Hockenheimring II: Adrian Quaife-Hobbs weekend summary
QUAIFE-HOBBS FINISHES FOURTH IN EUROCUP STANDINGS Adrian Quaife-Hobbs brought his 2009 racing campaign to a close in the final rounds of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship at Motorland Aragon at the weekend. The 18 year-old, fresh from ...
QUAIFE-HOBBS FINISHES FOURTH IN EUROCUP STANDINGS
Adrian Quaife-Hobbs brought his 2009 racing campaign to a close in the final rounds of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship at Motorland Aragon at the weekend. The 18 year-old, fresh from a successful F3 test last week, went straight to Spain for the double-header event with the intention of taking fourth in the standings.
On arrival at the new circuit Adrian went straight into two free practice sessions in which the BRDC Rising was left disappointed by the pace. Despite winding up fourth quickest in the first session, his times were set on new tyres with his rivals on old, leaving the Motopark Academy team work to do before qualifying.
This they did to good effect however, the Tonbridge teenager bouncing back to form with the fourth fastest time in his group just over a tenth off pole. In the combined Superpole shootout to determine the grid for race one, Adrian against set the fourth fastest lap, two places ahead of his chief rival Miki Monras.
Saturday's opening race proved largely uneventful for Adrian. A good start allowed him to hold position but by the end of the opening lap he'd dropped to seventh. With one eye on the whereabouts of Monras behind, Adrian drove a steady mid-part of the race concentrating on keeping a solid sixth place but as the race neared the end, the former double T-Cars champion upped his pace to stretch the gap to Monras.
In Sunday's race two, Adrian again started from fourth, and the fraught race proved nail-biting right to the flag. With the championship title still very much at stake between three drivers, including Adrian's team-mate Antonio Felix da Costa, team tactics were much in evidence over the course of the race.
But for Adrian, the battle for fourth was very much his target, entering the race on equal points with Monras. At the start, he had the advantage with a car in between them as the race progressed.
The battle for the race lead was fought out by six drivers, with the lead changing hands several times over the race distance. Throughout Adrian enjoyed a battle with Jean Eric Vergne, the pair swapping places several times.
On the penultimate lap, with his championship position secured, Adrian upped his pace to pass Kevin Magnussen and cross the line fourth, to give him that position in the points standings.
Adrian will now stay in Spain to take part in the official World Series by Renault tests which take place on Wednesday, when he will drive a Comtec Racing car.
-credit: quaifehobbs.com
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