Loughborough-based Scorpio Motorsport is confident of a strong season in the 2005 Formula Renault UK Championship with Michelin after signing one of the hottest young prospects in the series.
Will Bratt (Adderbury, Banbury), who at 16 years of age and with just four Formula Renault UK Winter Championship races under his belt is eligible for inclusion in the category’s ‘Graduate Cup’, has agreed a deal which will see him continue with the team which gave him his Formula Renault UK race debut last November.
Speaking on Bratt’s signing, Scorpio team boss Jon Pettitt commented: “I’m very happy we’ve got a young hot-shot like Will and while we’ll be very much a junior team, in respect of our driver having little experience in Formula Renault UK, he’s shown he’s quick and I’m confident Will can go well.
“I’m hoping he’ll be the kind of driver everyone begins to look at as one of the true hot prospects for 2006. Will has a lot of potential and we hope he’ll help Scorpio move into a respectable position in the championship by the end of the year.
“From our point of view, this signing should enable the team to deliver some good results this year and Will has been blinding in testing recently. We hope to finalise our second driver very shortly and we’re very excited about the potential of the prospective partnership.”
Bratt came to prominence after winning the BRSCC T-Car Championship in 2004, following a successful career in junior karting, and his Formula Renault UK race debut came with Scorpio during last November’s Winter Championship, in which he finished a solid 11th overall.
Will’s father Rowland Bratt, a former long-standing Renault competitor himself, said: “It’s been going very well in winter testing and Will certainly deserves his chance in Formula Renault UK. He gets on extremely well with the team and it’s the right environment for him, Scorpio is a team which can help him progress and develop as a driver.
“Will did a very solid job in the Winter Championship which enabled him to build his confidence in the car. He’s much more relaxed now and is going quicker and quicker all the time, and while much of the winter testing has been in the wet – we know Will’s a little bit special in those conditions – we’re now hoping for some dry running ahead of the season.”
Rowland added: “Things look pretty good for us at this stage and by the end of the year I’m certain he’ll be there or thereabouts. We know what we’re up against and we’ve got a lot of respect for our rivals in this championship. It’s going to be a tough challenge but I’m confident Will can rise to it and show what he is made of.”
Formula Renault UK Championship with Michelin official pre-season testing is scheduled to commence at Snetterton, Norfolk, on 2nd/3rd March. The opening double-header race meeting of the 2005 season takes place at Donington Park, Leicestershire, on 9th/10th April.
For all the latest Formula Renault UK Championship with Michelin news visit the official Renault Sport UK website www.renaultsport.co.uk built by Racecar
