Duncan Tappy (West Ewell) and Dean Smith (Wolverhampton) go head to head in rounds 19 and 20 of the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship for the right to win the title claimed by Lewis Hamilton four years ago. Tappy holds a seven-point advantage over his Fortec Motorsport team-mate ahead of the races on Sunday, 14th October at Hampshire’s high-speed Thruxton circuit.
Remarkably, this is the third season in a row that the title has come down to the final meeting, Oliver Jarvis prevailing in 2005 and Sebastian Hohenthal winning in 2006 on countback. Should Tappy and Smith end the season tied on points, Tappy would win by virtue of having more race wins with eight already to Smith’s three.
Each driver has six pole positions, while Smith leads 8-7 on fastest laps, which are worth two bonus points each and could prove crucial in the final reckoning. Smith won rounds five and six at the 2.36-mile venue and had the fastest lap of round six. An exact repeat next weekend would see the 19-year-old win the title.
Tappy can win the title after one race if he wins and sets the fastest lap. Commenting on the upcoming decider, 23-year-old Tappy, winner of the 2005 Formula Ford Festival said: “I’m feeling quite relaxed and quite confident. The last six races have all gone my way and if that carries on then the title takes care of itself.
“I’ve got experience of being in a pressure situation from 2005 but so has Dean because he won Formula BMW that year, so we both have lots of positives to take into the weekend. I know Dean will be pushing me, but Riki Christodoulou and Alexander Sims were both fast in the test last week so they will also be challenging.
“The main thing is that I’m enjoying my racing, I’m enjoying working with the team and we’ll be as competitive as ever. All I can do is aim for the win and fastest lap in the first race and see what happens. ”
Smith is equally relaxed about the prospect of securing his second major single-seater title in just three years. He commented: “As racing goes it’s all about the race weekends and you try to keep a clear head in between times. I can’t really lose anything now because I’m certain to be in the top two, so I’ve got nothing to worry about and everything to gain.
“Winning both races here in May gives me confidence but I’ve had confidence all through the year. I’ll try to get the same set-up as last time and if you can get the peak out of the car you’ll have a great chance. There’s a lot of luck involved as well. ”
Reflecting on his previous title success, Dean said: “I know exactly how to overcome this situation because I’ve been here before. I was very nervous in BMW but I know that I won’t be this time. If I win it I’ll be over the moon and to get two titles in three years would be very good as it’s probably something not many people have done. ”
The 2007 champion receives an invitation from Renault Sport to test a Formula Renault 3.5 car at Paul Ricard circuit on Tuesday, 6th November. Both drivers are considering a step up to World Series by Renault in 2008 and would receive 30 laps with a current World Series team at the dedicated test track in the south of France.
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