Jim Edwards Jnr To Race FRenault!

[Craig]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER 2001
WORDS: 311

CLIO CUP CHAMPION TO MAKE FORMULA RENAULT DEBUT!

Reigning Elf Clio Renaultsport UK Cup Champion Jim Edwards Jnr (Maidenead) is a shock entry for Brands Hatch's final round of the Formula Renault UK Championship!

Edwards will race for the Interactive Network Solutions-sponsored Falcon Motorsport team, alongside regular driver Danny Watts (Northampton). It will be his first experience of a single-seater racing car for over a decade.

The 33-year-old, who visited Falcon's Faringdon workshops for a seat-fitting yesterday, said: "I last drove a Formula Renault in a wet test session at the beginning of 1991, but throughout my career I've only ever raced saloons. Before I sat in Falcon's car I couldn't even remember which side the gear lever was on!

"There's no way I'm going to get near the boys at the front - I weigh 14 stone and they're much lighter - so I'm going to treat it as a fun day out. But it's a great opportunity to learn something new, and on a circuit I love. I've got to say a big thanks to INS and Falcon for letting me drive a modern-day Formula Renault - they are superb racing cars and the action is phenomenal."

Since winning the 2000 Clio Cup title, Edwards has this year raced in the British Touring Car Championship's Production class in an INS-backed Honda, achieving one race victory, at Croft, plus several top four finishes.

Most of his racing career has been with Renault UK Motorsport, dating back to the late 1980s. At his third attempt, he won the Elf Renault 5 GT Turbo UK Cup in 1990 - earning himself a prize test drive in a Formula 3000 at Donington Park. He later competed in the 1.8-litre, 16V Clio series in 1995. After a four-year break, he returned to top-line racing in Renault's Clio Cup in 2000, taking four race wins and clinching the title with a round to go.

ENDS

Formula Renault Press Contact: Carl McKellar
Ref: FR61/01

[Marshal]

That should be interesting, but I think Jims right about how close to the front he's going to be.