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Kimi Raikkonen’s
maiden FIA World Drivers’ Championship victory and Lewis Hamilton’s second place
in the drivers’ standings completes a remarkable double for the Formula Renault
UK with Michelin Championship. Both drivers made their single-seater
debuts in the premier UK national championship, winning the title in 2000 and
2003 respectively.
A third current
Formula One driver, ING Renault F1 Team’s Heikki Kovalainen, enjoyed an
impressive first season in motorsport’s most prestigious championship. The Finn
raced in the Formula Renault UK Championship in 2001 before joining the Renault
Driver Development Programme.
For the two
leading championship protagonists to emerge from the same national-level
championship is testament to the quality of driver attracted to the series,
which was re-launched in 2000 with the introduction of the Formula Renault 2.0
car.
Last season saw
the introduction of a revised carbon-fibre aerodynamic bodykit, which not only
improved the performance of the 2.0-litre 192hp cars but also brought them in
line aesthetically with the World Series by Renault Formula Renault 3.5 car and
the ING Renault F1 Team car, emphasising the motorsport ladder developed by
Renault.
Crowned last
week, 2007 champion Duncan Tappy will be hoping to follow his predecessors to
the pinnacle of the sport. The 2004 champion Mike Conway won the British Formula
Three title and has now progressed to the GP2 Championship, the renowned F1
antechamber of which Hamilton was champion in 2006.
Commenting on
the success of two former champions, Formula Renault UK Championship Manager
Simon North said: “It’s fantastic news for Formula Renault UK that the two
drivers to emerge as the main contenders for the Formula One drivers’ title were
Kimi and Lewis. For the two men at the top of the standings to come from the
same national championship must be a unique occurrence.
“It was clear to
everyone involved in Formula Renault UK with Kimi in 2000 and then Lewis in 2003
that both were special drivers. We’re delighted they have gone on to achieve so
much in the sport and we hope that our current group of drivers take heart from
this and strive to follow in their footsteps.”
The 2007 Formula
Renault UK with Michelin Winter Cup takes place on Saturday,
3rd November at Donington Park and Saturday, 10th November at Croft circuit.
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