Dennis Olsen returns for a second season of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Series in 2015, and has switched from Prema Powerteam to Manor MP Motorsport for the forthcoming season.
The nineteen-year-old Norwegian finished second in the championship in 2014, winning twice at Spa-Francorchamps and the Nurburgring, and will be one of the pre-season championship favourites this year with his new team.
Speaking to The Checkered Flag ahead of the opening Eurocup race weekend of the season at Motorland Aragon in Spain, and revealed that it was a visit to a racetrack with his father at a very young age that opened his eyes to motorsport.
“It all started when I was 5 years old, and my dad brought me to the track,” said Olsen. “A couple of days later, I could have a try, and since then it’s only been Motorsport!
“[Since then,] it has been a very nice journey with some ups and downs, but overall it has been such a great experience.”
Olsen revealed that the deal with Manor MP Motorsport came as a result of a positive test with the team at the back end of 2014, and felt the passion the team has for motorsport first hand.
“It came in where I did a test at the end of the year, and I was really happy with the job they did and how the car worked,” said Olsen.
“They have so much passion for racing, and that’s something you really feel when you are racing with them! And the way they work with the team, driver and car as one item!”
Olsen also revealed that the initial plan for 2015 was to race in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, and tested the bigger cars for the Strakka Racing team during testing at the back of 2014, but returned to Formula Renault 2.0 when he could not raise the necessary budget.
“Our plan was actually to race Formula Renault 3.5 in 2015, but we could not get the budget for it,” said Olsen. “The reason why we were testing was because we were really optimistic that we could reach the budget.
“But anyway it was a good experience, and I would like to say Thanks to Strakka for the good job they did.”
Olsen revealed just how important 2015 is for him, with the Norwegian driver aiming to go one better than his runners-up spot from 2015 in Eurocup.
“[It is a] very important year where I have to show what I can do,” said Olsen. “The goal is to take the title!”
