BUURMAN TAKES CHARGE DURING CROFT TEST

The Fortec Motorsport driver lapped the 2.12-mile North Yorkshire circuit during Wednesday’s afternoon session with a best time of 1m 16.441 seconds (100.17mph), just 0.048 seconds faster than team-mate Stuart Hall (Halstead, Essex) and mere 100ths of a second outside Mike Conway’s existing outright lap record.

Canadian Sean McIntosh, who won the second round of the season at Donington Park earlier this month, was third overall at the end of the two days with a time just two 10ths of a second shy of Buurman’s quickest lap.

Manor Motorsport’s Rodolfo Gonzalez (Attleborough, Norfolk) enjoyed a great couple of days at Croft, the Venezuelan setting the fourth fastest time of 1m 16.703 seconds for Manor Motorsport, while Team AKA’s Swedish driver Alex Storckenfeldt – who led the way after the first day of testing – was fifth on the timesheets.

Team JLR’s Stephen Simpson (Enfield, Middlesex) continued his good early season pace with the sixth fastest time, Swede Sebastian Hohenthal was seventh for Fortec and eighth position went to round one race winner, Manor’s Patrick Hogan (Killiney, Co. Dublin).

Hillspeed’s Josh Weber (Tiverton, Devon) produced one of his best performances of the year with the 11th fastest time overall, a lap of 1m 17.029 seconds placing him less than six 10ths of a second shy of pacesetter Buurman.

Championship leader Oliver Jarvis (Burwell, Cambridgeshire) was 12th quickest over the course of the two days for Manor Motorsport, having been second fastest at the end of the first day. Ben Clucas (Reading) also re-appeared in a Formula Renault UK car with Mark Burdett Motorsport and managed a best lap of 1m 17.445 seconds.

The third and fourth rounds of the 2005 Formula Renault UK Championship with Michelin take place at Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire on Saturday, 30th April, and Sunday, 1st April.