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Atech Grand Prix’s Tamás Pál Kiss has moved into the lead of the
Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship points table after the Hungarian took
victory and second place in the two rounds at Rockingham. Swiss Filipino Marlon
Stockinger took his first FR podium, narrowly missing out on a second in race
two but Briton Nick Yelloly was denied a podium finish when he was sidelined
with a clutch problem.
The weekend kicked off well for the Silverstone-based team with all
three drivers performing well in Friday’s tests and Saturday’s official
qualifying, the trio all in the top six for the opening race.  In that
Pál Kiss made a good start to
slot into second place ahead of Yelloly and Stockinger with pole-man Harry
Tincknell in the lead.
However Tincknell’s lead was short-lived with a charging Pál Kiss
desperate to repeat his performance at Thruxton when he took his maiden series
victory. On lap three the 18 year-old made his move to pass the leader with
Yelloly and Stockinger holding third and fourth
places.
On lap eight Marlon found a way past Nick to move into the final
podium place, the pair battling over the position for several laps.
However an engine problem, which started
on the fourth lap forced the unfortunate Yelloly into retirement two laps from
home.
Up at the front, Pál Kiss had gradually extended his lead to take
his second win in three races with Stockinger following Tincknell across the
line in third place.
The day’s second race produced another strong drive from Pál Kiss
despite proving a harder race for the Hell-backed teenager, as he took a
well-deserved second place.  Behind
him a good start from Stockinger allowed him to move into third place until a
throttle problem dropped him down the order, ultimately ending his race on lap
four.
For Yelloly, a superb start saw him gain two places on the opening
lap and thereafter a strong drive by the 18 year-old allowed him to take
seventh, some consolation for his disappointing non finish in race one.

“It was a great weekend again and I’m very happy to take another win,”
said Tamás. “Once again the team did a great job and I think all of us are all
really strong now. With all three drivers being so close and competitive, it
looks really good for all of us for the rest of the
season.”
Team principal David Hayle was equally delighted with the outcome.
“Tamás once again drove exceptionally well and his second win of the season was
very well deserved.  Marlon was
outstanding over the course of the weekend and this bodes well for the
remaining
races.
“Nick
was unlucky to have the problem he had in the first race but his speed and
ability over the remaining races will I’m sure allow him to soon take his first
race win.”

The Silverstone-based team will be back in action this weekend
when the series resumes at Brands Hatch in Kent over the weekend of 1/2 May.

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Bristol teenager Mitchell Hale has shot to the top of the Formula
Renault BARC Championship standings after a sensational win in the
opening round at Brands Hatch last weekend.

Hale, 16 years old, backed up his win in the first race with a third
place in race two, and has already marked himself out as the man to
beat in the series.

After competing in the Ginetta Junior Championship last season,
Mitchell joined leading team Fortec Motorsport for 2010 and was
getting his first-ever taste of single-seater racing over the Brands
Hatch weekend. He was competing against many drivers who already had
racing experience of Formula Renault, making his achievement, which
also included fastest lap in both races, all the more impressive.

“It was good fun,” he said. “I always knew we were going to be quite
quick because we were fastest in the official test before the race
meeting. But I also knew that qualifying is very hard in Formula
Renault and that overtaking is very difficult.”

That is particularly the case on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, where
the straights are very short, but Hale showed great bravery to make
some superb overtaking moves. In the first race, he qualified second
but took the lead with a brave manoeuvre at the infamous Paddock Hill
Bend. “The guy in front made a mistake at the previous corner and was
defending into Paddock,” said Mitchell. “But I just moved further to
the inside and dived in front – I’m pretty sure I had two wheels on
the grass!”

Hale qualified on pole position for race two, but due to tyre rubber
being put down on the circuit from other races he had too much grip
off the startline and stalled. That put him well down the order, but
he pulled off some more overtaking moves on the way to third place,
right on the tail of the leading duo.

“I overtook three cars and someone else went out with a mechanical
problem, so that was great for me. I was really fast and catching the
leading two. I literally caught them on the last lap but ran out of
time to make any more moves.”

Hale was delighted with his maiden weekend in single-seater racing
cars. “I like the cars a lot more than the Ginetta Junior sportscar I
raced last year. They’ve got more power and far more grip, and that
suits my driving style quite a bit better because it’s closer to
karting, where I raced before last year.”

Mitchell’s next race outing is at Silverstone, which the Formula
Renault BARC series visits on May 8/9. And there’s every chance of
another win: “It should be good at Silverstone. I was fastest there
when we did the official test, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Facts about Formula Renault BARC

It is the first step on the UK single-seater ladder for young aspiring
Formula 1 drivers

It uses the same Tatuus Formula Renault chassis in which Lewis
Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen won titles as up-and-coming young drivers

Top speeds are around 150mph, depending on gearing, but average lap
speeds can approach 120mph at Thruxton, Britain’s fastest circuit

ENDS

For further information, please contact Mitchell’s manager Danny
Buxton on 07971 281336 or log on to www.mitchellhale.co.uk

Copyright free image of Mitchell Hale attached for editorial use –
please credit Jakob Ebrey Photography/Renaultsport when used.

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