Scottish racing driver David Wagner put in two great race performances to secure two top ten finishes in Rounds Seven and Eight of the 2011 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship at Croft, keeping the MGR Motorsport driver in the fight for seventh place in the points standings.
Problems in qualifying left the Carrick Packaging, Biosafe Solutions, Nexus Packaging and Nexus Internet backed driver right down the field at the start of the two races. This didn't deter Wagner though and some superb overtaking manoeuvres saw him work his way into tenth place finishes in both races.
Commenting on the weekend, Wagner said: “A slipping clutch compromised my first qualifying session and a backmarker spoiled my best lap in the second leaving me in 17th and 15th positions on the grid. Croft is quite a technical track, with a mixture of long, fast corners and some really slow and tight sections. There is a long run down to the first corner then into a chicane and I was able to pick off a few positions on the first lap. The circuit is very abrasive, and we learned during practice that it would be important to look after the tyres and not let the car slide too much.
“This meant that in the second half of the races my pace was really good and I was able to make some demon overtaking moves. I thoroughly enjoyed the racing and was very satisfied to set sixth fastest lap which is really where I should be qualifying and finishing.”
MGR Motorsport's Driver Coach Kelvin Burt, said, “David has shown this weekend that he has excellent, aggressive, race craft. He is exciting to watch and overtook at corners that do not normally provide overtaking opportunities. With more time in the car, he will be able to qualify better. He is up against drivers that have a lot more experience but he definitely has the speed to get into the top five.”
The next two rounds take place at Thruxton on Saturday 3rd September, with David being pleased with his progress so far this year, adding: “This was always going to be a learning year for me. The standard of drivers in this championship is extremely high but my race pace is improving all the time. If I can qualify in the top ten, like I did at Oulton Park, then I know that I can go with the leaders. I am very grateful to my sponsors for their ongoing support.”
