Euro Title For Hartley With Podiums In Portugal

Euro Title For Hartley With Podiums In Portugal

Teenager takes first New Zealand European title in 23 years

Back-to-back podium finishes in Portugal ensured outright championship victory for 17-year-old Palmerston North driver Brendon Hartley in the prestigous Formula Renault 2.0 Euro Cup at the weekend.

Third placings for the teenager's Red Bull Epsilon car in both 17-lap races at Estoril give New Zealand's new motorsport hero an unassailable championship lead going into the two-race final round in Barcelona, Spain next weekend. Hartley is the youngest ever Euro Cup winner.

This major international title for Hartley came on the eve of the 40th anniversary of countryman Denny Hulme winning the Formula 1 World Championship in Mexico on October 22, 1967.

It is 23 years since a New Zealand driver last won a major European single seater title, so Hartley's victory represents an important achievement for New Zealand motorsport.

Hartley's overnight success is the first single-seater title for a New Zealander in Europe since Mike Thackwell won the European Formula 2 Championship in 1984. Thackwell and Hartley are, in fact, the only New Zealand drivers to have ever won major open wheel, single seater European titles.

Thackwell was then aged 23 whereas Hartley (born in Palmerston North on November 10, 1989) doesn't turn 18 until next month. Three of this year's Formula 1 drivers - Kimi Raikkonen, Filippe Massa and Scott Speed - stepped up directly from 2.0-litre Formula Renault into Grand Prix racing. Euro Cup Formula Renault 2.0 is a global category with drivers from the five continents regularly competing. The elite Euro series visits Belgium, Germany, Hungary, England, France, Portugal and Spain. More than 50 young drivers were entered for Portugal this weekend.

Just a week after winning the final round of the Italian Formula Renault Championship at Monza in Italy - where he confirmed third overall in that series - Hartley was in front running fine form all weekend in Portugal

He made a cautious start in the two Friday testing sessions during which he ran on older tyres but during the two 90 minute qualifying sessions he claimed third place on the grid for both the races. "I only need a few more points, but these races are so difficult because there are so many drivers in with a chance of winning," he said after qualifying. "Winning the championship is the most important things for me - even if I would still like to win some races this year." In Saturdays 17-lap race at the former Grand Prix circuit near Cascais on Portugal's Atlantic coastline, Hartley was satisfied to hold third place behind team mates Jon Lancaster (Great Britain) and Charles Pic (France). The trio had been 1-2-3 on the grid and at the finish Hartley was just 3.5 seconds behind Lancaster, winner of the French Formula Renault series; and shadowed Pic by a mere 0.7 second. "This is a tough weekend for me, so I'm happy to have finished on the podium and got some points under my belt. I tried to find a way past Charles but I didn't see any risk-free opportunities to overtake. "The most important thing for me is the championship and I'll be hoping to score some points again tomorrow," said Hartley after the first race.

In a replay of Saturday, Jon Lancaster made a good start from pole position in Sunday's race. The Englishman went into the first bend in the lead, followed by Hartley's Epsilon Red Bull team mate Mika Mäki

Lancaster wasted no time in putting some open track between himself and Mäki, who found himself under pressure from Hartley. Lancaster dominated throughout, earning an extra point for the fastest race lap and taking over second place in the Euro Cup standings.

After six laps, Lancaster was 2.4 seconds ahead of Mäki, who still had Hartley shadowing him but the New Zealander was well aware that third place would be enough to secure him the title. Hartley was 7.6 sec behind Lancaster at the finish - and secure in first place overall for the season.

"This is a fantastic moment for me. I had a bit of a problem with my engine this weekend, which prevented me from challenging for the win, but that will be sorted out in time for Barcelona, and I'd like to celebrate winning the championship with one or two more race wins," said a delighted Hartley.

During his impressive 2007 Euro Cup season to date Hartley has scored four race wins, two second placings, two third placings and taken pole position and fastest lap three times apiece.

He has been in the top six at nine of the 12 races held to date and now has a xxpt championship lead. With only 15pts for each race win during a weekend, Hartley can't be beaten

At the age of only 14 Hartley won the very first New Zealand Toyota Racing Series event in 2005 - just a couple of years later this "home grown talent" is being recognised as one of the fastest and most respected young drivers in the world.

As a backdrop to his strong European season, the influential motorsport publication F1 Racing, has singled out Brendon Hartley as "a kiwi who could really take flight."

A two page feature about Red Bull's Junior Programme in the October issue, shines a single spotlight on Hartley. He is the only youngster to earn his own sidebar to the main story in the widely read and respected international magazine.

"Red Bull Racing have backed some good drivers over the past decade, but maybe, just maybe, they've finally found their real star: 17 year old New Zealander Brendon Hartley."

"It was his Formula 3 debut that really caused waves" states the F1 Racing editorial. Filling in for German driver Sabastian Bueme in Red Bull's Mucke team, Hartley qualified sixth and finished fourth in the best-of-the-best Masters Formula 3 race at Zolder in Belgium in August.

Hartley and Buemi are the only junior drivers acknowledged in the story as ones to "look out for." The conclusion by F1 Racing is that Red Bull's Junior Programme has yet to find the next Lewis Hamilton but suggests the Austrian brand's international search for young stars will achieve their dream of filling all four F1 seats (Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso) with home grown talent. "It's just a question of time"

The story on Hartley concludes with the suggestion that "he looks primed to climb the Red Bull ladder as far as it will go."

Hartley has already been announced as a Red Bull sponsored entry in the Macau Grand Prix, the world's most prestigious Formula 3 race and a significant stepping stone for motorsport's single seater stars of the future.

He will compete in the 25th Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix on November 17-18 in a Dallara-Mercedes run by top British team Carlin Motorsport. Macau will be Hartley's second ever race in Formula 3.

Macau will be a tough test for the young New Zealander who won the first ever Toyota Racing Series race at Timaru in 2005 and went on to finish fourth overall in the inaugural Championship and win four TRS races.

Before the start of the 2007 A1 Grand Prix season, Hartley tested Colin Giltrap's A1 Team New Zealand car during a rookie session at Silverstone in England. He set impressive times during his brief debut in Jonny Reid's car that currently leads the World Cup series.

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