Manor MP Motorsport’s Steijn Schothorst leapt to the top of the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup (NEC) standings at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit on Sunday, 25th May, after taking his second podium of the campaign.Beginning the now annual British fixture with a top five result in round three on Saturday, 24th May, the Dutchman added third position in round four on Sunday to rocket up the points table. His tally of results also enabled Manor MP Motorsport to move into third in the entrant standings.Lining-up fourth on the grid for the dry second Silverstone encounter, Schothorst was elbowed to fifth out of Copse on lap one but he fought back tenaciously to re-take the position at the complex and then grabbed third on lap four following an excursion for Ben Barnicoat. Holding the placing to the finish on lap 13, he opened up a 10-point lead in the championship.During Saturday’s rain-affected third round, the Manor MP Motorsport racer had a lot of hard work to do from eighth on the grid but he rapidly climbed into the top six part way through lap two. With a desire to make as many early gains as possible, Schothorst challenged Seb Morris on the run down Wellington Straight but the British driver edged the Dutchman onto the grass at high speed.Thankfully recovering without drama, Schothorst wouldn’t be deterred. After piling on the pressure to Morris he made a superb late move on the brakes into Brooklands on lap six to seal fifth place where he stayed to the conclusion.Rookie team-mates Philip Morin and Julio Moreno both secured season-best finishes across the second weekend of the campaign, making a marked step forward in terms of pace and their overall level of performance.In round three, Moreno started in 15th position but slipped to 16th on lap one and stayed there to the finish in a largely uneventful contest for the Ecuadorian. Round four, though, delivered more action for the first year Formula Renault 2.0 NEC driver who had a huge task starting in 25th position.Slicing through into 18th place on the opening lap alone after a tremendous start to the race, Moreno steadily made further progress as the encounter wore on and eventually capped a superb drive by taking the chequered flag in 13th position – his best result of the year.Morin starred with a career-best 11th position in the second encounter, carving his way through to the cusp of the top 10 from 16th on the grid. Gaining two places on lap one, the NEC rookie moved up another place on the second tour and was into the top 12 by lap five. When Louis Deletraz retired on lap 11, Morin moved into 11th to seal a fantastic drive. In race one he had to settle for 20th place.“It’s been a strong weekend for all three guys and we’re absolutely delighted to see Steijn leading the championship”, said Manor MP Motorsport’s Sander Dorsman, “The pace was there for a couple of podiums from him, but third and fifth are good consistent results. Philip and Julio are improving all of the time and their results at Silverstone confirm that. It’s a big boost for everyone.”Second GP2 points finish of year in Monte-Carlo for rookie EllinasWhile the Anglo-Dutch squad’s Formula Renault 2.0 NEC team was in action in the UK, the GP2 Series entry visited the streets of Monte-Carlo over the weekend for the third race meeting of the Formula One Championship support category’s season.Cypriot racer Tio Ellinas, who joined the MP Motorsport fold for the previous event at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain a couple of weeks ago where he was seventh on his debut, conquered Monaco in only his third race in GP2 after claiming another points finish in round five.Making excellent progress from 19th on the grid, Ellinas carved his way through into the top 10 and avoided any trouble along the way to finish the race hot on the tail of the three cars ahead and just 0.5 seconds clear of team-mate Daniël De Jong. The Dutch racer, who started in 22nd place, matched Ellinas’ level of performance and the two MP cars produced tremendous pace in the Principality.Disappointingly for the team, round six on Saturday brought a sour conclusion to the Monte-Carlo adventure. Both MP cars were hit from behind by other competitors, with De Jong forced to retire on lap three and Ellinas ending the encounter one lap down, in 22nd position, after pitting for a new front wing following the contact.“Our speed was good in Monaco this weekend and Tio and Daniël both did a great job in the first race on Friday, we were really happy with that and it was so close to two cars in the points”, said MP Motorsport’s Sarah Shaw, “Of course, Saturday wasn’t as good – we had some bad luck there unfortunately – but the pace we delivered with both cars shows we’re making very strong progress.”Austria’s Red Bull Ring will host rounds seven and eight of the GP2 campaign over the weekend 21st/22nd June while Formula Renault 2.0 NEC will return to action three weeks from now on 14th/15th June at Hockenheim in Germany. Before then, the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 battle resumes at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium next weekend, 31st May/1st June.Provisional 2014 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Driver Standings (after Rd4):1st Steijn Schothorst, 72pts; 10th Andrea Pizzitola, 36pts; 19th Julio Moreno, 21pts; 24th Philip Morin, 16ptsProvisional 2014 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Team Standings (after Rd4):3rd Manor MP Motorsport, 76ptsProvisional 2014 GP2 Series Driver Standings (after Rd6):16th Tio Ellinas, 7pts; No score – Daniël De JongProvisional 2014 GP2 Series Team Standings (after Rd6):11th MP Motorsport, 7pts