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Thruxton specialist David Epton signed-off his Formula Renault UK career
with a brace of typically strong raceday performances yesterday, Sunday, 14th
October, top eight and top nine results helping secure the Apotex Scorpio
Motorsport team its highest ever placing in the entrant standings.
With a move into sportscar racing expected for the 26-year-old in 2008,
subject to acquiring the necessary budget of course, David hoped to bring the
curtain down on his final season in single-seaters with a podium finish this
weekend and although not quite able to achieve his dream, he did further
underline his quality as an out-and-out racer.
Having taken part in just six of the 10 race meetings this year, David
clearly hasn’t  enjoyed the same level of continuity in his car as his
front-running rivals but his ability and racecraft shone through on Sunday with
two sparkling efforts.
Although the Round 19 qualifying session on Saturday morning saw the
Preston-based racer struggle with the handling of his car before ending the run
with the 14th fastest time, changes ahead of the Round 20 session enabled him to
produce a season’s best performance with an excellent 6th fastest time,
just half a second shy of pole position.
As high as fourth quickest with just five minutes remaining, David
eventually took a third row start for his final race in a Formula Renault UK car
after posting a lap of 1m 11.075 seconds (119.33mph).
Beginning the first of the weekend’s races on row seven, the BAE Systems
accountant knew a top 10 finish would be a terrific result but he managed even
better than that with a fighting eighth position which ultimately helped
Loughborough-based Apotex Scorpio to take third place in the entrant standings
by just a single point.
Having been forced onto the grass at 130mph at Goodwood and then receiving
similarly robust attention at Church, David unfortunately slipped to 16th
position on the opening lap but he mounted a stirring recovery which saw his
undoubted racecraft shine through.
After a three-lap Safety Car period, racing resumed on lap nine and David
immediately began to make an impression on the cars ahead. Passing Chris Holmes
and Ryuji Yamamoto in quick succession, the Honeywell Aerospace-backed ace also
benefited like his rivals from a collision at the front between cousins Riki and
Adam Christodoulou.
Carving his way through the order, the former Hampshire resident passed
Alex Morgan late-on and also moved ahead of Richard Singleton for ninth before
the finish. The subsequent exclusion of Adriano Buzaid for a technical
infringement then enabled David to claim a deserved top-eight finish.
During the last race of the season, Round 20, David started ahead of Apotex
Scorpio team-mate Will Bratt having out-qualified him by a mere 1,000th of a
second but it was the latter who managed to edge ahead on lap one.
Embroiled in a close and entertaining battle with Bratt and Jeremy
Metcalfe, David emerged in the middle of the trio at the end of lap three but
was then forced back to ninth during the next tour. For the remainder,
struggling somewhat with straight-line speed, David had to focus on defending
ninth position which he did to the finish.
Reflecting on his final weekend in Formula Renault UK, David said: “The
first qualifying session was very disappointing, the car wouldn’t handle well at
all but we made some changes for the second session and it was much better to
drive. We still couldn’t get the set-up we wanted but sixth was pretty
good.
“In the first race I had quite a moment at Goodwood when (Chris) Holmes
forced me onto the grass and after similar attentions from (Ryuji) Yamamoto at
Church I had a lot of work to do. We managed to pick off quite a few places
though and I think eighth in the end from 14th on the grid was as good a result
as we could have hoped for.”
He continued: “In the second race it was noticeable we lacked pace on the
straights, the car felt pretty good in the complex and at the chicane but it was
hard work keeping cars behind in the fast section. Nonetheless, I’m fairly happy
to take a pair of top 10 finishes away on our final weekend in the
championship.
“It’s been good working with the guys at Apotex Scorpio, we’ve known each
other a long time and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them for
everything. We’ll definitely stay in contact but from the point of view of my
racing career, sportscars is the aim for 2008.”
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