Dean Smith (Wolverhampton) scored his first-ever victory in the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship in round five at Thruxton on Sunday, 6th May. The 19-year-old, in his second season of the single-seater category, led home a Fortec Motorsport one-two-three with Riki Christodoulou (Sutton Coldfield) in second and Duncan Tappy (Ewell) third.
Drama before the start of the lap saw AKA Cobra’s Chris Holmes (Ilkley) start from the pitlane after a water leak and Manor Competition’s Richard Singleton (Conwy) stall on the grid before the green flag lap. Singleton re-took his position on the grid and was issued a drive through penalty, which he served on lap five. Holmes also served a drive through penalty on lap three.
As the race began, Smith made a clean start to lead the 19-strong field into the Complex for the first time. AKA Cobra’s Jeremy Metcalfe (Fleet), racing on his local circuit, initially lost out to Tappy but regained third place at Campbell. Tappy fought back and passed Metcalfe through the high-speed Church corner as both drivers showed incredible bravery.
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