Exciting young prospect Duncan Tappy (West Ewell, Surrey) is set to make his debut in the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship after his team, Jamun Racing, confirmed it would be entering the series in 2006.

The 21-year-old will line up on the grid as the current Formula Ford Festival winner and will look to carry his good form into the more demanding ‘slicks and wings’ category. Although he is aiming to compete at the sharp end of the UK’s leading single-seater championship, which started the careers of Formula one stars Kimi Raikonnen and Antonio Pizzonia, Tappy admits it will be a major challenge.

“Obviously I wouldn’t be entering unless I thought I have a chance of winning the championship and that’s every racer’s ultimate goal,” said Tappy. “You’ve got to have goals and I always set mine as high as I can. But I appreciate it’s going to be very hard because Formula Renault UK is a highly competitive series and it’s not going to be easy.

“The main thing for me to focus on is getting used to the car. The driving style is completely different and there’s all the rear downforce to come to terms with. I’m reasonably happy so far but there’s not been anyone to compare my times to.”

Tappy began his racing career in Formula Six Karting eight years ago. He has progressed through the ranks steadily, culminating in a third place finish in the Renault-sponsored Formula A Championship in 2003. He then opted to race in Formula Ford but now realises he needs to step up in class.

“It’s the logical step to allow me to further my career at this stage” continued Tappy, who will stay with Jamun Racing with whom he raced last season, despite testing an FR2.0 with the 2005 team champion Manor Motorsport. “Formula Renault UK is where I wanted to go and I’m happy that I can stay with Jamun. It’s a very close team, like a family, and we all feel comfortable working together.”

This extract is taken from the Formula Renault website.

•   Filed under: Formula Renault UK
•   Tagged as: Team Jamun