A new championship launched by Renault UK and the British Automobile Racing Club for 2005 features the world’s most successful single-seater, the Formula Renault 2000, and is aimed at young drivers and club racers.
Titled the Formula Renault BARC Championship, the new series will fill a growing gap in the driver market for a top-level, modern, composite single-seater championship fitting beneath the existing Formula Renault UK Championship with Michelin, which will continue to run in its traditional place alongside the British Touring Car Championship.
The 2004-specification cars - as raced in the current Formula Renault UK Championship with Michelin - will run with reduced maximum engine revs to keep speeds and costs down while teams will also have to run fixed gear ratios. The new championship aims to retain its National B race licence requirement to allow entries from novice drivers.
The new Formula Renault BARC Championship, will also feature the pre-2000 cars that have successfully run at club level for the past five years.
A nine race meeting calendar, featuring a mix of both one and two-day events will give drivers the opportunity to compete with the latest Formula Renault car but with a budget approximately half that needed to race in the TOCA Tour-supporting Formula Renault UK Championship with Michelin.
The newly-branded Formula Renault BARC Championship neatly fills the void beneath Formula Renault UK and the Formula BMW UK Championship. Not only will it act as an ideal learner category for those who wish to eventually move up to Formula Renault UK, the series will also provide racing opportunities for teams and drivers who either miss the registration cut-off date for Formula Renault UK in 2005 or who wish to operate at a different level.
Golden Opportunity
Speaking in support of the announcement, Formula Renault BARC Championship driver and team representative Martin Bloss commented: “This is the golden opportunity we’ve needed to take the BARC championship forward. The increased involvement from Renault, along with some dynamic changes, will give new series the status it deserves.”
The calendar will aim to secure ‘double-header’ rounds at each event, but none will clash with the 2005 TOCA Tour calendar meaning teams could elect to contest both the Formula Renault BARC Championship and the Formula Renault UK Championship with Michelin.
The BARC series’ prize fund will also be increased to a five-figure sum thanks to the increased involvement of Renault UK. The champion of the FR2000 class will receive a registration for the 2005 Winter Championship as an incentive to step up to the BTCC-supporting Formula Renault Championship in 2006.
Co-ordination of the new Formula Renault BARC Championship will move under the wing of Renault UK and be looked after full time by the same team of people behind the successful Renault championships that support the BTCC.
Tim Jackson, Renault UK’s Motorsport Manager, said: “We have grasped the opportunity to build a stepping stone to the top level Formula Renault championship, where young drivers can start to learn their craft in a state-of-the-art car but at a reduced cost. The move also preserves a championship for the existing BARC Formula Renault drivers and cars.”
Dennis Carter, Chief Executive of the BARC added: “I’m delighted Renault UK has recognised this gap in the driver market and has stepped in to revitalise our championship. By making it possible for drivers without six-figure budgets to race a car like the modern day Formula Renault it has given a major boost to this level of the sport. The move also guarantees the existing drivers can carry on racing their pre-2000 Formula Renaults in a properly run championship.”
For all the latest Formula Renault BARC Championship news visit the official Renault UK Motorsport website www.renaultsport.co.uk built bt Racecar
