Riki Christodoulou (Sutton Coldfield) headed the timesheets in both morning and afternoon sessions of the third official Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship pre-season test at Brands Hatch Indy circuit on Tuesday, 13th March. The Fortec Motorsport driver lapped the 1.23-mile circuit in 44.009s (99.14mph) just before the lunch break, bettering that with a mark of 43.870s (98.36mph) in the second stint. Both of these times are quicker than the existing lap record, which must be set during a championship race, currently held by James Sutton (New Barnet, Herts) at 44.425s (99.36mph).
Christodoulou, the 2003 Renault Formula JICA Karting champion, has previous experience of the Kent circuit from the 2006 Formula Renault UK Winter Championship, where he finished ninth and sixth on his single-seater racing debut. The venue will play host to the opening two rounds of the 2007 Formula Renault UK Championship on Sunday, 1st April.
The 18-year-old’s performance was enough to keep team-mate Dean Smith (Wolverhampton) in second place on combined times, by a margin of 0.176s. Manor Competition ace Alexander Sims (Peterborough) again marked himself out as a leading contender with the second quickest time in the morning and the third-quickest in the afternoon. The multiple karting champion finished third on combined times with a best lap of 44.100s (97.85mph).
AKA Cobra’s Jeremy Metcalfe (Fleet, Hants) was fourth on combined times, a mere 0.02s behind Sims as the Formula Renault 2.0 car with its new-for-2007 bodykit proved just as closely-matched as ever. Will Bratt (Banbury, Oxon), a Formula Renault UK race-winner in 2006, ensured Apotex Scorpio Motorsport was the fourth team present in the top five with a time of 44.155s (97.72mph) in the afternoon session. AKA Cobra’s Chris Holmes (Ilkley, Yorks) rounded out the top six, just 0.01s behind Bratt.
Richard Keen (Amersham, Bucks) took part in his first official Formula Renault UK pre-season test driving for Hi Tech Racing. Keen is yet to register for the Championship but set a time of 44.271s (97.47mph) to claim seventh place on combined times.
Fortec Motorsport’s Duncan Tappy (West Ewell, Surrey) finished eighth overall, while Adam Christodoulou (Lichfield, Staffs) was ninth despite not taking part in the afternoon session. After setting a time of 44.367s (98.34mph) to place him sixth in the morning session, an accident at Paddock Hill Bend saw his car roll and end his on-track activities for the day. Christodoulou emerged with only a sore knee and plans to attend the final pre-season test at Oulton Park next week.
Mark Burdett Motorsport’s Sho Hanawa (Skegness, Lincs) finished 10th overall with a time of 44.382s (97.22mph), the Japanese also benefiting from his previous experience of the circuit in the 2006 Formula Renault UK Winter Championship.
Commenting on his performance, Riki Christodoulou said: “I knew the layout of the circuit from the Winter Championship and I was glad to have nailed a good lap today. Looking at the data with the team, I don’t think there was any one place where I gained time. It just seemed to come naturally with a fraction of a second in a couple of places during the lap. I was also able to drive consistently, which is very important. â€
Christodoulou completed fewer laps than many of his competitors but feels he is in good shape ahead of the first race of the season. He added: “I made a few changes to the car but was quite happy with the set-up. We don’t have unlimited tyres to put on the car so I didn’t want to waste any just going round for the sake of it when I had set good times.
“Today has boosted my confidence even more and with the first race here, I can’t wait for the season to start. â€
The fourth and final official Formula Renault UK pre-season test takes place at Cheshire’s Oulton Park circuit on Wednesday, 21st March.
Rounds 1 and 2 will be held at Brands Hatch Indy circuit on Sunday, 1st April.
