Formula Renault 2004 Season Review
Team JLR started 2004 as reigning triple Formula Ford champions having taken the Team's Cup, Drivers' Championship and Scholarship Drivers' Championship titles in 2003. With all new drivers the Team would again battle it out in Formula Ford. However, 2004 would also see a new challenge; The UK Formula Renault Championship. It was a big step for the Batley based team; new championship, new cars, new drivers, new staff........Team Boss Richard Dean looked forward to the challenge ahead: "Having won everything in Formula Ford last year, we were looking to take the next step. Formula Renault is highly competitive and seemed the logical progression. We knew it would be an adjustment running in two Championships, but the Team is ready for it and I know we can do a great job in both".
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Jason Tachinci |
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The 2004 Formula Renault Championship had record entries with grids of nearly 40 cars. The Formula Renault supports the British Touring Car Championship and 2004 was a strong year for the package which saw crowds of over 40,000 people. Team JLR made a return to Formula Renault after spending the last 3 seasons focusing on Formula Ford. It was up against teams who were in their fourth year of the championship. To combat the lack of experience Team JLR took on experienced engineer Dave Forster to work along side Team Manager Paul Haigh. Dave ran the very successful Team DFR from 1995 to 2003, winning races in Saloon cars, Formula Vauxhall junior and Formula Renault. "The opportunity presented by Team JLR is perfect for me. I can concentrate solely on making the cars perform and getting the best out of a team, leaving the headache of sponsorship and the rest to Richard!" With Dave's experience the Team walked away with 2 podiums. Team JLR finished in the top 10 of the drivers championship with talented South African Stephen Simpson. The Team showed their potential despite the lack of overall results. This lead to more driver interest - having started the Championship with 2 cars, Stephen Simpson and Jason Tahinci were joined by a further 2 drivers by the final race at Donington.
The Winter Series saw a change in fortune in Formula Renault for Team JLR. The two round Championship held in November saw the Team's first victory thanks to Stephen Simpson. Despite winning 2 of the 4 races, Stephen missed out on the winter crown by the smallest of margins.
2004 saw Team JLR enter an unprecedented 25 race meetings. During 2003 the Team had run four cars in one Championship - by the end of 2004 that had doubled. The Team had steered eight drivers through two championships. Whilst enjoying a long earned break over Christmas, Richard Dean reflected on the season's events: "2004 has been an unforgettable year for us; to finally win the Formula Ford Festival was fantastic. Formula Ford has been a surprise this season. The level of competition was astounding. It has been tough after being so dominant in 2003. Next year we have to work hard to get back on top."
Richard added that he was also confident for the 2005 Formula Renault season "The Winter Series' wins have shown us that we can succeed in Formula Renault. That progress has been due to the hard work and dedication the drivers and Team have put in this season."
