British Formula Renault Championship referred to one of two
Formula Renault championships that were held in the United Kingdom. The main series was
Renault Sport UK's
Formula Renault 2.0 UK championship which was held from 1989 to 2011 and was generally recognized as the British
Formula Renault championship. However, in March 2012 it was announced that the Formula Renault UK series would not take place in 2012,
with the series being ended definitively in September 2012.
A secondary championship organised by the
British Automobile Racing Club
The British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) is one of the biggest organising clubs for auto racing in the United Kingdom.
History
The Cyclecar Club was formed in 1912, running races for the small and light motorbike powered vehicles at Brooklands ...
and known as the Protyre Formula Renault Championship
was held continuously between 1995 and 2014. The championship was the only
Formula Renault 2.0 championship operating in the United Kingdom after the demise of the main series, but was ended after the 2014 season.
History
The "British Formula Renault Championship", was founded by the
British Automobile Racing Club
The British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) is one of the biggest organising clubs for auto racing in the United Kingdom.
History
The Cyclecar Club was formed in 1912, running races for the small and light motorbike powered vehicles at Brooklands ...
(BARC) in 1989.
Renault Sport UK took over the organization of the championship from the following year. This championship was recognized as "British Formula Renault", although the official name of the championship was changed to the "Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship" in 2005. The BARC organized a second championship in 1995. From then, until 2011, two championships existed in the United Kingdom. However, the BARC championship differed from the UK championship in that it is a mainly amateur series. The BARC championship's Club Class uses old chassis previously used in the UK series. Renault Sport UK also supports the BARC series. In 2000,
Tatuus
Tatuus is an Italian chassis manufacturer for a series of formula racing series, being first founded in 1980. The company is known for its association with Renault Sport for its production of the Formula Renault chassis.
History
The Tatuus c ...
replaced the chassis and it pioneered the modern
one make racing
One-design racing is a racing method which may be adopted in sports which use complex equipment, whereby all vehicles have identical or very similar designs or models, avoiding the need for a handicap system.
Sailing
There are two primary method ...
series that is common today in
GP2 Series
The GP2 Series was a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The GP2 format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Eccles ...
,
GP3 Series
The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel. GP3 followed the entire European leg of the Formula One series and th ...
and
Formula Renault 3.5 Series.
Several notable
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
Drivers have raced in the series including
Lewis Hamilton
Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Mercedes. In Formula One, Hamilton has won a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Mic ...
,
Paul di Resta
Paul di Resta (born 16 April 1986) is a British racing driver from Scotland, competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Peugeot Sport in their LMH entry. He drove in Formula One for Force India from to , and became a reserve driver ...
and
Heikki Kovalainen
Heikki Johannes Kovalainen (; born 19 October 1981) is a Finnish racing driver competing in the Japan Rally Championship for Rally Team AICELLO. He raced in Formula One between 2007 and 2013 for the Renault, McLaren, Team Lotus, Caterham and ...
but probably the biggest star from Formula Renault UK was
Kimi Räikkönen, the champion in 2000, who made a successful debut in
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
the next year. This brought keen attention to the different
Formula Renault 2.0 Championships and became a chance to found new championships in Italy, Brazil and Asia. Both Räikkönen and then Hamilton went on to become Formula One World Champions in an respectively. It then became the reference championship for any aspiring single seater driver to compete in, especially in Western Europe.
In March 2012, it was announced that the Formula Renault UK series would not take place in 2012. This was due to a low number of entries to the championship after only receiving six confirmed competitors,
as the price for competing for a season was reaching £200,000.
Originally, it was planned by series promoter
Stéphane Ratel Organisation
SRO Motorsports Group (formerly the Stéphane Ratel Organisation) is an international sporting organisation best known for promoting and running a variety of racing events and series, including the Total 24 Hours of Spa, Intercontinental GT Chal ...
that the championship would take a one-year hiatus, leading to a re-launch in 2013. However, it was reported in the media that the series was ended definitively in September 2012.
A new proposal to reintroduce Formula Renault UK was made by the BARC and motorsport promoter Grovewood in 2014.
The revived series would be a two-tier championship, with the modern Tatuus FR2.0/13 being used alongside the older machines used in the BARC series. Formula Renault BARC, which had been suffering from declining grid sizes, would be absorbed into the new championship.
The plan was dropped after a breakdown in negotiations with Formula Renault's organisers,
and the lack of demand for a new junior single-seater series in competition with the new
Formula 4
FIA Formula 4, also called FIA F4, is an open-wheel racing car category intended for junior drivers. There is no global championship, but rather individual nations or regions can host their own championships in compliance with a universal set of r ...
class
MSA Formula
F4 British Championship (full name ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA, formerly known as F4 British Championship certified by FIA — powered by Ford (2016–21), MSA Formula (2015)) is a single-seater motorsport series based in ...
and
BRDC Formula 4.
With the failure of the plan, the BARC also dropped their existing Formula Renault series, leaving no dedicated British Formula Renault Championship for 2015.
The BARC instead planned to run a
Formula Libre
Formula Libre, also known as Formule Libre, is a form of automobile racing allowing a wide variety of types, ages and makes of purpose-built racing cars to compete "head to head". This can make for some interesting matchups, and provides the oppor ...
category, which would accommodate the existing Formula Renault cars alongside those from other Formulas whose British championships had recently ended.
Formula Renault 2.0 UK
The
Renault Sport
Renault Sport () or Renaultsport, was the motorsport, performance and special vehicles division for Renault-badged cars. Renault Sport was officially established in 1976 as a merger between the Alpine (automobile), Alpine and Gordini competition ...
championship organised an annual regular series, supporting the
British Touring Car Championship
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA. It was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and was renamed as ...
and UK round of the
World Series by Renault
The Renault Sport Series (formerly known as World Series by Renault) is a motor racing series. The series latterly consisted of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, and used to contain the Renault Sport Trophy and the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. ...
, as well as a winter series. The regular series was the main championship and at its peak, held 20 races over 10 meetings.
Originally known as Formula Renault UK the championship used engines of 1,721cc. Between 1995 and 1999 the championship was called Formula Renault Sport UK and used a 2,000cc 8V engine was used. Another name change in 2000 say the series known as Formula Renault 2000 UK before adopting Formula Renault 2.0 UK in 2005. Since 2000 the championship has used 2,000cc 16V engines. The French
tyre manufacturer
Michelin was the tyre supplier and the title sponsor of the series since 1992.
Several notable
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
Drivers have raced in the series including
Kimi Räikkönen,
Lewis Hamilton
Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Mercedes. In Formula One, Hamilton has won a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Mic ...
,
Paul di Resta
Paul di Resta (born 16 April 1986) is a British racing driver from Scotland, competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Peugeot Sport in their LMH entry. He drove in Formula One for Force India from to , and became a reserve driver ...
and
Heikki Kovalainen
Heikki Johannes Kovalainen (; born 19 October 1981) is a Finnish racing driver competing in the Japan Rally Championship for Rally Team AICELLO. He raced in Formula One between 2007 and 2013 for the Renault, McLaren, Team Lotus, Caterham and ...
.
Graduate Cup
The UK Championship had a secondary class, known as the Graduate Cup. The scheme aimed to help young drivers enter the championship. The highest placed Graduate Cup driver for each round received a trophy on podium and the overall Graduate Cup winner received a discount on the entry fee for the Formula Renault 2.0 UK or Clio Cup UK championships.
To be eligible to race in the Graduate Cup Class drivers had to have competed in no more than two Formula Renault 2.0 race meetings before the current season (except drivers who have previously taken part in the Formula Renault UK Winter Cup or have raced in the Formula Renault BARC Championship) and must be under 19 years of age.
Weekend Format
The weekend started with a Friday testing session at each venue. This was made up of two 25 minute sessions. Saturday consisted of Two 20 minute qualifying sessions which decided the grid for the two 30 minute races, with both held either on the Sunday or the first race on Saturday afternoon and the second race on Sunday. Drivers scored points down to 20th place with two points for fastest lap. Only the best 18 results counted towards the championship with points shared out using the following system:
Champions
![Dean Smith Oulton Park 2009 (1)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Dean_Smith_Oulton_Park_2009_%281%29.JPG)
;Notes
Protyre Formula Renault Championship
The Protyre Formula Renault Championship, organized by the
British Automobile Racing Club
The British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) is one of the biggest organising clubs for auto racing in the United Kingdom.
History
The Cyclecar Club was formed in 1912, running races for the small and light motorbike powered vehicles at Brooklands ...
, began in 1995 as a rival to the
Renault Sport UK championship. The series was named Formula Renault BARC Championship to distinguish itself from the Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship. Most of the regulations relating to the cars are the same as the UK series, but the cars have fixed gear ratios, an intake restrictor to limit engine wear, and are limited to one new set of tyres per outing. The championship used the older Formula Renault
Tatuus
Tatuus is an Italian chassis manufacturer for a series of formula racing series, being first founded in 1980. The company is known for its association with Renault Sport for its production of the Formula Renault chassis.
History
The Tatuus c ...
chassis first introduced to Formula Renault racing in 2000 and updated in 2007, which makes the championship a viable prospect to drivers with lower levels of budget and funding. With the collapse of the
Renault Sport
Renault Sport () or Renaultsport, was the motorsport, performance and special vehicles division for Renault-badged cars. Renault Sport was officially established in 1976 as a merger between the Alpine (automobile), Alpine and Gordini competition ...
championship in early 2012,
the BARC Championship became the prominent Formula Renault Championship in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and from 2013, took the name Protyre Formula Renault Championship, dropping the BARC tag after its growth into one of the leading national single seater championships in
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
.
Despite its initial growth, grid sizes fell in subsequent seasons, and the championship ended in 2014.
Weekend Format
The weekend starts with a general testing session on the Friday. This was made up of two 25 minute sessions. Qualifying is held on Saturday and consists of two 20 minute sessions which decide the grid for the two 30 mile races, with both races held on the Sunday. During the
2012 season, triple header events were introduced. Qualifying for race one and two remains the same, however the race three grid is decided by the second fastest time set during the second qualifying session. During triple header weekends, the first race is held on Saturday with the remaining two races held on the Sunday. Drivers score points down to 20th place with two points for fastest lap. All rounds, less one, count towards the championship with points shared out using the following system:
Latest season
The 2013
Protyre Formula Renault Championship will be the 19th Championship organized by the
British Automobile Racing Club
The British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) is one of the biggest organising clubs for auto racing in the United Kingdom.
History
The Cyclecar Club was formed in 1912, running races for the small and light motorbike powered vehicles at Brooklands ...
and the second year as the UK's only premier Formula Renault 2.0 championship. The season will begin at
Donington Park on 14 April and end on 29 September at
Silverstone Circuit. The series will form part of the
BARC club racing meetings and will expand from fourteen to sixteen rounds at six events all held in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, with four triple header events.
Champions
Teams Participating
The following teams have competed in either the Renault Sport Championship or the BARC Championship.
* Antel Motorsport
* Apotec Scorpio
* Cliff Dempsey Racing
* CORE Motorsport
* Cullen Motorsport
*
CRS Racing
CRS Racing is a British auto racing team founded by British driver Andrew Kirkaldy and Canadian-Greek driver and entrepreneur Chris Niarchos. The team was founded in 2007, but is based on the former team of Kirkaldy known as Team AKA which comp ...
* Falcon Motorsport
*
Fortec Motorsport
Fortec Motorsport Ltd. is a motor-racing team that races in the GB3 Championship. The team was bought in 1995 by current owner Richard Dutton.
Past drivers for the team include Juan Pablo Montoya, Gianmaria Bruni, Danny Watts, Jamie Green, ...
*
Hillspeed
Hillspeed is a motor racing team based in the United Kingdom. They currently participate in the GB3 Championship and the GB4 Championship.
The team was founded in 1970 in order to run the British Saloon Car Championship entry of Morgan Oller ...
* Jamun Racing
* JWA-Avila
*
Manor Motorsport
Manor Motorsport Ltd, currently trading as Manor Endurance Racing Ltd is a British motor racing company that was formed in 1990 by former single-seater champion John Booth. Manor has participated as a team in many motorsport disciplines since ...
*
Manor Competition
*
Mark Burdett Motorsport
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Fin ...
* MTECH Lite
* Mark Godwin Racing
* RPD Motorsport
* Team DFR
* Scorpio Motorsport
* SWB Motorsport
* Vitulli Racing
* Welch Motorsport
References
External links
Formula Renault 2.0 UK
*
Official Formula Renault UK media siteFormula Renault BARC
BARC Formula Renault official websitewebsite b
Renault Sport UKBARC Formula Renault official websitewebsite b
BARC
{{Motorsport in the UK
Formula Renault 2.0 series
Formula Renault Championship
Defunct auto racing series
National championships in the United Kingdom
Defunct sports competitions in the United Kingdom