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Hi-Tech junior kick-starts 2008 |
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Tuesday, 25 March 2008 |
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Hitech Junior kicked of its 2008 season this weekend with Spaniard Miki Monras, Briton Luciano Bacheta and Australian Ashley Walsh competing in the opening rounds of the WEC Formula Renault 2.0 Championship at Nogaro in France. The Silverstone-based team, in it’s first full season in Formula Renault, was happy with the performance of all three rookies as it bids to build on the success of its sister company British F3 champions Hitech Racing.
In a field of 38 cars, the three youngsters all shone in the opening wet qualifying, easily running in the top ten until the conditions improved and they dropped down the order. In the second dry session, International Rising Star Walsh had been quickest for some of the time, with Monras and Bacheta in seventh and 11th. However the more experienced drivers capitalised on the improved conditions later in the session pushing the Hitech trio to the middle of the field. Race one on Saturday afternoon proved eventful, Walsh topping the results for Hitech with 12th place at the flag after enjoying a battle with his British team-mate Bacheta, who improved from his 19th grid slot to finish 13th. Monras had an uneventful run into 15th, the former karter easily as impressive as the other Formula Renault debutants. Yesterday’s second race again saw all drivers improve from their grid positions, Walsh in particular driving a storming race from 19th to 13th on the opening lap only to spin in wet conditions and have to fight his way back. This he did but dropped back down the field once more before another sterling effort from the Australian Motor Sport Foundation-backed youngster finally saw him take 17th. Monras too made a storming start, gaining ten places on the opening lap and finishing the day as top Hitech driver, the youngster claiming 11th at the flag. Bacheta took 14th at the flag the youngster finishing as top British driver and eighth in the rookie class. The Hitech Junior team now complete a two-day test at Barcelona before it resumes racing with the opening round of the 2008 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship calendar at Spa in Belgium on May 2-4. The second round of the 2008 WEC Formula Renault 2.0 Championship takes place a week later in Dijon, France on May 9-11.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 25 March 2008 )
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