25.10.09 TURVEY TAKES FR3.5 ROOKIE TITLE IN SPAIN Oliver Turvey made up three places in today's Formula Renault 3.5 pitstop race at Motorland Aragon to finish fifth and clinch fourth position in the drivers' championship. The RSF driver had entertained hopes of breaking into the top three after yesterday's podium finish in the reverse grid race but ended up missing the mark by a single point. By way of consolation he wrested the top rookie 'title' from Carlin team mate and Torro Rosso Formula 1 driver Jaime Alguersuari. Turvey, who started eighth on the grid, made a quick getaway gaining a place off the line and passing Alguersuari in the downhill corkscrew section. But a move for fifth place at the Turn 16 hairpin, where he was pushed wide, undid the earlier good work demoting him to ninth before the end of the first lap. As the drivers ahead began making their mandatory pitstops he moved into sixth before making his own on lap nine from which he emerged in 12th place, rapidly moving up the field as others followed suit. By lap 17 he was in fifth under threat from the hard-charging Spaniard Marco Barba, who failed to find a way past, and fighting a losing battle to maintain contact with Esteban Guerrieri. "We had a really good pitstop which moved me up three places after which I did a good outlap and some quick follow up laps," he said. "But Guerrieri, who got out in front of me after his stop, had the better pace and I was struggling to keep up. Barba closed in on me as well but I managed to hold him off. "So under the circumstances finishing in fifth place, as the top rookie and fourth in the championship overall isn't a bad result. "It's just a shame that we had a few mishaps as the season unfolded because, without those problems, we could have been second in the championship. Baguette was too far ahead but second was a definite possibility. "It's a shame too that the way things turned out Jaime and me couldn't clinch the team title for Carlin." Carlin finished second behind International Draco Racing, the team that guided Bertrand Baguette to the drivers' title. Turvey now moves on to compete in the GP2 Asia Series with iSport ahead of a full season in the main series in 2010. The first race takes place at new Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi next weekend. << back to news