Rockingham International Sportscar Circuit will host the penultimate event of the campaign this coming weekend, 10th/11th August, where the MGR Motorsport driver will arrive for rounds 12, 13 and 14 holding a remarkable 98-point lead in the championship.
Even when the category’s ‘drop score’ ruling is taken into account, which states each competitor has to deduct their single worst result of the season from final totals, Middlehurst still enjoys a cushion of 82 points. Should the season-long series leader depart Northamptonshire next weekend with an advantage of more than 68 points, he will have sealed the crown.
That said, there are still a possible 170 points to play for with five races yet to be contested and following the sensational hat-trick of victories achieved by the ultra-impressive Weiron Tan (London) last time out at Croft, the destiny of the title is by no means a foregone conclusion.
Tan’s outstanding showing four weeks ago in the North East elevated the Fortec Motorsports racer into the runner-up position in the standings, the Malaysian edging seven points clear of Hillspeed’s Jake Cook (Rotherham).
Mexican racer Jorge Cevallos (Northampton), who runs with backing from the Escuderia Telmex Driver Development Programme, is another 16 points adrift in fourth place for MGR with the top five rounded out by Tan’s Chinese team-mate Hongwei Cao (Stoke-on-Trent).
Ahead of the annual visit to Rockingham, a boosted grid of 20 cars is expected with Cao’s compatriot Leo Yee (London) set to add further to the rich international flavour of Protyre Formula Renault as he debuts under the Fortec Competition banner. Yee’s arrival in the championship follows hot on the heels of a debut last time out for Finland’s Jesse Anttila with Corby’s own Cliff Dempsey Racing.
Yee will make his UK race debut next weekend although the 21-year-old does have past experience of FR 2.0 machinery from selected outings in Asian Formula Renault in 2011 and 2012. After starting karting in 2008, he enjoyed good success in the Far East in Formula West and Formula AGF. Most recently, Yee has been winning races in the Rotax Max Challenge.
Having delivered exceptional action so far this year, with first class wheel-to-wheel racing a regular feature, Protyre Formula Renault remains one of the UK’s most popular categories and its relevance to the national and international single-seater ladder is as strong as ever.
Proof of that is the fact two of the last three title winners went on to graduate into FIA Formula One World Championship-support series GP3 – 2010 champion Alice Powell (Chipping Norton) and her successor Dino Zamparelli (Bristol). Clearly, Protyre Formula Renault continues to offer the very best schooling for the aspiring F1 drivers of the future.
Qualifying for rounds 12 and 13 of the season will take place at 10.00 next Saturday, 10th August, with the round 14 session getting underway at 12.30 and race one of the weekend following at 15.40. On Sunday, 11th August, round 13 will begin at 11.05 with round 14 scheduled for 15.35.