• Solid result for Huff on Formula Renault debut

Rob Huff kept the leaders in his sights as he marked his Formula Renault debut with a battling sixth place in the opening round a Brands Hatch on Easter Monday.

The Cambridge race, behind the wheel of John Pettitt's Scorpio car for only the fourth time, used his track craft to improve his qualifying time by three tenths of a second to claim seventh on the grid.

For much of the race last season's Formula Vauxhall champion was duelling for fifth place with world kart ace Colin Brown: "It was better than we'd hoped for first time out", he said. "Any top ten finish would have been brilliant".

"The race was split into three groups, the leaders with three or four years experience at this level, the middle order, and the tail enders.

"I didn't know what to expect in my first race but it was encouraging to be on the pace, tracking the leaders. There was a crash after four laps which meant that the safety car came out allowing the pack behind me to catch up."

The 21-year-old prospect might have clinched fifth but for a split second of over eagerness when he prepared to pass Brown coming out of Clearways.

"The downforce from the back of his car made my front end go light," he said, "it sent me on to the grass, but I managed to keep it straight and got back on in eighth place. I got through to seventh then somebody went off in front and I was back to sixth. I learned a lot at this level very quickly.

"With that experience behind me of testing and racing I can hardly wait for the second round at Thruxton on May 6."

Neither can the Scorpio team. Said chief engineer Tony Trevor: "I think Rob is going into the season as the championship's 'dark horse'. He's impressed us immensely in testing. He's going to surprise quite a few people."