Young Indian driver Tarun Reddy impressed in his UK debut by scoring two sixth-place finishes in the season-opening Protyre Formula Renault Championship at the Rockingham Motor Speedway in England.
Reddy, 16, was sixth in races one and three and eighth in race two held over the weekend, reaching sixth place in the championship.
Despite lacking in experience, he did well on a highly technical circuit, which mixes oval Indycar-style banking with complex twists and turns on the infield.
After joining the MGR Motorsport team of long-respected Formula Renault engineer Mark Godwin, Reddy was up against it in terms of testing and preparation before the opening round.
But after taking the ninth place in the opening qualifying session, he slashed the deficit to the front in the second session, taking eighth place - just 0.7 seconds off pole position.
Reddy admitted to having a tough start but was happy to finish the weekend on a strong note.
"The pressure got to me a little bit in first qualifying. I lack experience of making the most of new tyres and didn't use them very well, and that cost me a good starting position. But in second qualifying I did a better job. It was my first race in England and I didn't want to do anything stupid. I just wanted to come over the line in a good position," he said.
He is now looking forward to the second round, which takes place at Donington Park on May 31-June 1. "Rockingham went quite well. I didn't expect it to go so well, with my lack of testing and the drivers I was up against. But as the weekend went on it got better and better.
"The plan is to come back to England a week before Donington and do a few days of testing so I can get up to speed with the circuit. Before then I will focus on my fitness and preparation in India, but it will be great to get more miles in the car," Reddy added.
