Two of the country’s most exceptional young racing talents, Josh Webster (Stowmarket, Suffolk) and Scott Malvern (London), will both be on the grid for the opening three rounds of the Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship at Snetterton this weekend, 7th/8th April – helping boost the grid to an outstanding 25 cars.
Along with the unexpected eleventh hour return of last year’s Vice-Champion Webster and the eagerly awaited series debut of reigning British Formula Ford Champion Malvern, leading squad Hillspeed has confirmed two new signings ahead of the weekend having completed deals with rising Danish star Jacob Nortoft and British racer Marcus Allen (Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire).
Webster, who had been set to compete in the Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship this year prior to the postponement of the series three weeks ago, will race for MGR Motorsport alongside David Wagner (Glasgow), Jake Dalton (Stoke-on-Trent) and James Fletcher (Windlesham, Surrey)
Malvern will be reunited with the legendary Cliff Dempsey Racing team, which is returning to the ranks of Formula Renault this year, with backing from Cullen Motorsport. The two-time McLaren Autosport BRDC Award finalist will team-up with promising American 16-year-old Trent Hindman.
Hillspeed, which won the Protyre Formula Renault BARC title with Alice Powell in 2010, has the capacity to field four cars and will have two on the grid at Snetterton for Nortoft and Allen. The Dane embarks on only his second season of car racing this year while Allen, the 2010 Formula Ford 1600 Castle Combe Champion, returns to racing after a year away to complete his college studies.
In addition, MTECH Lite has confirmed Escuderia Telmex-backed Mexican teenager Jorge Cevallos will partner Sean Walkinshaw (Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire) and SWB Motorsport will be on the grid with Jack Dex (Daventry) who recently set the pace in the official pre-season test at Silverstone. Privateer runner Max Robinson (Northampton), meanwhile, will debut at Rockingham in May.
Bringing the already sensational grid up to 25 registered entries for the first three races of the new season, championship promoter Simon North says attracting drivers the calibre of Webster and Malvern is a clear indication of the health and growing stature of Protyre Formula Renault BARC.
“It’s absolutely fantastic for the championship to have Josh and Scott joining us”, said North, “It’s common knowledge they’re two of the UK’s very best single-seater drivers, we’re delighted to have them racing with us this year. Obviously we know Josh well from last year when he was very close to winning the championship and Scott’s record speaks for itself – it’ll be an intriguing season.
“We always want to see as many of our teams on the grid as possible so we’re also delighted to see Hillspeed back with two cars and SWB with Jack, who did such a good job in the Silverstone test. All in all, this looks set to be a truly memorable season for Protyre Formula Renault BARC.”
Qualifying for the first three rounds of the season at Snetterton 200 Circuit in Norfolk will get underway at 09.50 on Saturday, 7th April, with the first of the weekend’s races set to follow at 14.15. Rounds two and three will be held on Sunday, 8th April, at 11.35 and 15.55 respectively.
Along with headline sponsor Protyre, Formula Renault BARC is additionally supported by Michelin, The Lubricant Consultancy, Petronas Syntium and NGK Spark Plugs.
2012 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship entry list: Snetterton 200 – 7th/8th April
| No. | Driver | Nationality | Team |
| 02 | Chris Middlehurst | GBR | Middlehurst Motorsport GTR |
| 03 | Trent Hindman | USA | Cliff Dempsey Racing |
| 04 | Scott Malvern | GBR | Cliff Dempsey Racing w/Cullen Motorsport |
| 05 | Ivan Taranov | RUS | Antel Motorsport |
| 06 | Raoul Owens | GBR | Antel Motorsport |
| 07 | Tom Oliphant | GBR | Antel Motorsport |
| 08 | Henry Chart | GBR | Antel Motorsport |
| 09 | Josh Webster | GBR | MGR Motorsport |
| 13 | Oliver Sirrell | GBR | ACS Motorsport |
| 16 | Henrique Baptista | BRA | Scorpio Motorsport |
| 20 | Macaulay Walsh | GBR | Scorpio Motorsport |
| 21 | Laura Tillett | GBR | Fortec Motorsport |
| 25 | Jake Dalton | GBR | MGR Motorsport |
| 26 | Diego Menchaca | MEX | Fortec Motorsport |
| 27 | Jack Dex | GBR | SWB Motorsport |
| 30 | Michael Epps | GBR | JWA-Avila |
| 31 | Seb Morris | GBR | Fortec Motorsport |
| 33 | Sean Walkinshaw | GBR | MTECH Lite |
| 36 | Jorge Cevallos | MEX | MTECH Lite |
| 43 | David Wagner | GBR | MGR Motorsport |
| 44 | Jacob Nortoft | DEN | Hillspeed |
| 49 | Marcus Allen | GBR | Hillspeed |
| 55 | Matt Tiffin | GBR | JWA-Avila |
| 66 | James Fletcher | GBR | MGR Motorsport |
| 88 | Martin Cao | CHN | Fortec Motorsport |
