Ayrton Simmons has been announced as Double R Racing’s first signing for the 2020 EuroFormula Open season, with the young Briton moving up into European Competition after racing in the BRDC British Formula 3 championship last year.
The eighteen-year-old won three times on his way to third place in the final standings in 2019, and he was also a finalist in the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the year award.
Simmons is delighted to move up to EuroFormula Open and although he knows he will be racing on circuits he has never raced on before, he cannot wait for the year to get going.
“I am delighted to be part of this amazing and challenging championship,” said Simmons. “I am really looking forward to it, although it will be a challenging year racing on circuits I have never raced before. Double R is an incredible team, though, and I know I’m in a fantastic environment in which to learn and develop more as a driver.
“I can’t thank Double R and my sponsors Naked Speed, Gears, Drywall Solutions and Adrian Flux enough, they made this happen and I wouldn’t be part of this grid without them – so a big thank you to all of them. I’d also like to thank my family for working so hard over the winter to help make sure I can go racing this year.”
Anthony Hieatt, the Team Principal of Double R Racing, said having someone as talented as Simmons at the team for 2020 is good for the team as they look to build on an impressive first campaign in EuroFormula Open last year.
“It’s great to have someone as talented as Ayrton becoming our first driver for EuroFormula this season, he had a fantastic year in British F3 in 2019 and really did deliver some super-competitive performances – we kept a close eye on what he was doing,” said Hieatt.
“Obviously there will be a lot to learn in his maiden season in Europe, learning all of the tracks and adapting to a new car, but I’m confident we can perform very well together. After a strong first season in the championship last year with two rookie drivers, we’re aiming for more progress this time around.”