Round two of the 2005 Formula Renault BARC Championship ended in controversial fashion on Sunday with reigning champion Nicky Wilson (Addlestone, Surrey) winning on his return to the category at Donington Park – although a five second penalty cost rival Nick Wilcox (Camberley, Surrey) a potential outright and class victory.
Falcon Motorsport’s Matt Russell (Harlesden, London) was again the star of qualifying, having taken his second pole position in as many race meetings with his time of 1m 09.365 seconds (101.58mph) a full seven 10ths of a second faster than nearest challenger Wilson.
Wilcox, meanwhile, lined up on row two with a tremendous performance in qualifying from Club Class championship leader Ian Pearson (Didcot, Oxon) giving him fourth place on the grid overall and class pole position.
At the start of the 14-lap race the returning Wilson took the lead from Wilcox, Pearson and Team Nasamax driver Dean Stirling (Shamley Green, Guildford), while pole-sitter Russell was pushed back to fifth position.
Wilson maintained the lead throughout the race although the cushion between himself and FR 2000 class points leader Wilcox fluctuated from over a second to less than two 10ths of a second.
However, on lap 12 Frenchman Pierre Renom (London) – making his 2005 Formula Renault BARC Championship debut – made contact with DS Motorsport’s David Scott (Heathfield, East Sussex) and the collision resulted in yellow flags being shown.
In the meantime, Wilcox passed Wilson for the lead and crossed the line on lap 14 for what he believed to be his second victory in as many outings. Unfortunately though, Wilcox was adjudged to overtaken under the yellow flags and was therefore handed a five second penalty by the Clerk of the Course, dropping him to second position on amended times.
In the Club Class, Ian Pearson continued to dominate his rivals with yet another impressive display. Having taken fourth place on the grid – and qualifying ahead of three FR 2000 Class runners – Pearson finished the race third overall on the road and first in class, while also taking bonus points for pole position and fastest lap.
He commented: “I’m very happy indeed with yet another fantastic weekend, and it was great to qualify on the second row ahead of some of the FR 2000 Class cars. Things are going very well for us and I’m hoping for continued success throughout the year.”
With racing incidents and mechanical problems besetting the majority of Club Class runners at some point throughout the race, Pearson was one of just two classified class finishers.
The other was racing novice Bill Allen (Hungerford, Berkshire), the 38-year-old absolutely ecstatic at achieving his maiden podium in motorsport and 12 very welcome championship points. This places Allen second overall in the Club Class standings following two rounds and he’s intending to savour the moment.
“I can’t believe I managed to finish on the podium”, commented Allen. “This result is unbelievable and I certainly proved the old adage that to achieve a good finish, you need to actually finish the race first.
“There must be very few occasions when a driver who is two laps down actually climbs onto the podium but to achieve a result like this was beyond my wildest dreams. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank the whole Nicky Wilson Racing team who have helped me and supported me superbly since the start of the year.”
The final classification for the FR 2000 Class saw Wilson take the win with Wilcox second and Russell third – although fourth on the road. In Club Class, Pearson was the victor, finishing third outright, with Allen in second position and the remaining seven club runners all failing to finish.
Rounds three and four of the Formula Renault BARC Championship will take place at Pembrey Circuit in South Wales on Saturday, 21st May, and Sunday, 22nd May.
Aside from championship points and positions, at Pembrey the BARC competitors will also be racing for the opportunity to attend a Formula One test visit at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit on Wednesday, 1st June, as an exclusive guest of the world championship-leading Renault F1 Team.
The drivers which lead the FR 2000 and Club classes respectively at the conclusion of round four will be given an invitation to attend the test session and the opportunity to see Renault F1’s own Fernando Alonso, who took his third victory of the current season during the weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix, in action.
Provisional 2005 Formula Renault BARC Championship
Driver Standings – after Rd 2
FR 2000 Class: 1st Nick Wilcox, 28pts; 2nd Matt Russell, 25pts;
=3rd Dean Stirling/Denis Autier, 16pts; 5th Nicky Wilson, 15pts;
6th Philippe Challande, 11pts
Club Class: 1st Ian Pearson, 34pts; 2nd Bill Allen, 15pts; 3rd Martin Bloss, 12pts;
4th David Scott, 10pts; 5th Cameron Jackson, 8pts; 6th James Green, 6pts
For all the latest Formula Renault BARC Championship news visit the official Renault Sport UK website www.renaultsport.co.uk built by Racecar
