Renault Racer Owens Agrees 2014 Deal With Mark Burdett Motorsport
Bright Spark Ventures-backed racing driver Raoul Owens will return to the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup (NEC) for a second season in 2014, agreeing a deal to remain at leading British squad Mark Burdett Motorsport.
Continuing the successful partnership which delivered regular top six performances and a maiden podium at Spa-Francorchamps last year, the 19-year-old from Pembury in Kent is determined to mount a consistent front-running challenge in one of Europe’s premier junior single-seater classes.
In addition to his full Formula Renault 2.0 NEC programme with Lincolnshire-based Mark Burdett Motorsport, where Raoul will team-up with reigning BRDC Formula 4 Champion Jake Hughes, the now Europe-based driver is also set to contest selected races in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula Renault Alps.
“It’s fantastic to have our 2014 deal confirmed, I’m really pleased to be staying with the guys at Mark Burdett Motorsport and I’m confident we can have a great year together”, he said, “We gelled really well last year and I’m looking forward to working closely with Andy Miller [race engineer] and Robbie Kerr [driver coach] again, we made big strides last season.
“With a strong team-mate like Jake [Hughes] on board I’m confident we’ll be able to push each other on and mount a strong challenge. We proved last year Mark Burdett Motorsport can produce a car capable of regularly running at the front, the aim this year has to be to try and fight for the podium every weekend and then see where we are at the end of the season.”
Beginning his racing career in karting, Raoul won the 2007 Rotax Max Regional Championship in South Africa before moving up to European and World level. Debuting in single-seater car racing in Protyre Formula Renault in the UK in 2011, he remained for a second season the following year and then made his points-scoring Formula Renault 2.0 NEC bow at Spa-Francorchamps.
Paving the way for graduation into the Northern European Cup full-time last year, the British-born racer put together an impressively strong first pan-European campaign which he wrapped-up ninth overall in the championship. He also debuted in the flagship Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 series in Barcelona, Spain, for the final weekend of the season.
Monza in Italy, a new circuit for Raoul, will be the venue for the opening event of the 2014 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup (NEC) on 12th/13th April. From there, the series will visit Silverstone in the UK, Hockenheim in Germany, Spa in Belgium, Assen in The Netherlands and Most in the Czech Republic. The finale will take place on 20th/21st September at Germany’s Nurburgring.
