UK: Menasheh Idafar Croft preview

ROOKIE IDAFAR AIMING FOR SOLID END TO FIRST HALF OF SEASON

Single-seater racer Menasheh Idafar heads into this weekend's ninth and 10th rounds of the 2009 Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship aiming for a good conclusion to the first half of the season after a solid day's running in pre-event practice at Croft Circuit today, Friday, 12th June.

The 18-year-old, who has bases in the UK and Bahrain, ended the day with a best time of 1m18.090 seconds (97.96mph) which placed him around half a second shy of the top 10. His two 'fast lap' runs in the morning and afternoon were both compromised by session stoppages but Menasheh's Hillspeed team remains satisfied ahead of Saturday's qualifying at the North Yorkshire venue.

In session one at the 2.12-mile track, the Gulf Computer Services and Ortolan backed driver lapped with a best time of 1m18.351 seconds (97.63mph) before improving in the afternoon by three 10ths of a second -- even though his optimum run was cut-short by the appearance of red flags.

Speaking at the conclusion of the Croft practice, Hillspeed's Richard Ollerenshaw said: "The second of today's sessions was the better of the two for us. According to the data, Menasheh could have expected to lap a little faster but the session stoppage midway through his quick run meant the best of the tyres had gone."

Qualifying for rounds nine and 10 of the 2009 Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship will take place at 10.20 and 14.05 respectively tomorrow, Saturday, 13th June, with the first of the weekend's races getting underway at around 17.30.

Round 10 is timetabled to begin at approximately 13.50 on Sunday, 14th June, and will also be screened live across the UK on Freeview, cable and digital satellite channel ITV4. Please check listings for further details.

Provisional 2009 Formula Renault UK Championship Positions (after Rd8): 1st Oli Webb, 177pts; 2nd Dean Stoneman, 162pts; 21st Menasheh Idafar, 35pts

Provisional 2009 Formula Renault UK 'Graduate Cup' Positions (after Rd8): 1st Harry Tincknell, 130pts; 2nd Will Stevens, 94pts; 8th Menasheh Idafar, 35pts

-credit: menashehidafar.com