Snetterton 4/5th September 2004

Official Race Report

Report:Renault Sport

Race 1

Formula Renault UK with Michelin Champion Mike Conway (Sevenoaks, Kent) produced yet another supreme performance during the 17th round of the year at Snetterton this morning to take his seventh win of the season - and with it a new race lap record of 1m 05.684 seconds (106.98 mph). The Fortec Motorsport ace, who has confirmed he’s most likely to contest the final two races of the year at Donington Park in three weeks time, has been in a class of his own all weekend, underlining the brilliance which has seen him dominate this year’s championship. Speaking on his commanding victory, Conway said: “I’m delighted with this win. Everything clicked this weekend from the word go, the first qualifying and second qualifying sessions were excellent. Everything has been spot on so far and I’m confident we’ll be ok for the next race this afternoon, fighting for the win again.” At the start Conway and team-mate Stuart Hall (Halstead, Essex), who himself has enjoyed a superb weekend, both made good starts but it was the 2004 Champion who held the lead from NGK Laser Platinum Pole Position as the cars headed through Riches Corner on the opening lap. Behind, Comtec Racing’s Westley Barber (Wimbish, Saffron Walden) held on to third position while Manor Motorsport’s Paul Di Resta (Bathgate, West Lothian) made an excellent start from sixth position on the grid to hold fourth place at the end of lap one. As Conway began to open up a substantial lead at the front, Team Firstair’s Sean McIntosh started to close on fourth-placed Di Resta in his attempts to regain his grid position. Try as he might, however, the Canadian couldn’t quite usurp the Scot even though he continually looked for a way past at the end of the Revett Straight lap after lap. On lap 16, Conway took the chequered flag with ease by six seconds from Hall with Barber two and a half seconds further behind in third position. Di Resta managed to hold off the spirited challenge from ‘Graduate Cup’ leader McIntosh to take fourth while the Canadian crossed the line in fifth, almost three seconds clear of Motaworld Racing’s Oliver Jarvis (Burwell, Cambridegshire) Falcon Motorsport’s Carlos Mastretta (Headington, Oxford) enjoyed his best result of the season with a well deserved seventh position ahead of Team Firstair’s Brazilian driver Patrick Rocha in eighth and Mark Burdett Motorsport’s Venezuelan star Rodolfo Gonzalez in ninth. Comtec’s Susie Stoddart (Northampton) finished the race in 10th position, having started in 15th place following problems in qualifying, and her fighting drive through the middle order netted Susie the ELF/Atol Driver of the Day Award. Commenting on his second podium finish of the season, Stuart Hall said: “This result is quite good as after Mike got away I just wasn’t able to stay with him. He’s a very quick driver and has lots of experience so it’s been difficult for everyone else to match that. “It was frustrating I couldn’t challenge more but I had my hands full with fending off Westley at the start. After that I got in a good rhythm but decided to save my tyres a bit for the next race when I knew I wouldn’t catch Mike.” Barber: “It was a pretty dull race for me because after I got close to Stuart on the second lap he then seemed to be able to pull away. Mike was so much quicker than everybody and obviously the stars were lined up for him - like they have been all season! Fortec has delivered a very good car and Mike’s driving very well indeed so I take my hat off to them.” The 18th round of the Formula Renault UK Championship with Michelin is scheduled to take place 15.05 this afternoon, Sunday, 5th September. Champion Mike Conway once again starts from NGK Laser Platinum Pole Position with Stuart Hall alongside him on the front row. Manor’s Patrick Hogan (Whitfield, Northants) will start from third position with team-mate Paul Di Resta fourth on the grid.

Race 2

Nobody was able to match the pace and consistency of Fortec Motorsport’s Mike Conway (Sevenoaks, Kent) at Snetterton this weekend and after his eighth victory of the year during round 18 of the season this afternoon, the 21-year old has proven exactly why he is the 2004 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Champion. Conway was flawless throughout testing, qualifying and the two ‘double-header’ races at the 1.95-mile Norfolk circuit, but the 18th round was also notable for the excellent performance from Manor Motorsport’s Patrick Hogan (Whitfield, Northamptonshire) who secured his best ever Formula Renault UK result after finishing in second position. Hogan certainly had a fright at the start of the race when, after an excellent getaway from third on the grid, he and Fortec’s Stuart Hall (Halstead, Essex), who was second on the grid behind pole-sitter Conway, came together as Hall attempted to defend his position and Hogan looked for a way into second place. As the field headed through Riches Corner, Conway led from Manor’s Paul Di Resta (Bathgate, West Lothian) with Hogan in third, Team Firstair’s Sean McIntosh in fourth place and Hall back in fifth position. On lap three, however, the Clio Renaultsport V6 255 Safety Car was deployed to bring the race under a yellow-flag cautionary period as marshals attempted to recover the Paston Racing car of Craig Dolby (Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire), the 16-year old having gone off circuit at Riches on lap two. The re-start came on lap seven and with Conway continuing to lead, Hogan passed Di Resta on lap eight at the Esses to assume second position while Hall was fourth, Mark Burdett Motorsport’s Alex Storckenfeldt was in fifth position and ‘Graduate Cup’ points leader McIntosh was sixth. James Jakes (Cullingworth, West Yorkshire), McIntosh’s chief rival in the ‘Graduate Cup’, certainly produced the kind of performance he needed to in order to take the battle for the ‘championship within a championship’ down to the wire at the final round at Donington Park. The Team aka driver, having started a lowly 19th on the grid, enjoyed a superb race during round 18 and by lap nine he had made his way into seventh position. Hall, meanwhile, retired from the race with a puncture to his right rear tyre with McIntosh also coming to grief after running wide off the circuit - the Canadian eventually ended the race in 17th place. On lap 12 another Safety Car period was required to allow the recovery of the second Team aka car of Peruvian driver Juan Manuel Polar, but on lap 16 the race was back underway with second-placed Hogan right under Conway’s rear wing as the cars crossed the start/finish line. The champion managed to maintain his lead, however, and on lap 19 he took the chequered flag for his eighth win of the season with Hogan recording the best finish of his Formula Renault UK career, and only his second ever podium in the category, ahead of third placed team-mate Di Resta. Comtec Racing’s Westley Barber (Wimbish, Saffron Walden), who had qualified in an uncharacteristic 10th position on the grid, finished the race in fourth position after some good driving while Storckenfeldt was fifth and Fortec’s Charles Hollings (Norwood, West Yorkshire) rounded out the top six. Jakes was the top ‘Graduate Cup’ runner with an excellent seventh place while Team Firstair’s Brazilian driver Patrick Rocha also put in a superb drive to finish in eighth position, having started the race 14th on the grid. Michael Vitulli (Rainham, Essex), meanwhile, enjoyed his best finish of the season with 16th place for family-run Vitulli Racing. Race winner Mike Conway commented: “It’s been a phenomenal weekend and it went as well as we could have wished for with the two wins. The race today was good and even though we had to cope with the Safety Car on two occasions it didn’t interfere with things too much and I was able to take another win, which is exactly what we came here to do.” Patrick Hogan, delighted with his best ever Formula Renault UK result, said: “I don’t think many people could have touched Mike’s performance today but at the second restart I thought I had a chance to go round the outside of him at Riches. I thought better of it though and decided to try and have a go at Sear Corner, but it didn’t work and he managed to pull the gap then which he maintained to the end of the race. “It’s been far too long since I’ve been on the podium. It’s funny, you can knock on the door of the podium for a long time but Formula Renault UK is so close you can be down in the second half of the grid if you’re not careful. It’s about time we achieved a result like today and I’m absolutely delighted for myself and the team.” Paul Di Resta added: “I had a good start to pass Paddy (Hogan) and it seemed pretty straight forward from there but then the Safety Car came out twice and at the restarts I just didn’t seem to have the pace. Those periods worked out bad for me but you just have to take everything as it comes and do your best. “This wasn’t the weekend we were looking for after going so well at Brands Hatch a couple of weeks ago but now we head to Donington Park for the next round and we have to see what we can do there. Hopefully we’ll be strong and put up a good fight to try and finish the year second in the championship.”

See Qualifying Times for this event here

Check the dates of all the races in the 2004 season here

Read Official Race Report of this event here

Go to home page for 2004 Season here

See latest Championship standings here

Check the dates of all the races in the 2004 season here