|
Hohenthal And Hogan Prepare For Silverstone Showdown |
|
|
|
|
Monday, 09 October 2006 |
Fortec Motorsport’s Sebastian Hohenthal (Northampton) and AKA Lemac’s Patrick Hogan (Killiney, Co Dublin) are both on the brink of realising a dream as the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship decider takes place at Silverstone on Sunday, 15th October. Rounds 19 and 20 will be held on the 1.64-mile National circuit at the Northamptonshire venue, with both drivers confident of claiming their first car racing title.
Hohenthal leads the Championship by 19 points, which becomes nine points as each driver is required to drop his two worst scores. The Swede topped the drivers’ standings for the first time after his round 17 victory at Brands Hatch with Hogan having lead since a double win at Thruxton in June.
Hohenthal claims the momentum is with his title challenge, commenting: “Since the fourth race meeting at Knockhill I have been catching up on
Patrick, apart from at Snetterton where we scored equal points. I’m
riding a very good wave at the moment and the team is as focussed as I
am on what we need to do.
“Patrick had two spins in qualifying at the last meeting at Brands
Hatch and that shows he is maybe starting to shake a bit. I don’t have
as much pressure on me as it’s only my second year in the series, while
it’s his third. I’m looking at it as just another race meeting,
although obviously with a bigger prize at stake.”
Hogan believes his pace at Silverstone overrides the fact he no longer
leads the Championship, saying: “At the official test in August I was
quickest in the morning and only a fraction off the top in the
afternoon on old tyres so I feel great about the weekend. We’ve shown
at Thruxton that when the car and tyres are working well together, we
can pass and pull away from Sebastian so if the circumstances are right
this weekend I know I can win both races.
“The season couldn’t really have gone a lot better for me and apart
from one mistake at Croft I’ve done everything I can to put myself in
the best position. This season I’ve been a lot more mature and handled
all the stress that’s been put on me at race meetings and being the
Championship leader for so long.”
Both drivers admit they can’t place a value on winning the
Championship, which has launched the careers of Formula One stars such
as Kimi Raikonnen and 2006 GP2 Champion Lewis Hamilton. Hohenthal said:
“It would mean very much to me of course. It has been my goal for a
long time now and would be fantastic for my career. Winning this
Championship would be a dream for me.”
Hogan commented: “There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind I will win the
title on Sunday. It’s what I dreamed about as a kid but never thought
it could happen. Four years ago I entered the Rockingham scholarship,
with no karting or racing experience, and won it. Now here I am looking
at winning a hugely prestigious title and I don’t know of anyone else
who has come so far in four years.”
The two rounds at Silverstone will also see several drivers from the
Formula Renault BARC Championship graduate to Formula Renault UK,
including 2006 Formula Renault BARC Champion Richard Singleton (Conwy,
Wales). The 17-year-old RS Racing star is joined by his compatriot
Hywel Llowd (Corwen, Denbyshire) of CF Racing. Eurotek Motorsport duo
Jordan Oakes (Hopton, Norfolk) and Emma Selway (Tring, Herts) and
Borthwick Motorsports’ 16-year-old driver Ryan Borthwick (Hawick,
Scotland) have also entered to race.
Further new entries come in the shape of Position 1 Racing’s Ronnie
Theiler (Faversham, Kent) and Filsell Motorsport’s Matt Howson
(Preston, Lancs) who both make their debuts in the series. Theiler is
also the first driver to register for the four-round Formula Renault UK
with Michelin Winter Championship, which starts at Brands Hatch on
4th/5th November, concluding one week later at Croft on Saturday, 11th
November.
Rounds 19 and 20 of the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship
will be held on Sunday, 15th October. Each race is scheduled for 22
laps, with round 19 starting at 09:00hrs and round 20 at 14:05hrs.
Qualifying for each respective round will be held on Saturday, 14th
October at 09:35 - 09:55 and 14:55 – 15:15.
|
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 13 December 2006 )
|
News