Formula Renault BARC Championship Leader Dino Zamparelli - Photo Credit: Simon Paice
When Dino Zamparelli was announced as a finalist for the 2011 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, he made history for the Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship as the first ever driver from its ranks to be put up for the prestigious accolade.
The award, which is now in its 23rd year, is awarded to the best single-seater talent in Britain and the inclusion of Zamparelli for this year's award is a huge moment for the club-level championship. The series has been slowly increasing in stature in recent years, with 2011 seeing it being the best subscribed junior single seater formula in the UK.
Championship promoter Simon North commented: “We're absolutely delighted for Dino, he's done a fantastic job this year and really does deserve his place alongside the other award finalists. I think any one of our current top three in the championship, Dino, Josh (Webster) and James (Thorp) would have been worthy of inclusion.
“It's excellent news for the championship to have a driver in such a prestigious and highly regarded award and we wish Dino the very best of luck. He's up against some very tough opposition but I know he'll do the championship, and more importantly himself, proud.”
Zamparelli added: “It's absolutely fantastic to be one of the finalists. It's really good publicity for the BARC Championship, drivers now know they can race in Formula Renault BARC – which is very cost effective – and have a chance of getting through to the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award.
“I'll approach it like I do every race, I'll go out there to enjoy it and do the best I can. I'm not going to have a gung-ho approach, I just want to be as relaxed as possible, enjoy the whole experience and make sure I learn a lot from it too. It'll be great having the chance to drive so many good cars.”
