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Two Podiums at Home Circuit for Manchester’s Webb

Two Podiums at Home Circuit for Manchester’s Webb

Manchester-based racing driver, Ollie Webb (18), scored a second and a third place to take the lead of the Formula Renault UK Championship, this weekend at Oulton Park.

Webb had gone into the weekend confident after topping the time sheets in the Friday testing sessions. The Fortec team had found quick race and qualifying setups for the A-level student and confidence was high.

The ex-Formula BMW driver continued the testing form into the first qualifying session, setting his fastest lap on his first flying lap. Unfortunately this lap in the hot conditions took the best out of his tyres and he was unable to respond as four drivers went quicker at the close of the session.

Session two looked like being a carbon copy of the first session, with Webb going quickest on just his second flying lap. However, his rivals were also following the previous session’s pattern and going quicker, with Webb falling to fifth and then eighth in just one lap. Then the North West-based racer found his groove and started trading times with Championship rival, Dean Smith. The duel ended with Smith on pole, but only by seven thousandths of a second.

Webb got an average start in race one with one driver managing to overtake him in the drag race to the first corner. Webb immediately fought back and was sitting fifth when the racers either side of him in the Championship table (Stoneman and Calado), clashed. Stoneman took Webb’s teammate, Calado off after going too quickly into a corner and that ended Calado’s race. Sitting third, the Manchester-based driver kept putting in excellent lap times and ended the race third, with the second fastest lap.

Now leading the Championship, the Fortec driver was confident going into race two, where he was starting second. Webb thought he had thrown it all away when a poor start dropped him down to fourth in an instant. Unperturbed, Webb fought back with customary determination and took one place back from Stoneman into the second corner. Teammate and Championship rival Calado was next, with pressure from Webb forcing the Fortec driver into a mistake when he went too quickly into a corner. Webb capitalised and went second, a position he held until the end, setting the second fastest lap along the way.

Now leading the Championship, a delighted Webb commented: “I had targeted a win at my home circuit, but two podiums and the Championship lead is a fantastic substitute. James (Calado) and Dean (Stoneman) both had difficult weekends and I am now reaping the benefits of finishing every race so far. I am now 15 points clear in the Championship and I have tested well at Croft where we race next.”

Webb is next in action in two weeks at the most Northerly circuit in England, Croft where he will hope to extend his Championship lead.