Fortec Motorsport's Alex Lynn took his second title of 2010 after securing the Michelin Formula Renault UK Winter Championship at Pembrey. The 17-year-old beat a competitive field to secure the cup, adding it to his Graduate Cup title from earlier in the year. On the day, it was rookies Richie Stanaway and Ollie Rowland who took the wins, their first in Formula Renault.
Qualifying took place in tricky wet conditions, with Jack Hawksworth and Lynn coping best to take pole position for the two races, with Hawksworth picking up his fourth pole position in six races.
As the first race began, it was Stanaway who produced the best start, leapfrogging Hawksworth to take the lead. Lynn slotted into third, but an early mistake allowed Josh Hill take spot. Lynn later lost more places, with Manor Competition's Ollie Millroy getting past at Dibeni, followed by Joni Wiman and Koiranen Bros Motorsport's Daniil Kvyat.
At the front, 18-year-old Kiwi Stanaway streaked away at the front and took the win, his maiden victory in the series. Hawksworth followed to take another podium, with Hill securing his maiden series podium in third. Wiman picked up the NGK Fastest Lap of the race on his way to fourth, moving himself to within six points of Lynn at the top of the standings, with Russian Kvyat completing the top five ahead of Lynn.
With a slender advantage at the top, Lynn faced a potentially decisive tyre choice ahead of the weekend's final race. With the track drying, he followed the majority of the drivers by going for slicks, with some taking the option of wets.
It was Stanaway who made the best start once again, passing pole sitter Lynn for the lead. Millroy moved into third ahead of team-mate Hill, with Wright moving up to fifth. An early accident caused a short safety car delay, after which a spin for Hill saw him drop out of contention for a podium.
The drivers who opted for wets soon began to take control of the race, with CRS Racing's Rowland moving through the field to take second place, before the safety car made another appearance on track. Stanaway lead away from the restart, but soon lost out to the charging Rowland, who took the lead and instantly began pulling away.
The other drivers running on wet also moved themselves up to the front of the pack, with Fortec's Mitchell Gilbert moving into second ahead of Stanaway, with Atech GP's Matt Bell moving into fourth ahead of Lynn.
As the race reached its conclusion, the dry tyres began to come on strong again, with Stanaway setting the NGK Fastest Lap of the race as he closed the gap on Rowland. The pair ran side by side as they headed to the final corner for the last time, but Rowland held on to take the win, his first in Formula Renault. Stanaway followed in second, with Gilbert holding on for his maiden podium in the series with third and Bell picking up a series best result with fourth.
Fifth place was enough for Lynn to take the 2010 Winter Series crown. Commenting on his weekend Lynn said: “Today has been a great end to a great season and I hope I can carry this momentum forward into next year's championship. We've had some tricky conditions to contend with this weekend but I'm delighted to come out on top and my thanks must go to the team for all their hard work this year.”
2010 Michelin Formula Renault UK Winter Cup drivers' standings:
1st | Alex Lynn | GBR | Fortec Motorsport | 146 pts |
2nd | Joni Wiman | FIN | Fortec Motorsport | 129 pts |
3rd | Jack Hawksworth | GBR | Mark Burdett Motorsport | 112 pts |
4th | Daniil Kvyat | RUS | Koiranen Bros Motorsport | 109 pts |
5th | Richie Stanaway | NZL | Atech GP | 99 pts |
6th | Ollie Millroy | GBR | Manor Competition | 97 pts |