It proved to be a successful debut for Eurasia Motorsport in the Asian Formula Renault Series this weekend (17 – 18 March) at the Zhuhai Circuit as the team finished a fighting third in the second race.
Fielding three entries for Kurt Hill, Eshan Pieris and Daniel Miranda, qualifying ahead of the first race saw the trio record the sixth, eighth and 12th fastest times respectively. Pieris made a great start, gaining three positions, but unfortunately was pushed off track at turn four and this dropped him back down to eighth position. Hill meanwhile gained one position to run fifth at the end of the first lap, while Miranda also moved up one position before the safety car was deployed.
A spin for Pieris cost him further positions, while Hill battled hard in fifth position, taking the chequered flag just a second behind the fourth placed car of Louis Prette. Pieris meanwhile pushed hard and fought his way back to tenth at the flag just head of Miranda.
The second race of the weekend brought the team it’s first podium position after a strong drive from Hill. The race began with Hill making a great getaway from sixth on the grid to run in second, while Pieris gained three spots to run fifth which quickly became third when two rivals ahead crashed.
Following a safety car period, Hill maintained his position whilst setting fastest lap. On the penultimate lap, leader Louis Prette was slowed by lapped traffic allowing Hill to get a run on him for first position. Running side-by-side, Prette made contact with Hill, sending him into the gravel while ending his own race on the spot. Hill was able to extract himself from the gravel and re-joined the circuit in third position, the place he would hold to the chequered flag.
Pieris meanwhile ran well in sixth position having lost places at turn four on lap four by running wide. Another spin meanwhile resulted in heavy contact with the wall and concluded the Sri Lankan’s race. Miranda meanwhile had a mechanical issue on the grid and having started from the pit lane, vaulted from 21st to ninth in what was an impressive drive.
“It’s been a very busy weekend for us at Eurasia Motorsport,” stated team principal Mark Goddard. “On track we had a good weekend as we proved to be right on the pace in what is a new championship for us.
“Kurt was impressive – as expected – and to get a podium position on our debut in the series is a fantastic result for both him and us. Eshan Pieris also showed a great turn of speed which bodes well for the future while Daniel’s recovery from the back of the pack in the second race made him look like a seasoned professional. A very good race for the young rookie.”
