Josh Webster Celebrating His Victorious Return To Renault BARC - Photo Credit: Richard Leach
Josh Webster made an outstanding start to the 2012 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship, the MGR Motorsport driver taking one win and two second places to leave his home track Snetterton with a 16 point championship lead.
Webster had no preparation prior to the opening three rounds of the season after striking an eleventh hour deal with MGR to make an unexpected but welcome return to the series, in which he finished runner up last year.
The MSA Team UK found the wet qualifying session a challenge, with his car set up for drier conditions. Despite this, the BRDC Rising Star was still able to put himself third on the grid for round one and fifth for rounds two and three.
The start of the opening race saw the 18 year old launch himself into second place, before a mistake by the leader on lap two gifted Webster the lead.On lap six, Webster was demoted to second, however a mechanical problem for the then leader put Webster back in front and the 2011 RSF MSA Young Driver of the Year crossed the line for the first win of the season.
The second race saw the Stowmarket-based racer one again make early progress, moving up to fourth at the start, before grabbing third on lap two. Webster looked set for third, but on the last lap he was able to snatch second place. The rain returned for the final race, but another superb getaway saw Webster move from fifth to second through the first corner, holding the place throughout for his third podium in as many races.
Nine Telecom, Admiral Managed Networks and Integra ICT-supported Webster said: “To win on Saturday was great and if I'd known before the weekend I'd have a win and then two second places I'd have taken that. Huge thanks to MGR and to all of my sponsors, if it wasn't for them we wouldn't have been on the grid at all this weekend.”
“MGR did an amazing job to put the car together in two days flat before coming here as the deal was so late, now we've got the chance to strip it down completely and improve it for Rockingham. Hopefully we can have an even better weekend there and really show what we're capable of.”
