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Formula Renault 2.0

Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 leader Robin Frijns (Josef Kaufmann Racing) stands within touching distance of the title. The Dutchman has been in unstoppable form since shooting to the top of the standings, pulling out a 55-point lead over closest challenger Carlos Sainz Jr, with the Spaniard’s Koiranen Motorsport team-mate Daniil Kvyat a further 24 points back. Should Frijns emerge from the two-race meeting at the Paul Ricard HTTT meeting with a cushion of more than 50 points, the 2011 crown will be his, though that is the one outcome Sainz Jr and Co will be hoping to avoid.

A title outsider just a few short weeks ago, Robin Frijns is now the red-hot favourite to claim the spoils in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. Forced to wait four races before taking his maiden win in the category, the Dutch driver suddenly hit his stride at the Nürburgring, winning Race 1 and going on to collect a further win in Hungary and a one-two at Silverstone. With his closest rivals enjoying little luck in the meantime, the 2010 Formula BMW Europe champion was able to break away at the top of the standings.

Two solid performances at the Paul Ricard HTTT could be enough for Frijns to kill off the challenge of the Koiranen Motorsport duo and be crowned champion, which would earn him €500,000 and a place in next season’s Formula Renault 3.5 Series. All that will be his if he holds a lead in excess of 50 points by the end of the French meeting. Anything less than that and the championship will be decided in Barcelona in October.

Sainz Jr, the winner of the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup at the end of August, has no option but to throw caution to the wind in the French leg of the World Series by Renault. After making a flawless start to the season, the Spaniard has endured his fair share of mishaps, having failed to top the podium since Race 1 at Spa-Francorchamps in June. Fastest in collective testing at the Paul Ricard HTTT last winter, the Red Bull Junior Team driver knows he has to break that winless run to keep his championship hopes alive.

With standards high in this year’s Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, third-placed Kvyat and the two men behind him in the standings, Will Stevens (Fortec Motorsport) and Timmy Hansen (Interwetten.com Junior Team), are under similar pressure to perform. Despite suffering some frustrating afternoons, all three have chalked up race wins this season and will be well worth watching as they look to end the campaign on a high note.

The French can also be expected to mount a challenge on home soil. Leading the way is Paul-Loup Chatin (Tech 1 Racing), who lies ninth overall and earned his first top-three finish in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 at Silverstone. Chatin has gone from strength to strength this season and a maiden win in the category at the Paul Ricard HTTT would set him up perfectly for 2012.

Also flying the home flag are France FFSA driver Norman Nato (R-Ace Grand Prix), who has the ability to break into the leading pack, and Yann Zimmer (Arta Engineering), whose performances in winter testing at the Paul Ricard HTTT caught the eye. Mathieu Jaminet (Josef Kaufmann Racing) and Côme Ledogar (R-Ace Grand Prix) are harbouring hopes of a podium placing, while Florian Le Roux (Epic Racing) will be looking to come away from the Provence track with his first points of the season.

Official Renault Sport Press Release.

Posted: 10 September 2011
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