Gilbert heads to Hungaroring (From Croydon Guardian)

Gilbert heads to Hungaroring

10:55am Friday 1st July 2011 in Motorsport By Graham Moody

Richmond racing driver Mitchell Gilbert heads to the Hungaroring this weekend for his first international event in the latest round of the Formula Renault Eurocup.

The 17-year-old, originally from Australia but now based in Richmond, is in the summer break of the Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship but is keen to stay sharp after two podium finishes in as many race meetings.

“I can't wait to get out to Hungary and get on track,” he said.

“I wasn't really looking forward to the long summer break until the next round of the UK Championship at the beginning of August, and this will give me some valuable experience against some different opposition and on a fantastic grand prix circuit."

It is the first time Mitchell has raced in the European series and he will be driving for UK team Fortec Motorsport.

He is not underestimating the difficulty of the weekend though on a track that hosts the Hungarian Grand Prix in Formula One.

"I am under no illusion that it will be a hard weekend,” he said.

“It will be a steep learning curve just getting up to speed on the track itself.

"I will be using the whole weekend as an experience and to see where I stand against the European drivers.

"However, the team has a massive amount of experience and I will be driving just as hard as I do in the UK Championship and I will be aiming to be just as competitive too."

Race one takes place on Saturday and race two on Sunday.