16 year old Freddie Martin-Dye was stunning in Italy. In his first major Formula 'A' race, the Garda Winter Cup, against the very top drivers in Europe and his first outing on a Birel chassis, he stunned everyone by out qualifying three-times World Champion, 30 year old Frenchman Davide Fore.

This gave Freddie a front row start for the heats, but the two heats proved less than kind. Heat 1 saw Freddie retire as his engine oiled up on the warm-up lap, and from a similar front row start for heat 2, Freddie was (rather harshly) adjudged to have jumped the start, and was given a 10 second penalty, dropping him to 18th at the finish. This all but put him out of the meeting, (78th from 80 !!!) but he fought his way through the repercharge and then the semi-final to claim a start in the main Final, albeit at the back of the field on grid 31. From here he was sensational, driving through the field to 6th place, before a cracked exhaust dropped him to 9th at the end.

Freddie’s next race is the first round of the Super 1 British Championship at Three Sisters circuit, Wigan, on March 6th

Freddie's race programme for 2005 detailed below:

*World Championship September 25 - Braga, Portugal

*European Championship May 15 - Angerville, France June 26 - Mariembourg, Belgium Aug 21 - La Conca, Italy

*British Championship Mar 6 - Three Sisters,Wigan Apr 17 - PF International, Nottingham May 1 - Clay Pidgeon, Dorset Jun 19 - Larkhall, Glasgow, Scotland Jul 31 - Rowrah, Cumbria Sep 11 - Shenington, Oxon.

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