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Hylkema seeking consistent weekend at Snetterton

Formula Renault UK Championship News | Sat 7th August 2010

Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship front-runner Thomas Hylkema is eagerly awaiting the start of the second half of the 2010 season at Snetterton next weekend, 7th/8th August, as he bids to mount a consistently strong run during the final five race meetings of the campaign.

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The Norfolk track has certainly been a happy hunting ground for the TORO and Club Car backed driver in the past, most recently during the 2009 Winter Championship where he steered his Manor Competition run Formula Renault to a pair of excellent podium finishes, so he is aiming to replicate the same level of performance on his return to Snetterton just over a week from now.

“Snetterton is a track I like a lot and we’ve gone very well there before so I’m really looking forward to the start of the second half of the season”, said the 21-year-old, “We had a great time in the winter series at Snetterton, finishing on the podium in both races, and after such a great showing at Croft before the big summer break we can hopefully carry on our good progress next weekend.”

During the Croft race meeting some six weeks ago, Thomas reached a turning point in his season with a sensational performance throughout the entire event. Beginning the weekend impressively in pre-event practice, the Dutchman went on to secure his first ever pole position during round 10 qualifying and he also achieved a season’s-best race result of sixth in round nine.

Unfortunately for Thomas, he was unable to challenge for his maiden category race victory during the second Croft encounter when an incredibly rare sensor failure on the grid led to his car grinding to a halt mere yards from the start-line.

Bitterly disappointed to have been robbed of the chance to try and make his first pole start count, the Delft-based aerospace engineering student was nonetheless phlegmatic in his summary of the events – the failure simply being a true one in a million occurrence of extreme bad luck.

“Of course, the sensor failure we had at Croft was a massive disappointment for me and the whole team as I really did have the pace and opportunity to fight for my first win or my first podium of the year at least”, commented Thomas, “We proved what we’re capable of though, it was definitely our best weekend of the season so I want to build on that at Snetterton and push for the podium.”

Thomas’ first track action next weekend will come during pre-event testing on Friday, 6th August, with qualifying for rounds 11 and 12 of the 2010 Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship taking place at 09.25 and 15.25 respectively on Saturday, 7th August. Both races will then follow on Sunday, 8th August, at 09.50 and 15.40.

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