Michael Epps Will Be Hoping To Lead The Pack Through 2012 - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography
Michael Epps has been busy putting the final touches to his preparation for his maiden campaign in the Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship.
The last few weeks have seen Epps out testing with JWA-Avila at Rockingham, Silverstone and Croft. After a good performance at Rockingham, where Epps quickly found pace, the attention moved to Silverstone, the scene of the championship official Media Day.
After a morning filled with media interviews and photoshoots, the serious business began with the first official test session of the season, a chance for Epps to compare himself to his rivals. Epps ended the afternoon thirteenth in the timesheets, three tenths away from a top five position. Although more than halfway down the grid, the Anytime Fitness-backed driver wasn't disappointed at all.
Epps said: “I'm pretty happy with that really, although my new tyre run didn't go to plan, but that just means there is even more potential for us. Many of the cars above me were using all the run-off outside the track at the first turn, Copse, which isn't allowed during racing. It's worth a good amount of time and I wasn't doing that so it's not bad at all, it just means we are closer than we look.”
The next day, Epps and the JWA-Avila team headed up north to Croft. Despite being completely new to the Yorkshire circuit, Epps continued to show more promise and set some more competitive, consistent times throughout the day.
With a strong testing programme under his best and his team-mate Matt Tiffin also showing promise over the winter, Epps and his JWA-Avila team are looking good for the upcoming campaign, which starts at Snetterton this weekend.
Epps added: “I'm feeling pretty ready now, we have just a couple more things to do. I'll be doing some simulator testing in the week before the first races at Snetterton, and also some straight-line speed testing with the team. Things are looking very good!”
