Several Formula Renault UK Championship with Michelin teams have confirmed their interest in, and commitment to, the new low-cost Formula Renault BARC Championship, as driver activity begins to heat up ahead of the New Year.
Five established Formula Renault UK teams have announced their intention to run in the BARC series next year and these join existing BARC outfit Logic Racing which is run by experienced team owner/driver Martin Bloss (Andover, Hampshire).
Norfolk-based Eurotek Motorsport, which won the 2003 Formula Renault UK Winter Championship and is now headed by vastly experienced race engineer Andy Welch, is looking to enter the series alongside Oxfordshire’s Falcon Motorsport, headed by Nick Streatfield, and Derbyshire-based Hill Speed Racing, run by Richard Ollerenshaw.
Scorpio Motorsport, run by John Pettitt, recently returned to Formula Renault UK in November’s Winter Championship and the Loughborough team is hoping to run cars in the all-new BARC series.
Family-run outfit Welch Motorsport, headed by John Welch, has announced its intention to compete in the series, while ELF Renault Clio Cup outfit Team Griffin Racing is poised to make its single-seater bow in Formula Renault BARC, having bought a car from Team JVA.
Commenting on the team’s first foray into single-seater racing, Julian Griffin said: “The BARC series is an attractive proposition for any team and it seems to be very popular with potential drivers already as it’s so competitively priced. For teams with little or no Formula Renault experience, like ourselves, it’s an ideal place to learn about the FR2000 cars.”
Created as a cost-effective option for young drivers to race in the ground breaking FR2000 cars which have run across the globe in Formula Renault championships since the turn of the Millennium, Formula Renault BARC will also retain a ‘Club Class’ for the older, multi-chassis cars which competed in Formula Renault UK between 1995 and 1999.
Drivers wishing to take part in the BARC series in the FR2000 Class can expect to complete a season for around £58,000 – half the budget needed to contest the TOCA Tour-supporting Formula Renault UK Championship. This is a seriously attractive option for those aiming to take their first steps into single-seater racing in a state-of-the-art ‘slicks and wings’ car.
The ‘Club Class’, meanwhile, will provide serious amateur racers with a rare opportunity to compete in a manufacturer-backed series. A privateer entrant could run from as little as £10,000 meaning great value for money considering the professional organisation of the series by the same team behind its TOCA Tour stable-mate.
Formula Renault BARC’s 2005 calendar will feature 12 races across eight meetings, including four ‘double-header’ events, and the championship will visit circuits such as Donington Park, Silverstone and Brands Hatch. Regulations, subject to MSA approval, will be available later this week.
For all the latest Formula Renault BARC Championship news visit the official Renault UK Motorsport website www.renaultsport.co.uk built by Racecar
