Fortec Motorsport’s Dean Smith (Wolverhampton) marked himself out as the man to beat by topping the timesheets on both days of Formula Renault UK pre-season testing at Snetterton on 7th/8th March. After a wet opening to the day, Smith, preparing for his second season in the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship, posted a benchmark of 1min 04.656s (108.69mph) on Wednesday, which he beat with a time of 1min 04.435s (109.06mph) the following day.
The drying track during the morning of the first day’s testing suited Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Will Bratt (Banbury, Oxon) who made big strides after an unusually below-par test at Rockingham to finish just 0.568s adrift. Mark Burdett Motorsport’s Sho Hanawa (Skegness, Lincs) also made a significant improvement in changing conditions to take third place in the session.
In the afternoon’s action, a dry circuit allowed every driver to equal or better Smith’s best time of the morning but no-one could head the Fortec Motorsport ace throughout the 3hr 30min session. AKA Cobra’s Adam Christodoulou (Lichfield, Staffs) edged second place ahead of his cousin Riki Christodoulou (Sutton Coldfield). Fortec’s Duncan Tappy (West Ewell, Surrey) and Manor Competition’s Alexander Sims (Peterborough) meant the top five drivers were separated by less than half a second.
Three drivers entering their first full season in the Championship featured inside the top 10 at the end of Wednesday’s action. Eucatex/Premier Pet/Shoptour’s Adriano Buzaid (Oxford) equalled his Rockingham performance in seventh, while Manor Competition’s Kris Loane (Kesh, Co Fermanagh) in ninth place finished just 0.014s ahead of AKA Cobra’s Chris Holmes (Ilkley, Yorks).
On Thursday, 2005 Formula BME champion Smith once again proved to be the class of the field with a gap of 0.438s to second-placed team-mate Tappy. Loane was third ahead of Bratt, Riki Christodoulou and AKA Cobra’s Jeremy Metcalfe (Fleet, Hants). Less than three-tenths of a second covered eighth-placed Alex Morgan (Northfield, Birmingham), Hanawa, Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Andrew Meyrick (Oakmere, Cheshire), Holmes and Manor Competition’s Richard Singleton (Conwy, Wales) in 12th place.
Borthwick Motorsport’s Ryan Borthwick (Hawick) lapped just more than one second behind Smith. Fortec’s Ryuji Yamamoto and Eurotek Motorsport’s local favourite Jordan Oakes (Hopton, Norfolk) will have been disappointed to be only 18th and 19th respectively.
Commenting on his performance during the two days at the Norfolk venue, Smith said: “I’ve been quickest in every session but there’s no real secret, it’s just a case of finding the right set-up for the car. It helps being in my second year because I understand the car a lot better and it builds confidence to know I’m with a good team.
“Also, there are three other good drivers in the team and we all push each other very hard. When we are on track together we try to spur each other on to better times. I always knew I had the pace because I won in Formula BMW and it was just a case of adapting the set-up to my driving style. â€
The next Formula Renault UK test will be held on Tuesday, 13th March at Kent’s Brands Hatch Indy circuit.
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