Archie Hamilton has moved up to second in the 2011 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship after a strong performance in Rounds Five and Six at Oulton Park, which saw the Fortec Motorsport driver step back onto the podium once again with third in race one.
The meeting was busy for the 20 year old, with qualifying and both races taking place in one day, with a mixture of wet and dry periods. The 20 minute qualifying session saw the Basingstoke based driver qualifying fifth for race one and third for race two.
Race one saw a a near disaster for Hamilton, when he got caught in a tangle of cars at the hairpin, dropping him back through the field. However a red flag after the accident due to a sudden downpour meant a full race restart, allowing him to restart from his original grid spot.
With the rain clearing, the driver restarted on slicks, causing a few tricky laps for the drivers. Hamilton negotiated these well and as the track dried up, he went on the attack and passed two rivals in the final two laps to take third place, claiming his third podium of the season.
A strong start in race two saw him on the trail of the front two, when the red flags appeared once again. On the restart, Hamilton's clutch slipped and he rolled forward slightly, causing the stewards to give him a drive through penalty. He emerged from the pits in sixteenth and was a man on a mission, working his way through the field over the remaining four laps to take eighth place at the finish for more valuable championship points.
Hamilton commented: “It's been a hard intense day and I feel as though I've driven my socks off. I would prefer to be leading from the start to the flag but making up places in the way I've done today is very rewarding. I'm learning to be consistent and to stay out of trouble as much as possible and that's shown with the Championship table. Being second at the mid-way point isn't bad, but I'm going to be challenging for the lead when we race in July.”
Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography
