GOOD START TO FORMULA RENAULT 2.0 NEC FINALE
Matty takes to the track for the final time in the 2014 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC this weekend, as the championship draws to a close with a triple header round at the Nurburgring in Germany and is looking to sign off a tricky season in style.
The 18 year old heads into the meeting following a productive couple of weeks that he believes, have helped him get on top of the new tyre struggles that have dogged his performances, particularly in qualifying, all year.
At the last NEC meeting, a full day of testing allowed the reigning BRDC F4 Winter Series champion to gain some much needed practice on new tyres, which saw him right on the pace of the leading runners.
Inclement weather in the crucial qualifying sessions prevented him from putting his newly gained knowledge to use, but Matty left the weekend confident he would be able to fight for good qualifying positions this weekend.
A quickly arranged outing in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup at Hungary last weekend saw Matty drive for Strakka Racing, alongside compatriot Jake Hughes, in the team’s first ever race in the category as they looked to capitalise on the drivers experience of the Tatuus FR2.0/13 car.
With result of secondary importance, Matty was satisfied with his weekend, feeling a meeting with a new team gave him new ideas of how to effectively prepare for races and qualifying.
With a re-jigged timetable for this weekend, another four hours of testing and the first official free practice session have already taken place on Thursday, with Matty feeling he is in a good position heading into the qualifying sessions and races on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Throughout Thursday’s sessions, he has consistently been placed in the top five and will be looking to perfect the setup of his car in the final practice session on Friday morning before going in search of a good grid spot.
Speaking on Thursday evening, Matty said: “It’s been a good day at the track, the team and I have had a good day and although you can’t be sure where everybody is from practice, I’ve had consistent speed throughout which you hope is a good sign.”
“We’ve spent a good deal of time this evening going through the videos from all of the teams cars to see where each of the five of us our fastest to see what the ultimate possible lap would have been today and there is quite a bit of time that we can make up.”
“I’ll be looking to use that on Friday and if the weather stays away, hopefully I can get into the top five and then have a good shot at getting onto the podium.”