.......Despite Losing 100 Per Cent Record
Matthew Bell (Morpeth) extended his lead of the Renault-sponsored Formula ICA Championship 34 points at Clay Pigeon Raceway on Sunday, despite not winning either of the points-scoring Finals for the first time this season.
His position at the head of the standings also means Bell will has earned the right to be an exclusive guest of Renault UK and the World Championship-leading Renault F1 Team at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit on Wednesday, 1st June, where he’ll get to see behind the scenes as the team takes part in an official Formula One test session.
In Final One, Bell took the lead from Danny Cruttenden (Wilmington, Kent) part way through the race but Cruttenden, who had started on pole position, regained the lead and took victory.
Richard Singleton (Conwy) started Final One in ninth place, but a late charge saw him climb from seventh position to fourth, before then grabbing third place from Raymie Eastwood (Belfast) on the last lap. Eastwood drove a great race having climbed from 12th place on the grid to his eventual fourth position.
In Final Two, Singleton’s charge continued with the youngster immediately putting pressure on Cruttenden for the lead, before slipping down to third. After overtaking Bell again for second position, Singleton began to challenge the leader during the closing stages of the race.
He soon took the lead and the win, placing him third in the driver standings, four points ahead of Cruttenden. Daniel Rowbottom (Mamble), who posted fifth and sixth place finishes in the two Finals, maintains second position in the championship.
Henry Arundel (Arundel, West Sussex) dropped from third on the grid in Final One to 15th place at the finish, but charged back through the pack in the second Final to finish in fourth spot. The result puts him in joint-eighth in the championship table, tying on points with Jonathan Walker (Blackburn).
The Renault-backed B4 Group/MSA British Karting Championship season resumes on 18th/19th June at Larkhall in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. But before then, Formula ICA points leader Bell will enjoy the rare opportunity of going behind the scenes at a Formula One test – at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit on Wednesday, 1st June - as an exclusive guest of Renault UK and the Renault F1 Team.
Formula ICA Provisional Driver Standings:
1st Matthew Bell, 294pts; 2nd Daniel Rowbottom, 260pts; 3rd Richard Singleton 246pts; 4th Danny Cruttenden, 242pts; 5th Richard Kent 239pts; 6th Benjy Russell, 236 pts
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