UK FRenault 2003: Line-up so far ...

Jonny Apex · 27 Jan 2003, 14:38 (Ref:487374)

I understand that Manor, Motaworld and Fortec are all close to announcing four drivers for the forthcoming season and that Paston and Firstair each have two sorted as well.

Anyone know of who their drivers are or of any others being lined up with other teams?

Jonny Apex · 27 Jan 2003, 18:14 (Ref:487524)

... and just as I've posted the above, I receive a release announcing that Mark Burdett Motorsport has signed Turkish driver Jason Tahinci whom they ran in the winter series.

Good to see Burdett's lot out in 2003. Good lads ...

**bella** · 27 Jan 2003, 20:25 (Ref:487649)

i can't wait till jason tahinci throws his next wobbly, it's gonna be great to watch. can we have a tahinci cam this year?

Russfeld · 27 Jan 2003, 21:12 (Ref:487695)

isnt tahinci a dip? or is that tahini?

**bella** · 27 Jan 2003, 22:35 (Ref:487782)

whatever, it was the best racing driver strop i've ever seen and he's welcome if he wants to get that funny again...

his driving wasn't that good though...

Russfeld · 27 Jan 2003, 22:45 (Ref:487791)

details please

**bella** · 27 Jan 2003, 23:19 (Ref:487814)

oh, he got slightly taken off the track at druids at brands, then the marshals accidentally beched the car on the kerbs. then his hissy fit caused the extension of the safety car period as he jumped up and dowon on the edge of the track asking the marshals politely what they thought they were doing parking his car there when he could have stayed in it and made sure whoever it was that did this to him ended up in the tyres at paddock hill....
it was truly a work of art. some photos i saw afterwards were absolutely hilarious, half the press room nearly wet themselves.

Mr Jinxx · 27 Jan 2003, 23:41 (Ref:487825)

I missed that

I've never heard of him

**bella** · 27 Jan 2003, 23:46 (Ref:487830)

during the winter series heat...2 i think. on the saturday. superb stuff. lots of cars all over the place.

Mr Jinxx · 28 Jan 2003, 00:16 (Ref:487853)

ok lol, I'll watch for him!

so, Hamilton definitely for the comprehensive, Raikkonen-like win in 2003?

**bella** · 28 Jan 2003, 00:20 (Ref:487855)

looks like it, barring any miracles from the ever decreasing opposition.... has anyone gone back to fords?

Russfeld · 28 Jan 2003, 00:30 (Ref:487861)

why is FRS falling out of favor?

Mr Jinxx · 28 Jan 2003, 01:10 (Ref:487892)

it isn't...

Manor are fielding Hamilton, and anyone else who is happy to accept insufficient attention but at least they'll get Hamilton's data and Raikonnen's before him <oops, controversial stuff, Ben Elton watch yer step>

Motaworld have got Alex Lloyd, Mike Spencer (ex british karting champion and runaway formula zip champion last year) and Suzy Stoddart and Rob Scott, I believe

Fortec have the highly-rated Mike Conway and (maybe) James Rossiter, and you have to think they have to pull in a seriously quick guy (McLoughlin or someone?)

Firstair may be fielding Rob Bell, depending whether they feel they can weather the Florida incendiary threats :-)

Motaworld seriously want the win again in UK Formula Renault this year, I can tell you that. I think they will have the driver and the will to do it, and I don't think that Hamilton will walk it by any means, as he is expected to do. He has to do it, in fact.

**bella** · 28 Jan 2003, 01:22 (Ref:487900)

fortec surely will go for someone who can fill the coffers? a 3rd driver isn't exactly going to get 100% attention are they?

Mr Jinxx · 28 Jan 2003, 01:32 (Ref:487907)

What do I know, but Fortec will want to retain their title, not just show that it was Danny Watts' 3 years of trying that got him to #1, and his data taking Jamie Green to #2.

Manor have Hamilton, and they NEED the title this year; Motaworld have Lloyd, and they are really fired up to regain the title this year; you can't dismiss JV ever, but I don't see a serious proven challenger in Fortec yet. If I was Fortec, I'd be looking for a ringer, as we sharp pool players say. Somone with proven experience and speed to bring Conway and Rossiter along. And if that happens, and if Lloyd continues his current form, I'd be tempted to put a wee and controversial bet on Lewis Hamilton moving to another series, but that's just a wild and almost certainly inaccurate shot in the dark.

**bella** · 28 Jan 2003, 01:39 (Ref:487911)

surely we're running out of talent to bring it to lewis. everyone's legged it, and i'm not sure mike's going to have the speed to respond to lewis' speed.

so by your description mark mcloughlin would be ideal. i'm not entirely convinced he's that fast though. at least he knows what he's doing. will he want to play at renaults again?

Mr Jinxx · 28 Jan 2003, 01:58 (Ref:487923)

My prophesy is that Alex Lloyd will do the business.

Early days, I know, and you may accuse me of partisanship too, but I have seen both Lewis and Alex race each other many times in the past. I have seen Alex start out last year incredibly strongly, but due to a number of circumstances, he never got to win a race, and you have to do that to take the next mental step.

Lewis took that mental step after he did the Spa Euro round, in my view, and came back from then on a changed driver.

I believe Alex has made that step now, and I promise you that if he HAS made the mental leap from wanting to win to expecting to win, then he has all the necessary attributes to win this year.

Motaworld look like a different team this year, focussed and really hyped up, and I think that if Alex can really get the team behind him, he will be unstoppable, Hamilton or no.

I think you'll see a titanic year if Lewis doesn't pull out.

Mr Jinxx · 28 Jan 2003, 02:02 (Ref:487928)

Mark McLoughlin is very good. Particularly good with the data interpretation.

Alex's view was that he got himself a bit confused on setup, and basically over-engineered his way out of his natural speed, but his view may have changed over the months since he expressed it to me. Mark helped Alex in the Winter Series a year ago, with Falcon, and was very impressed with him.

**bella** · 28 Jan 2003, 02:02 (Ref:487929)

i'd say i hope alex wins, but i can't. i really want lewis to stick it to everyone this year and soundly thrash everyone. even if it would be really boring, i'd just love to see it. he deserves it as a person, rather than the entire hamilton institution.

Russfeld · 28 Jan 2003, 02:06 (Ref:487931)

does anyone *really* rate Conway?

Mr Jinxx · 28 Jan 2003, 02:23 (Ref:487940)

lol bella - I too like and respect Lewis very much, notwithstanding the hype, and I'd love him to perform really strongly and come comprehensively second to Lloyd

In a word Russfeld, not yet

In my view, he has always had the very best of everything, and therefore has not learned what I consider to be fundamental character building blocks - the times when you have to drive the pants off what you've got to even get close to the others. To take the wheels falling off without throwing a tantrum. To build your character on a bedrock of disappointments and build from there, rather than build on the sands of top equipment, when you have not therefore had a chance to measure yourself as a person against the others.

I'm not saying Mike hasn't got the attributes, but what I am saying is that I don't believe he has had to dig deep yet into his personal reserves, and that's when you either see someone come alight, or fall by the wayside.

Queenie · 28 Jan 2003, 05:21 (Ref:488015)

Anyone interested in the results from the US Fran Am series ehere a few of our boys were showing the Yanks how its done?
Bell won the first round after Lloyd was disqualified (for technical issues or overtaking on waved yellows). The Lloyd finished second and Bell third on Sunday.
Not bad for first outing over there.

Queenie · 28 Jan 2003, 05:24 (Ref:488018)

Ok sorry didn't spot thread related to entire topic of US Winter Series, it is 5.30am and I have been at work since 9pm - please ignore!

racingdick · 28 Jan 2003, 12:21 (Ref:488253)

i heard last year that lewis's problem in the first few races was the fact his engine had gone past its sell by date. done quite a few races, after then he had a new engine after every one or two races, allegedly!
also that his car went back to mclaren to be stripped and rebuilt....
with all the hype around lewis i would love to see him fail.. oh i like being controvercial!!

i didn't really understand how katherine legge got a pole in oulton when she did bugger all in the other races.
Anyone else find that strange?
:confused:

Mr Jinxx · 28 Jan 2003, 15:59 (Ref:488429)

the engines get faster past their sell-by date, I suspect, but you run the greater risk of a failure

I don't think Lewis did have a problem in the first few races. His engine was certainly strong (Brands GP circuit needs a very powerful engine, as does Thruxton). I think it just took him however long it takes before he clicked, which I think he did after the Spa Euro meeting.

I'd heard the McLaren rebuild story, but I can't see the merit in that - who is likely to know more about bolting a Formula Renault together, McLaren or the 6 times champions, Manor with Raikonnen's data from the previous year? I personally don't think that happened. Manor are very straight, no tricky business there, they just got it right, stuck (as I understand it) to a known succesful set-up, and told Lewis to drive to it. When he finally clicked, he's a quick driver, he got on the pace and got his tail up, end of story I suspect. I still think that he could have moved up to F3, having won a couple of races last year, and of course he may yet be testing somewhere now, and do so

No, I can't understand the Katherine Legge pole either. One of life's great unsolved mysteries, I guess

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