Arden Motorsport claimed another brace of Rookie victories in the Formula Renault Eurocup to boost their title hopes on an action-packed weekend [07-08 November] at Hockenheim, Germany.
The Banbury-based team arrived at the high-speed, 2.84-mile Baden-Wurttemberg circuit keen to maintain their recent run of form, the team bringing home plenty of silverware in Europe’s premier single-seater series in recent weeks.
Despite turning a wheel at Hockenheim for the first time in career, Quinn went quickest overall across pre-event testing, and with team mates Ugo de Wilde and Reshad De Gerus in close company behind, the omens looked good for another positive weekend out on the continent.
All three cars duly backed that up by qualifying inside the top-ten in an ultra-competitive session, with Quinn leading the way (P3) from De Gerus (P9) and de Wilde (P10).
The YRDA-backed racer made a strong getaway in the opening race and enjoyed a largely trouble-free run to the final spot on the rostrum to score his fifth podium of the campaign.
That also meant a fifth Rookie victory for the Brit, edging him to within striking distance of the lead in the class standings.
He backed that result up with another Rookie win in fourth on Sunday to elevate himself to the summit, and will take a 6-point lead to the season finale at Paul Ricard next weekend as a result.
Both De Gerus and de Wilde were unlucky to be taken out in other driver’s accidents – at the Hairpin and NordKurve respectively – in the opener, but both bounced back to add to their respective points hauls on Sunday.
Overtaking opportunities were at a premium, but Belgian rising star de Wilde did well to rise through the order from eleventh on the grid to take eighth, whilst De Gerus added another point to his total after maintaining tenth in a closely-fought battle amongst several cars.
The combined efforts of all three drivers has elevated Arden to fourth in the Teams’ Championship, and kept them in the hunt for a top three spot, the gap to MP Motorsport now just 6 points.
The season-concluding double header will take place next weekend [14-15 November] at Circuit Paul Ricard, France.
Ben Salter, Arden Formula Renault Team Manager said:
“It’s been another good weekend for the entire team at Hockenheim. Alex’s pair of Rookie victories have propelled him right into the thick of the title battle on that front, which is a huge motivator for the entire team looking ahead to Paul Ricard next time out.
“A special mention needs to go to Ugo and Reshad for bouncing back after race one, collecting themselves and bringing home more points, which have been invaluable to us in the Teams’ Championship.
“Neither incident was their fault, and it’s frustrating to have a race end in that manner, but the best thing to do is channel that forward, and they’ve just demonstrated the reward that brings.
“A huge thanks to the entire team for their hard work, commitment and support as always – there’s only one event left to go, so the focus is on ending the year on a high.”
Alex Quinn (#20) said:
“It’s been a really positive weekend, both for me and the entire team at Arden Motorsport.
“The car was great from the word ‘go’ during testing, and I was happy to take that forward into the weekend and get back on the podium to show that the teams work is paying off.
“It’s put us into the lead of the Rookie standings with one weekend to go at Paul Ricard, so the aim is to go there now and bring it home! Thanks to the team for their support.”
Reshad De Gerus (#21) said:
“It was a positive weekend for me, the pace was there all weekend.
“It's a pity that a collision from another driver prevented me from finishing in the points in race one, but we have to focus on the good things that were done this weekend to finish the season on a good note next week at Paul Ricard.”
Ugo de Wilde (#27) said:
“It hasn’t been the best weekend for us, but it’s important to take the positives into the final round of the season at Paul Ricard next time out.
“Thanks to the entire team for their hard work and support, hopefully we can get the results next weekend to finish off the year on a high note!”