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Adrian Quaife-Hobbs set a blinding pace in testing for
the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship at Magny Cours this weekend, but
sadly was unable to convert that into results in the two races at the
magnificent Grand Prix track. The
16 year-old, who made an impressive debut at Donington Park recently, travelled
out to the home of the French Grand Prix in confident mood but mindful that the
opposition had all either raced or tested at the 2.6 mile
circuit.
Despite that, the youngster quickly settled into the
groove, posting the fifth quickest time early in the session, only to be bumped
down to 15th when his rivals all switched to new tyres. “It was encouraging still to be running
up at the front, in fifth out of 40 runners,” said Adrian. “It was my very first time there and I’d
had just the testing on Thursday to try and acclimatise to the track and the car
following my one race so far in Donington, so I was reasonably happy with
that.
“Sadly, when it came to qualifying I was just unable to
get a clear lap, with 40 cars out on the track at the same time; I just couldn’t
find a space and wound up 18th and 20th, but still out of
the 40 who have raced in this highly-competitive championship all season. But I can take consolation from the fact
that, when we looked at the data after the session and compared my sector times,
had I been able to hook up all the sectors together, I’d have been seventh
quickest!”
Race
one, held on Saturday afternoon, was to mark another first for the MSA British
Race Elite/BRDC Rising Star as torrential rain greeted the drivers as they took
to the grid for the start. Such was
the intensity of the rain; the decision was taken to start the race under the
safety car which ended up staying out for 15 of the 25 minute race, leaving just
ten minutes of racing action.
Things were looking good for Adrian for a 15th
place finish, as he proved adept at staying on the track in the treacherous
conditions when many of his rival could not, until a car running close behind,
rammed the back of Adrian’s BVM Minardi car and pushed him off into the
gravel. Although the driver was
later penalised for dangerous driving, it sadly was no consolation to Adrian, as he was unable to
rejoin the race and had to sit out the remaining laps.
By
race two on Sunday morning, the track conditions had improved, although the
track was still damp, leaving teams with the difficult decision of which tyres
to use. With a dry line appearing,
Adrian and the BVM Minardi squad elected to choose slick tyres as did the
others, but once they ventured out onto the track for the start, this decision
although necessary, caught Adrian out at the lights as he started on the left,
wetter part of the track.
“We
didn’t really have any choice but to go for slick tyres, but unfortunately, my
side of the track was on the wet line, as the other side had the benefit of the
sun drying it out. This meant I
lost a few places off the line and again, going into the first corner, as I had
to learn so many different things at once.
Despite that though, I managed to keep it on the track until the very
last lap, when my team-mate made a move up the inside of me and locked up and
hit the back of my car giving me a flat tyre and damaging the rear
wing.”
The
incident caused instant retirement for the Tonbridge youngster but he’s vowed to
be back with a vengeance when the series returns, at another new track for the
teenager, Estoril in Portugal on October 21st.
“Although I didn’t finish either race, there are
definitely some positives to take out of this weekend. I’m still learning the car and how to
set it up properly, it was a brand new track for me and in both races I had new
conditions to get used to. And I’m
very happy with the overall performance, not least because the more time I spend
in the car, the more confident I get and the easier it becomes. I’m really looking forward now to the
challenge of Estoril.”
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