Brands Hatch Indy 24th April 2004

Official Race Report

Report:Renault Sport

Race 1

Westley Barber (Wimbish, Saffron Walden) took his first Formula Renault UK win of the season at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit, Kent, this afternoon after converting his NGK Laser Platinum Pole Position into a two second victory over Comtec Racing team-mate Susie Stoddart (Northampton) - only her second ever category podium. After a tremendous start Barber was never troubled throughout the duration of the 24 laps while Stoddart equalled her best ever Formula Renault UK race result with a well deserved second position. It was also a fantastic race for Charles Hollings (Norwood, West Yorkshire) who made his first ever trip to the podium after taking third position for Fortec Motorsport. Having dominated the day’s earlier qualifying session, the Comtec pairing of Barber and Stoddart had every reason to be confident heading into round three of the season and the result adds even more spice to one of the most open championship battles in years. Fortec’s Mike Conway (Sevenoaks, Kent), who qualified fourth on the grid, put team-mate Hollings under intense pressure for a large portion of the race but the Yorkshireman managed to hold on and crossed the line less than a 10th of a second ahead of the pre-season title favourite. Hollings’ performance also earned him the ELF/Atol Driver of the Day award. Motaworld Racing’s Oliver Jarvis (Burwell, Cambridgeshire) drove well to finish in fifth position ahead of sixth-placed Alex Storckendfeldt in his Mark Burdett Motorsport car. Commenting on the win Barber said: “It’s really a win for the team more than for me - the car was so easy to drive and every lap I managed to go quicker and quicker. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and it’ll just be a matter of getting a good start and, hopefully, another win.” Second-placed Susie Stoddart said: “I made a cracking start and really did try to keep with Westley early on but he managed to get away after a few laps. I’m very happy with my car and I’ll certainly be pushing 110 per cent tomorrow - there’s no reason why I can’t win tomorrow’s race and that’s what I’ll be aiming to do.” Charles Hollings, meanwhile, said: “Thruxton was a bit of a nightmare for us but hopefully this podium signifies the true start of the season for me. I’m very happy and the car was really good today. It was hard work keeping my team-mate (Conway) behind so it was important not to make mistakes. I held on to third place though and so I’m absolutely delighted.”

Race 2

Comtec Racing’s Westley Barber (Wimbish, Saffron Walden) made his Brands Hatch weekend a winning double this afternoon by taking his second race victory on the 1.22 mile Indy Circuit - even though he took the chequered flag in second position. Mike Conway (Sevenoaks, Kent) started round four of the Formula Renault UK Championship from NGK Laser Platinum Pole Position but after making a false start, the Fortec Motorsport driver was handed a 10 second penalty which dropped him down the order on corrected times. After some searing laps - including one of 44.833 seconds (98.46mph) to break Richard Antinucci’s three-year old race lap record by a 10th of a second - Conway managed to fight his way back onto the podium though, second place his reward for a great drive. Barber took the win by almost three seconds from Conway after a measured drive with Comtec team-mate Susie Stoddart (Northampton) overwhelmed to take her second podium of the weekend in third place. Manor Motorsport’s Paul Di Resta (Bathgate, West Lothian) finished in fourth place, having put Stoddart under pressure early on, with Eurotek Motorsport’s Ruben Carrapatoso in fifth position. Motaworld Racing’s Joey Foster (Truro, Cornwall) was sixth. Speaking on his win a delighted Barber said: “My team had the gap between myself and Mike on the pit board and when I saw I was in first position I worked out Mike must have had a jump start because I knew he hadn’t gone off the circuit. It was literally a case of putting qualifying laps in all the time to make sure I maintained he position. “There’s no question, after winning the last round of the Winter Championship, everyone at Comtec knew we’d be on the pace this season. The team did a great job this weekend and we’re confident of more of the same for the rest of the season.” Stoddart: “We’re leaving Brands Hatch with lots of points in the bag and it’s been a fantastic weekend, not just for me but for the whole team. The car’s been terrific all weekend, we’ve really been on the pace, and it’s a really good platform for us to go on like this for the rest of the year. I’m looking forward now to the next race at Silverstone.” Conway still leads the championship standings, after four rounds, on 120 points with Barber 14 points adrift in second place. Foster retains third position on 77 points, a single point ahead of Stoddart who has climbed to an impressive fourth overall following her double-podium. Motaworld Racing’s Oliver Jarvis (Burwell, Cambridgeshire), meanwhile, was named ELF/Atol Driver of the Day.

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