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It's fast & furious in the Renault Eurocup
Morgan scores - Singleton struggles with understeer
At Silverstone there were mixed fortunes for Welsh drivers
Richard Singleton & Alex Morgan who are carrying the banner in the Formula Renault Eurocup. Alex, driving for the Fortec team, made the most of the chance to race on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit in front of a huge crowd, with an excellent 7th place on Saturday and some welcome points. Richard however was beset with understeer problems and was unable to make much of an impact, despite describing Silverstone as his favourite track. After starting 20th in Saturdays race Richard made a leap forward and was driving well but described his race as tough "There are about 15 drivers who could win a race but although I was up to 15th, I was in effect going backwards, trying to defend all the time." In the meantime Morgan was in a bullish mood and after starting 9th finished 7th to score 4 valubale points, although he described Saturdays race as "Pretty Hectic, but its a relief to get some points, It separates me from about 30 other guys who havent scored. The car was good, I had a good start and pulled ahead, but from mid-race onwards I was having to fight off a few attacks, so it was good to cross the line"With only the first 10 finishers getting points, in a desperate bid to move Richard up the order, the Hitech Junior team gambled on a new set-up for the car for Sundays race, which could pay dividends if it worked or put Richard at an even greater dis-advantage if it didnt. In the event Richard made up places on the first lap, to run in 17th place at the head of a 6 car bunch, but as he came under greater and greater pressure it was clear the gamble had failed. Eventually Richard was forced into the pits after his front tyres started to blister and looked like they might even blow-up! "I could see they were getting out of shape and starting to vibrate, and I thought they could even de-laminate and cause an accident!"
Alexs mood had been even better about Sundays race as he was due to start in 5th place, the Fortec team, lead by the legendary team boss Richard Dutton making the most of home advantage. In the race however although Alex was impressive in the early laps, his race ended with an uncharacteristic spin. "Everything was going well but as I came into the Beckets complex the car in front must have dropped some oil or fluid, he went sideways, and I found myself sideways on the kerbs too, but couldnt hold it and spun. However if we can take this form on to Hungary I will be really pleased"
Richards next race is in Valencia in 2 weeks and then there is a 6 week break until the next Eurocup round in Hungary.