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Hitech Junior has now confirmed
its complete Formula Renault line-up for 2008. Briton Richard Singleton,
Spaniard Miki Monras, Briton Luciano Bachetta, Colombian Juan Jacobo and
Australian Ashley Walsh will all join the new Silverstone-based team set up by
Hitech Racing Team Principal David Hayle.
Singleton, Bachetta and Jacobo
will compete in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship, Monras will
compete in Eurocup and selected rounds of the inaugural West European Renault
2.0 Championship, while Walsh will run exclusively in the
WEC.
For Singleton, winner of the 2006
BARC Formula Renault Championship and 2007 Winterseries, seventh place overall
in last year’s UK series should put him in a strong position for race honours in
2008. While for Walsh, runner-up in the
Australian Formula Renault Championship and Jacobo, a previous contender in the
South American series, 2008 will mark their debut seasons in
Europe.
Despite it being the first attempt
at Formula Renault Championship title victory for the team there are high
expectations to achieve the kind of results that netted it 11 F3 race wins en
route to the coveted crown last year. The new team, which made a successful
debut in last season’s Formula Renault UK Winterseries, will start the year the
same way it always approaches the F3 season - bidding for race
wins.
“After the success Hitech Racing
achieved last season, it’s not unrealistic for us to expect to repeat that
performance with Hitech Junior in Formula Renault this year. Every race we all
go out to win, taking it race by race and that ultimately wins
titles.
“So I will be telling the boys to
do just that. Focus on each race
individually and if we all settle down to the job, then hopefully we’ll win
races and maybe even the championships. I believe we have a very strong line-up
for our first season in Formula Renault and all five drivers have driven
exceptionally well in the pre-season testing.
Bachetta and Monras are both very young and I really couldn’t believe how
quick and mature they were.
“We were up at the front in
testing at our first time with European opposition which bodes well and
hopefully we’ll be on the pace from the start.
However we have to accept that the competition will be tough and we have
two rookies in amongst our line-up who will hopefully be able to learn from the
other three who all have Formula Renault experience.”
The Hitech Junior team kicks off
its 2008 season with the opening round of the WEC at
Nogaro, France on 21 March. The Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship
starts a month and a half later, at Spa in
Belgium on 2 May.
2008 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
Championship calendar: May 2-4 Spa-Francorchamps (B),
June 6-8 Silverstone (GB), July 4-6 Hungaroring (H), August 29-31 Nürburgring
(D), September 5-7 Le Mans (F), September 26-28 Estoril (P) and October 17-19
Catalunya (S).
2008 WEC Formula Renault 2.0
Championship calendar: March 21-24 Nogaro (F), May 9-11
Dijon (F), June 20-22 Valencia (S), September 5-7 Le Mans (F), September 25-28
Estoril (P), October 3-5 Spa-Francorchamps (B), October 10-12 Magny Cours (F),
October 17-19 Catalunya (S).
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