18.07.07 TURVEY SCORES POINTS IN HUNGARY Having had a long break since scoring my first Formula Renault Eurocup podium at the Nurburgring, I was really looking forward to last weekend's third round at the Hungaroring. The track was quite technical and just got quicker as more rubber went down over the weekend. We had struggled a little with the car on the first day of free practice but after studying the data and working hard with my team to understand our problems we managed to improve our pace in the Friday morning test and went second quickest. However in qualifying I had my two best lap times deleted for not staying within the track limits, which was very frustrating as I felt I had never had more than two wheels over the white lines. I was not the only driver to be penalised for this - 28 other drivers had times deleted. But the consequence was still that I would start race one from 14th and the second race from 13th. Inevitably I was disappointed after qualifying, but I was determined to stay positive and move forward into the points in the races. The first race went extremely well - and by the end of the first lap I had already moved up from fourteenth on the grid to seventh. The Hungaroring's reputation as a tough place to overtake is well-earned, but I still managed to pass another two drivers during the remaining laps and took some valuable points for fifth. Another good start got me straight into the top ten in race two, and after a brief safety car period I eventually finished ninth. It may not have been what I had hoped for after Friday testing, but I'm happy that I've now scored points in all six races. Better still, those results have put me third in the championship at present. During the gap between rounds I had my Engineering exams at Cambridge University. Having missed so much time due to racing during the term, I had to spend three solid weeks studying hard in the library. When the results came through I was pleased to see that I'd passed my second year with the same grade I got in my first year, despite my racing schedule being busier. It's certainly not easy balancing the two, but I'm strongly committed to achieve at the highest level in both my studies and my racing. << back to news