News
29.04.07
Strong fifth place for Ollie Hancock on Formula Renault BARC debut
Ollie Hancock’s graduation from club-level Formula Ford to modern single-seater racing began with a fifth place finish in the Formula Renault BARC opener at Donington Park.
The 20-year old Hampshire racer, who completed a late deal to run with Mark Burdett Motorsport in 2007, qualified on the second row for his race-debut and finished fifth after a strong run at the Nottinghamshire circuit.
Having dropped one place off the grid, Hancock fought back on lap five, forcing a mistake from Stan Pentus and diving past into fourth. The remainder of the race saw him embroiled in an epic duel with fifth-placed Dean Stoneman, with never more than 7 tenths of a second separating the pair. Unfortunately, on the penultimate tour and with Ollie’s rear tyres deteriorating, Hancock ran wide exiting the chicane allowing Stoneman to claim the position, ultimately settling for fifth at the chequered flag.
Ollie said: “I was a little bit disappointed to lose fourth place so late in the race, but beforehand I would’ve been happy with a top-six finish on by Formula Renault BARC debut. I was really struggling for rear grip towards the end and maybe I overcooked the tyres in the early laps. That is all part of the learning curve, because this championship is very different from anything I’ve done before and I’m certain I will improve throughout the season.”