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MSA National Court Overturns Metcalfe's Donington Decision |
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Saturday, 02 September 2006 |
Jeremy Metcalfe saw his exclusion from the 12th round of the Formula Renault UK Championship completely overturned earlier this week in a successful appeal to the Motor Sports Association (MSA) National Court on Wednesday, 30th August.
The 18-year-old AKA Lemac star was originally, and controversially, excluded from the results of the race in question at Donington Park National Circuit on Sunday, 30th July, after what appeared to be nothing other than a racing incident involving fellow competitor Sam Bird as both drivers headed through Hollywood Corner.
Contact between the pair resulted in a heavy collision for Bird and although Jeremy was adjudged by the Formula Renault UK Clerk of the Course to have been at fault for the incident, the decision by the Metcalfe family to appeal has now been fully vindicated.
Not only was the Fleet teenager excluded from the race results by Renault officials for “driving in a manner incompatible with general safety”, he also received a four-point endorsement on his licence.
But thanks to Wednesday’s successful appeal, Jeremy will now return to
Donington Park next weekend, 9th/10th September, for the 15th and 16th
rounds of the season feeling completely re-invigorated and confident of
challenging for a brace of podium results with the endorsement wiped
off his licence and a re-instatement into the round 12 results.
The Tribunal heard representations from both sides and went on to allow
the appeal on the grounds of there being “insufficient evidence” to
support the view Jeremy was guilty of the original charge of driving in
a manner incompatible with general safety.
Commenting after the appeal, Jeremy’s father Robert said: “We’re
absolutely delighted that our decision to ask the National Court to
take a view on this matter has been vindicated and we’d like to express
sincere thanks to our professional adviser Jamie Champkin.
“We are also grateful to the court for granting leave to appeal and, at
the same time, hugely impressed with both the calibre of personnel and
the professional way in which the proceedings were conducted. It’s good
to know if you have to go to a higher authority within the judicial
process, you can expect a quality service delivered in a professional
manner.
“We were never going to let the original decision go unchallenged and
we’re very pleased with such a favourable outcome. The exclusion should
never have been imposed in the first place and our appeal has proven
our decision to take the matter to the National Court was the correct
thing to do.”
Metcalfe Aiming For Donington Glory
With the exclusion overturned, Jeremy has an additional seven points to
add to his championship total which places him just 15 points adrift of
the top three in the driver standings. Furthermore, the round 12 race
result of 14th position can now be counted as one of his two
‘drop-scores’ at the season’s close before calculating his final total.
This also means great news for Jeremy in the Donington Park Racing
Association Club (DPRAC) Cup standings, a trophy which will be
presented next weekend to the British driver who has scored the most
points over the course of the four Formula Renault UK races which will
have been contested at the Leicestershire venue this season.
With a combined 29-point haul from the Donington Park National Circuit
races at the end of July, Jeremy is now just five points adrift of
DPRAC Cup leader James Sutton in the battle for the trophy and able to
go into next weekend’s 15th and 16th rounds of the season as a genuine
contender for the coveted prize.
Rather than its usual slot as a support category to the British Touring
Car Championship, Formula Renault UK will appear at Donington alongside
the World Series by Renault for a meeting which is expected to attract
a minimum of 50,000 spectators.
In addition to World Series by Renault action, Formula Renault UK will
share billing with Formula Renault Eurocup, Renault Clio Cup and
Eurocup Megane Trophy. There will also be a special on-track exhibition
of Fernando Alonso’s 2005 Formula One World Championship-winning car
with Renault F1 test driver Heikki Kovalainen at the wheel.
Speaking ahead of the race meeting, Jeremy said: “I’m really looking
forward to being back in the car and very confident we’ll have a good
weekend at Donington. Obviously, I’m very pleased with the outcome of
our appeal and I’d like to thank everyone involved for their help,
support and guidance.
“I’ve known and raced with Sam (Bird) for a long time now, without
incident. What happened was unfortunate and I’m glad to see Sam is
okay. Bit I want to refute any suggestions I was in any way happy with
the incident upon my return to the pits after round 12, as has been
suggested in some quarters. I was as shocked as I imagine Sam was.
“You don’t crash into anyone deliberately in single-seaters and I am
pleased the court took the view it was nothing other than a racing
incident. I am just glad it’s all over. We shook hands after the
hearing – which is the way it should be – and talked about the
competitive race we both enjoyed at Snetterton during the last race
meeting.”
He added: “I’m fully focused on the next two races now and with a
chance to challenge for the DPRAC Cup as well it should be an exciting
weekend. I’m keen to return to the podium and with the recent test at
Silverstone having been so positive for us, I’m certain we’ll be on the
pace at Donington.”
Official testing ahead of rounds 15 and 16 of the season will take
place on Wednesday, 6th September, with qualifying scheduled for
Saturday, 9th September. Both races are timetabled for Sunday, 10th
September, with round 15 expected to start at 10.00 and round 16 set to
commence at 16.00.
Formula Renault UK Championship Updated Provisional Driver Standings (after rounds 13&14):
| Pos. |
Driver |
Points |
| 1st |
Patrick Hogan |
348 |
| 2nd |
Sebastian Hohenthal |
346 |
| 3rd |
Cheng Cong Fu |
254 |
| 5th |
Jeremy Metcalfe |
239 |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 05 January 2007 )
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