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Singleton Provides Manor Cheer At Tricky Brands |
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Monday, 02 April 2007 |
 Richard Singleton boosted Manor Competition spirits at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit yesterday, Sunday, 1st April, during the opening Formula Renault UK event of the season; a tricky weekend for the New Ollerton squad happily culminating in a welcome top five result for the Welshman.
The 18-year-old’s team-mate Alexander Sims also served a reminder of the team’s status as a leading force in Formula Renault UK after climbing from 10th on the grid during round two to finish in seventh position at the chequered flag on a circuit notorious for its near-impossible overtaking opportunities.
While not the start to the new season the team had hoped for due to a
variety of difficulties encountered during testing and qualifying, hard
work and some great individual drives ensured Manor didn’t depart the
Kent venue without some reward.
This afternoon’s second round was certainly the highlight with reigning
Formula Renault BARC Champion Singleton taking fifth position ahead of
round one victor Jeremy Metcalfe while Sims pressured the AKA Cobra
driver all the way to the finish, taking seventh place just four 10ths
of a second adrift of his rival.
During the first Formula Renault UK race of the day, Singleton again
emerged as Manor’s highest placed driver with eighth position while
team-mate and countryman Alex Morgan climbed superbly from the back of
the grid to 11th position at the finish having been forced to start at
the tail of the field due to a brake problem in qualifying.
Northern Ireland’s Kris Loane took 13th place in round one and 16th
position in the second race to mark a steady first weekend of the
season but for Sims the opening encounter ended all too early when he
was forced wide on the outside of Paddock Hill Bend on the first lap,
forcing the hot-shoe into retirement.
With a mixed bag of results for Manor from the season opening event,
Singleton is currently the team’s best placed driver in the full
championship standings in joint-sixth position. Morgan holds joint-10th
position, Sims is in 13th place and Loane is one place further adrift
in 14th position.
In the ‘Graduate Cup’ standings, eligible drivers Singleton, Sims and
Loane are in third, sixth and seventh places respectively.
Speaking on the weekend, team boss Tony Shaw said: “It’s been difficult
and quite frustrating really as we’ve had more than our fair share of
problems. The team has worked very hard though and to see Richard and
Alexander race so strongly with good pace in the second race gave us a
big confidence boost.
“The weekend hasn’t gone how we had hoped but I can’t fault the work of
the team and the effort our four drivers have put in. Richard obviously
performed well and Alexander was very unfortunate in the first race. He
had bad luck all weekend, in Friday’s test we had to fit a new engine
and then it turned out the unit was down on power.
“Then we had the problem with the brakes on Alex’s car in first
qualifying, on top of an accident in testing, but he did a great job to
climb through to the top 12. Kris did all we could ask of him in his
first couple of races with us and we’re confident he will have a good
season.”
Shaw added: “We obviously didn’t get the results we wanted, or that we
know we’re capable of, but Rockingham will be a different story
altogether. I’m confident we will be strong and back where we belong
challenging for podiums.”
Rounds three and four of the Formula Renault UK season take place at
Rockingham Motor Speedway in Northamptonshire on 21st/22nd April.
Before then Manor will be in action at Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire on
Wednesday, 11th April, for official testing.
Provisional 2007 Formula Renault UK Driver Standings (after Rds1&2)
1st Duncan Tappy, 62pts
=6th Chris Holmes & Richard Singleton, 34pts;
=10th Nathan Caratti & Alex Morgan, 19pts
13th Alexander Sims, 16pts
14th Kris Loane, 13pts
Provisional 2007 Formula Renault UK ‘Graduate Cup’ Standings (after Rds1&2)
1st Adam Christodoulou, 53pts
2nd Riki Christodoulou, 38pts
3rd Richard Singleton, 34pts
6th Alexander Sims, 16pts
7th Kris Loane, 13pts
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