Formula Renault UK Frontrunners Tio Ellinas, Alex Lynn and Oliver Rowland - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography
Alex Lynn and Tio Ellinas are set for a head-to-head duel for the 2011 CERTINA Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship title as the series returns to Silverstone for the final rounds of an enthralling season.
Lynn looks likely to take the 2011 championship, a superb year seeing him take eleven wins in eighteen races so far. The Fortec Motorsport driver slipped up last time out at Brands Hatch though, when he had his first opportunity to seal the title, jumping the start and falling to the back with the subsequent drive through penalty, when he needed just a top three finish to take the championship.
Lynn heads into the season finale weekend with a 27 point advantage and is still clear favourite to secure the crown, but if he slips up again, Ellinas will be in close pursuit looking to snatch the most unlikely of title successes.
Cypriot Ellinas has shown incredible consistency during his maiden season in Formula Renault, the former Formula Ford racer taking fifteen podiums in eighteen races, including two wins. This means despites Lynn's apparent dominance, Atech Reid GP's Ellinas still heads into the season finale with an outside chance of title glory.
One driver the title protagonists will have to watch out for is Lynn's Fortec team-mate Oliver Rowland. The Racing Steps Foundation-backed driver is on a run of five consecutive podium finishes, including three wins in the last four, and will be looking to continue his run to cement third place in the championship and seal the Graduate Cup class title.
Fourth and fifth in the standings after strong maiden seasons are Jack Hawksworth and Mitchell Gilbert, the two rookies taking a win apiece so far. Both Mark Burdett Motorsport's Hawksworth and Fortec's Gilbert will be looking to end the year on a high as they both chase their fifth podiums of the year.
Silverstone is set to play host to a titanic battle, as five drivers fight it out to take sixth place in the championship standings. Currently holding the spot is Josh Hill, ahead of Manor Competition team-mates Alice Powell and Jordan King. As well as chasing the coveted top six spot, the trio will be looking to cement their status as the number one driver at title-winning outfit Manor.
Behind them, Dan Cammish and Dan Wells are also in the fight after varying seasons. Cammish joined the season late at Oulton Park, missing the first three meetings, but has been a revelation as he looked to make up for lost time, taking two podiums so far in his maiden Formula Renault adventure. Wells too is looking to make up for lost time after a disappointing start to the year, the Atech driver currently enjoying a strong run of form, just missing out on maiden podium finishes at Rockingham and Brands, which he will be looking to make amends for at Silverstone.
The Formula Renault UK series will be joined on the BTCC package at Silverstone by its younger brother, the Formula Renault BARC Championship, so fans can look forward to four exciting single seater races over the finale weekend.
CERTINA Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship Standings (After 18 of 20 Races):
- Alex Lynn – 498 points
- Tio Ellinas – 471 points
- Oliver Rowland – 413 points
- Jack Hawksworth – 295 points
- Mitchell Gilbert – 271 points
- Josh Hill – 239 points
- Alice Powell – 237 points
- Jordan King – 237 points
- Dan Cammish – 235 points
- Dan Wells – 223 points
