Alex Lynn was the star of the show in the Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship at Thruxton, taking victory in both Rounds Five and Six to close the gap at the top of the championship standings. The Fortec Motorsport driver took a narrow victory in the first race before dominating the second, both times leading home chief championship rival Tio Ellinas.
Starting from pole, Lynn shot into the lead, with a great start for Jordan King seeing him slot into second ahead of Ellinas. The duo battled hard on the opening lap, resulting in contact between the duo on the run up Woodham Hill, sending King spinning across the grass to the back of the field.
Up to fifth on the opening lap after a superb start was local driver Dan Wells, making his first appearance with Atech Reid GP after switching from Antel Motorsport before the meeting. However his progress was halted with a spin at Goodwood on lap two, dropping him to eleventh.
Also making a flying start was Manor Competition pair Alice Powell and Josh Hill, the duo benefitting from their team-mates spin to move into third and fourth. Hill quickly caught onto the back of the reigning Formula Renault BARC Champion and as they approached the Club chicane on lap four, tried to make a move. However he only succeeded into running into the back of Powell, ending her race instantly, while being forced to go into the pits for a new nose cone himself.
At the front, Lynn set a new lap record on his way to his victory, holding off a spirited charge from Atech's Ellinas. Behind, making progress through the field was Oliver Rowland, trying to make amends for a poor qualifying result. The Racing Steps Foundation driver passed Jack Hawksworth on lap eight, before making a last lap move on Manor's Ollie Millroy to take third, taking the Graduate Cup honours with it.
Millroy finished fourth, with Fortec Motorsport's Mitchell Gilbert passing Hawksworth on the last lap for fifth, followed by Pedro Pablo Calbimonte taking his best result of the season in seventh. A strong drive after his early spin for Wells moved him into eighth ahead of team-mate Oscar King, with Jordan King and Hill completing the finishers after their earlier woes.
The second race saw Lynn make a good getaway from pole position, with Rowland moving into second and another blistering start from King seeing him leap into third. A superb qualifying performance had seen Powell start second, but a slow start saw her drop into the pack, before contact from Calbimonte at the chicane at the end of the opening lap ended her race, yet more misfortune for the 18 year old.
Her team-mate King was hoping to take his first podium of the season, but threw away his third place on lap four, locking his wheels and spinning at the chicane. Soon after, Ellinas got the upper hand on Rowland to move into second.
That's how it finished, with neither able to get close to Lynn, who pulled away to win by over six seconds. Ellinas and Rowland took their sixth and third podiums of the season respectively, with the latter also taking another Graduate Cup win. Securing a season best result of fourth was Hill, followed home by Millroy and Gilbert. Hawksworth took seventh for Mark Burdett Motorsport, while another strong run for Wells saw him finish eighth. Oscar King took ninth ahead of a recovering Jordan King, while Calbimonte finishing last, two laps down, after his earlier contact.
Championship top ten results after round three at Thruxton
1. Tio Ellinas Atech Reid GP 171 pts
2. Alex Lynn Fortec Motorsport 166 pts
3. Jack Hawksworth Mark Burdett Motorsport 129 pts
4. Ollie Millroy Manor Competition 128 pts
5. Josh Hill Manor Competition 98 pts
6. Oliver Rowland Fortec Motorsport 95 pts G
7. Jordan King Manor Competition 82 pts G
8. Oscar King Atech Reid GP 75 pts G
9. Mitchell Gilbert Fortec Motorsport 72 pts G
10. Alice Powell Manor Competition 63 pts G
