04.12.06 GREAT DEBUT FOR TURVEY IN FORMULA RENAULT EUROCUP AT ZOLDER Oliver Turvey had a great start to the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup campaign at Zolder in Belgium last weekend, with two strong points finishes putting him third in the championship. Although this was his first visit to Zolder, Oliver was optimistic after the final free practice session, where he was fourth quickest out of the 38 drivers entered for the event. This was especially pleasing given that the majority of his rivals are in their second or third seasons of Formula Renault, where as this year marks Turvey's first attempt at the category. There was a single half-hour qualifying in which the fastest lap counted for the race one grid, and second fastest laps decided the starting order for the second race. It was vital to get maximum performance out of the new sets of tyres, but unfortunately our strategy did not work out as the team had hoped - with his first new tyre run been interrupted by a yellow flag, the second had to be abandoned due to a red flag. Turvey ended up tenth on the grid for race one and seventh for race two, which was frustrating as Oliver felt he was capable of qualifying on the front two rows. Qualifying is going to be absolutely critical this season, which Turvey has learn't that with only 30 minutes and two sets of tyres, but with 38 cars jostling for space on the track, it is going to be very difficult to find a gap in the traffic at just the right moment to take advantage of your fresh tyres. However, Turvey was able to make good progress in both races. He made up a place off the line in race one, and then kept moving forward to reach 6th by the finish. Race two was even better, as again Turvey managed to pass some rivals at the start, and then grabbed 4th place with a pass on the final lap of the race. There was still some disappointment as Oliver felt that he had shown the pace to be on the podium, but nevertheless was pleased to have two strong races and score valuable championship points in both races - especially as these results have put him 3rd in the championship at this stage. That makes Turvey the highest-placed Formula Renault newcomer in the standings, and puts him in a great position to build on this success in future races. << back to news