especially as we had some problems in testing – and the race pace was very competitive. I think taking away two podiums from three races was good, particularly with my lack of experience compared to the competition.”
Gill had considered graduation into the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup (NEC) after a very strong test in the newer generation FR 2.0 with MGR in December at Valencia, but with the budget restrictions he faces the focus is firmly on the British Protyre-backed category for 2014.
Rockingham International Super Sportscar Circuit will host the first three races of the 2014 season on 5th/6th April, following the annual Media Day and official pre-season test at the Northamptonshire track on Wednesday, 19th March.
Along with headline sponsor Protyre, Formula Renault is additionally supported by Michelin.
Official website www.renaultsport.co.uk/championships/formularenaultbarc/ built by Racecar
