Formula Renault BARC

Scorpio Return To Winning Ways With Silverstone Double

2 Mins read

Scorpio Motosport made a long-awaited return to the top step of the Protyre Formula Renault Championship podium with a stunning double victory at Silverstone in the hands of Ivan Taranov.

For Taranov, it was a triumphant return to the championship after he missed the past two meetings after having his license taken away following an incident at Thruxton in June.

The Russian racer showed no signs of rustiness as he led the way during pre-event testing, before replicating that pace in qualifying to take his first championship pole position for race one.

After being shuffled back to second on the opening lap of the first race, the 18 year old fought back to regain the lead on lap five, controlling the remainder of the race for his maiden series win.

Starting fourth for race two, Taranov benefitted from contact in front to burst into the lead on the opening lap, a composed drive to the flag giving him his second win.

Alongside the returning Taranov, the Scorpio team welcomed Piers Hickin into their camp for the final weekend, the 16 year old joining the team from Core Motorsport.

Hickin Impressed On His Scorpio Debut - Credit: ASautosport Photography

Hickin Impressed On His Scorpio Debut – Credit: ASautosport Photography

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Hickin instantly impressed in the Scorpio blue, showing top six pace in testing. From eighth on the grid in the opener, the 16 year old battled back after slipping to eleventh early on to card his best result of the season in seventh.

The second race saw Hickin scythe his way through from eleventh to fourth on the opening lap, however contact en-route had led to a broken suspension. This left him defenceless from the pack behind, eventually dropping back to eleventh at the flag.

For the team’s regular driver Henrique Baptista, the final meeting proved to be a nightmare weekend to forget. After a tough qualifying session, unfortunate contact early on in both races led to a frustrating double retirement for the Brazilian.

“It’s been while, far too long in fact, since we last won,” said team principal Jon Pettitt. “It’s been a little Fortec and MGR heavy this season, so it’s great that we’ve got back up there and shown what we’re capable of with these cars.

“Ivan’s proved today that the pace is there and had things gone a little differently this season, he would have been a formidable force in the championship. The break has helped him, he’s grown up a little bit and come back and delivered, proving to everyone what he, and the team, can do.

Piers has had a great weekend. It doesn’t show it in the results with the incident in race two, but his testing pace was fantastic considering he jumped straight into the car on Friday, so we know he’s got a lot of potential and we hope we can forge a partnership going into next season.

“It was a disappointing end to the season for Henrique. Over the season he’s shown sparks of his potential, showing that he’s certainly got the pace, but he’s found himself getting into too much contact and we’ve got to look into why that is.”

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Simon is an experienced journalist and PR officer, who has worked in the national motorsport paddocks for over a decade, primarily on the BTCC support package.
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