Duncan tests Formula Renault with Manor • Duncan Tappy Racing

Duncan Tappy, perhaps the country’s hottest young motor racing talent, will get his first-ever run in a Formula Renault UK car during a special test session at Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk next week with reigning champions Manor Motorsport.

The 21-year-old from West Ewell in Surrey hit the headlines last month after taking a stunning victory in the annual Formula Ford Festival to join a famous roll-call of past winners including the likes of Formula One and Le Mans ace Johnny Herbert and current F1 drivers Jenson Button and Mark Webber.

But Tappy’s season in the UK Formula Ford Championship was just as impressive, a truly remarkable unbroken run of nine victories helping him close the year as Vice-Champion and also, in no small part, leading to a richly deserved nomination as one of six finalists for the 2005 McLaren Autosport BRDC ‘Young Driver of the Year’ Award.

Now the Formula Ford Festival Winner is aiming to be on the Formula Renault UK Championship grid next season and his maiden test in an FR 2.0 car with Manor comes as a major coup for the team.

“It’ll be my first ever test in a Formula Renault and I’m really looking forward to it,” commented Tappy. “Manor is a top team and very experienced so I’m sure it’ll be nothing short of amazing. I always looked up to Formula Renault when I was in karting and to be finally testing one of the cars is a dream come true.

“After the season I’ve just had in Formula Ford, I’m on cloud nine in all honesty. At the end of the previous year I was working as a mechanic for a young karter in the British Championships and thought that was my lot. Then, the deal came along in Ford and we had an incredible year – the rest, as they say, is history.”

“Tappy added “We think we’re pretty much there with a budget to do Renault next year and that’s where I want to be for sure. If we can achieve it, to race with a team like Manor would be absolutely superb but we’ll have to wait and see what happens. For now I’m just going to really enjoy this test.”

Manor’s Formula Renault UK team manager, Tony Shaw, is understandably delighted Tappy will undertake his first ever mileage in an FR 2.0 car with the team. “I’m absolutely chuffed to bits we’ll be running Duncan next week. It really is fantastic news and he’s certainly a driver we’d be delighted to work with next season – he’s a very special talent.

“Duncan has been superb in Formula Ford this year, he’s shown fantastic pace and to win nine races on the trot during the second half of the season was incredible. Adding the Festival win to his CV was the icing on the cake and it’ll be very interesting to see how he goes in the test.

“He’s a very talented driver and we’ll be putting all our effort into the test, as we always do, to give him the best equipment possible. I’m over the moon this is happening.”

Manor will be conducting two days of testing at Snetterton next week – Wednesday 23rd November and Thursday 24th November.

This is an extract from the Manor Motorsport website.