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Leading Formula Renault BARC Championship team Hillspeed completed yet more
test mileage this week with visits to Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk on Tuesday,
22nd July, and Donington Park in the East Midlands yesterday, Thursday, 24th
July.
The Hathersage based squad fielded cars for regular drivers Menasheh Idafar
and Ahmad Al Harthy on Tuesday while also introducing Menasheh’s younger
brother, Ezra, to a UK race track for the first time in the team’s test
car.
Lapping in 1m 08.07 seconds, Menasheh produced a strong performance at
Snetterton, the venue for the eighth and ninth rounds of the 2008 Formula
Renault BARC season, to bounce back superbly well from the disappointment of the
Croft race meeting last weekend where he came away with a double
non-score.
Al Harthy – arriving in Norfolk off the back of a career best second place
finish during round six at Croft on Sunday – did an equally superb job and
managed a great time of 1m 08.35 seconds on old tyres.
For young British-born Bahraini Ezra Idafar, the Snetterton outing marked
his first ever run at the wheel of a Formula Renault BARC car and also his
maiden experience of the 1.95-mile circuit. Impressing Hillspeed team boss
Richard Ollerenshaw with his raw skill and application, Ezra enjoyed a highly
promising debut.
Speaking on the Snetterton test, Ollerenshaw said: “Menasheh did well,
we’re confident he can lap comfortably inside the 1m 07 second bracket when we
return. His performance was the perfect way to bounce back from Croft – he was
0.15 seconds quicker than he’s ever been before around Snetterton and there’s
more to come.
“Ahmad was on top form, running very strongly. After the summer break, he
came back and in testing since he’s been outstanding. The race result on Sunday
proved how well he’s driving at the minute and on Tuesday he did another great
job. With old rubber he was still extremely competitive which bodes very well
for the next race meeting.”
At Donington Park yesterday, the Idafar brothers both took to the track
with Menasheh lapping in a best time of 1m 09.66 seconds on used tyres – just
three 10ths of a second shy of the 2006 Formula Renault BARC pole position lap
at the track.
Younger sibling Ezra, meanwhile, thoroughly enjoyed only his second ever
run in an FR 2.0 car and once more surprised Hillspeed with his ability. Running
well throughout a very busy general test day at Donington, Ezra coped admirably
and certainly impressed those looking on.
“Ezra has done an outstanding job with such limited running”, said
Ollerenshaw, “He certainly hasn’t disgraced himself at all. He drove very well,
listened to what the team told him and put it into practice. Reflecting on the
two days at Snetterton and Donington, it’s impossible to say anything other than
positive things about his performance.
“It was very busy on track at Donington, there were F3 cars and even an
LMP1 sportscar car out there, but Ezra coped brilliantly. Considering it was
only his second ever run in a Formula Renault BARC car and his first time on
track at Donington, he was outstanding.”
Lyons competing in Silverstone Classic this
weekend
The third of Hillspeed’s regular drivers, Michael Lyons,
didn’t take part in either of this week’s general test days in his Formula
Renault BARC car as he has instead been preparing for this weekend’s prestigious
Silverstone Classic event – the new name for the Coys International Historic
Festival.
Competing in the historic Formula One race at the wheel of his glorious
Hesketh 308E, the 17-year-old Felsted racer is also poised to drive alongside
his father Frank Lyons in the World Sportscar encounter.
Returning to Formula Renault BARC, the eighth and ninth rounds of the 2008
season will take place just over a fortnight from now on Saturday, 9th August,
at Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk. Before then, Hillspeed is expecting to conduct
further tests next week.
Provisional 2008 Formula Renault BARC Championship Standings (after
Rd7):
=3rd Menasheh Idafar & Isa Yousif
Mohammed, 48pts; 6th Ahmad Al Harthy,
34pts; 13th Michael Lyons,
8pts
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