Josh Webster produced an outstanding performance in Rounds Five and Six of the 2011 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship, finishing first and second in the two races on his way to the championship lead, despite it being the Fortec Motorsport driver’s first ever competitive appearance around the challenging Oulton Park circuit.
Stowmarket-based Webster arrived in Cheshire seventeen points adrift of the championship lead, aiming to close the gap as much as possible. Qualifying saw the MSA Academy driver just missing out on pole position, taking second on the grid for both races.
A superb start to the first race saw him immediately grab the lead and pull a gap at the front, but a red flag after an accident and downpour meant he had to try and do it all again with a full race restart. Another great start saw him lead again and he coped with the tricky conditions well to pull into the distance, leading by 2.6 seconds when another incident saw the red flag out again and the race ended early. Josh claimed his second victory of the season, the first driver in 2011 to do so, as well as taking two bonus points for setting the race's fastest lap.
Another great start at the beginning of race two saw the Nine Telecom Group, Admiral Group, Integra ICT and Flying Saucer-supported driver take the lead once again and he lead for four laps, before another red flag came out due to a multi-car tangle. At the restart, he was just shaded into the first corner by rival Kourosh Khani and despite his best efforts, Webster was unable to find a way past, finishing second.
Webster, who now lies nineteen points clear at the top of the standings, said: “It's been an amazing weekend, I'm so happy to be leading the championship. The team has done a fantastic job, the car has been absolutely awesome, and to take a win, second place and fastest lap in the first race too – well, it couldn't have been much better. I'm really happy.
“It was quite difficult at the front in the first race, half the track was wet and half was dry, and with nobody ahead to help judge braking distances or turning points it was tricky. The car has been immense this weekend though, the guys at Fortec have done an awesome job.”
Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography
