Karting Star Joins Returning Pair At Fortec Motorsport
Feb 12, 2007
Reigning champion team Fortec Motorsport has named three of its drivers for the 2007 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship as Riki Christodoulou (Sutton Coldfield), Dean Smith (Wolverhampton) and Duncan Tappy (West Ewell, Surrey). A fourth driver is due to be announced in the coming weeks for the team that won the Drivers’, Entrants’ and Graduate Cup titles last season.
Christodoulou, 18, is well-known among followers of British karting and won the 2003 Renault Formula JICA Super One karting championship. He went on to finish third in the 2004 Renault Formula ICA championship and was second in the top-level Renault Formula A series in 2005, before a ninth place finish last season, when he concentrated on karting in Europe. He made his single-seater debut with Fortec in the 2006 Formula Renault UK Winter Series, finishing fifth. He will be eligible for this season’s Graduate Cup.
Smith, 18, enters the season with one year’s experience in Formula Renault UK after making his debut with Coles Racing last season when he finished ninth overall and also Vice-Champion in the Graduate Cup. The 2005 Formula BMW champion will be hoping to challenge for race wins and a possible second single-seater title.
Tappy, 22, is also returning for a second season in Formula Renault UK having impressed in another formula. The 2005 Formula Ford Festival winner finished 18th in Formula Renault UK last season but, like Smith, will expect his experience in the series and a move to the champion team to help him challenge at the front of the field.
Commenting on the three drivers signed, Fortec Motorsport Team Principal Richard Dutton said: “We are very pleased to have Riki with us for this season. I have followed his career for two or three years and out of all of last year’s karters, he seems to me to be the most exciting. He was very impressive in testing at Albacete this winter, absolutely on fire, and he’ll be able to get back to that level once he has more mileage under his belt.
“I think Duncan can have a great year this year with us. I don’t think he performed to the best of his potential last season but we intend to give him the right environment to enable him to show what he is capable of. He is clearly a very talented driver.
“Dean is similar to Duncan in that the results weren’t quite there for him last year. We ran Sam Bird against Dean in 2005 and lost out to him then, so we know exactly what he is capable of when it comes to winning. Our aim is to bring out that form in him again.
“We plan to announce our fourth driver soon and then we can begin final preparations for the season. We know that all the other teams will be working hard to try to beat us, but we are out to win all three titles again in 2007. â€
Official pre-season testing begins on 1st/2nd March at Rockingham Motor Speedway, with the first two rounds of the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship at Brands Hatch on 31st March/1st April.
