24/9/2006 - Rounds 11 & 12 sees the end to a tough year for Vitulli Racing
Saturday 23rd September saw the penultimate round of the BARC Formula Renault Championship at Brands Hatch Indy circuit for Vitulli Racing, with the twelfth and final round taking place on Sunday.
The first of two 20-minute qualifying sessions got underway at 9am on Saturday and an initial damp track soon saw the lap times full with team driver Michael Vitulli setting a time of 47.181sec by the end of the session, 9-tenths of a second away from pole position, which gave a 12th place grid slot for round 11.
The second qualifying session got underway with more favorable conditions at a later time of 1:50pm. This time after some set-up changes from first qualifying, Michael was making good progress, however on his tenth lap at Paddock Hill Bend a problem with his left front suspension sent the car through the gravel trap. Michael was able to make it back to the pits and the team worked hard to get the suspension damage rectified, but with three minutes of the session remaining, Michael was only able to complete three laps and so was unable to improve on his time set earlier in the session resulting in a disappointing grid slot for round 12 of 15th. Although again just 9-tenths of a second away from pole position, a good achievement considering Michael only completed ten laps with therefore notably more fuel still on board then the other competitors.
Round 11 got underway at 5:20pm with cooler conditions and with Michael on the grid in 12th position, he knew he would need to make a good start to make up places in the 20 lap race, knowing that to pass at Brands Hatch Indy is always difficult. At the start, Michael made one of the best starts on the grid to make it into 8th place by the end of the first lap, this was not the end to Michaels charge through the field when on lap 3 at Druids Corner two competitors ahead made contact and fortunately for Michael, he was able to squeeze past. At the start of lap 4, Michael was running in an amazing 6th place and was able to hold his position up until lap 11 when another competitor made contact with the rear of Michaels car at Paddock Hill Bend sending the Vitulli Racing driver into a high speed spin. This would send Michael back into 13th position, 6 seconds adrift of the 12th place driver. By the end of the race Michael would close that gap down to 8-tenths of a second, in a very disappointing outcome to an otherwise solid drive.
The final round of the Championship which would be televised live got underway at 5:15pm. Michaels starting position again would need an excellent start and like in the previous race Michael didnt fail to achieve this by making it into the top 10, only yet again to have all his hard work taken away when an unexpected problem with his gear lever meant that he was unable to shift out from fourth gear and so came into the pits on lap 14.
After a long tough year the Team are now in preparations for this years Formula Renault Winter Series which takes place again at Brands Hatch on 4th/5th November and at Croft in North Yorkshire on 11th November and are currently in discussions with possible drivers.
16/9/2006 - Thruxton Race Report
Saturday 16th September saw a welcome return to competition for Vitulli Racing at Round 10 at the famous high speed circuit of Thruxton. After misfortunes within the team one month earlier, meaning that they were forced to miss Rounds 8 & 9, the team were keen to get back on track for Round 10 of the BARC Formula Renault Championship.
A limited supply of testing time prior to the meeting meant that the team would have to go straight into Qualifying without any recent track time, meaning the team had to get the car dialed in for team driver Michael Vitulli who himself needed to get to grips with the fast sections of the circuit.
The 20-minute Qualifying session got underway at 10am and Michael was soon to get back on terms with the car as he steadily produced faster laps and on his last lap before the end of the session, Michaels time of 1:15.332 sec secured a ninth position for the race start, just 4-tenths away from pole position.
The 12-Lap race got underway at 3pm and Michael made a reasonable start holding his position on the run through the first corner and upto the first braking point of the lap at the chicane. At the start of the second lap Michael held his starting position of ninth and was looking at taking eighth on the approach to the first corner. After maintaining his position upto the start of lap six, the now on-set of back markers being lapped caused Michael to lose momentum on the approach to the fastest part of the lap allowing the chasing car to get pass. This meant Michael would fall to tenth through no fault of his own and would remain there at the chequered flag, but then was promoted back to ninth after a post race protest saw a competitor excluded from the race result.
After the race Michael said, even though we didnt have any testing for this race the team did fantastically well to give me a well balanced car today. Its nice to be able to get back into the car after such a long lay off and run this high up the grid, Im quite optimistic for next week at Brands.
The final two Rounds of the 2006 BARC Formula Renault Championship takes place in one weeks time at Brands Hatch in Kent on 23rd and 24th September where for the first time in the year the Championship will support the prestigious TOCA package where again for the first time this year Live coverage of Round 12 will be featured on Motors TV and again on Motorsport UK, due to be broadcast mid to end of November.
5/8/2006 - Round 7 Race Report
Saturday 5th August saw Vitulli Racing take to the track in what was round seven of the BARC Formula Renault Championship at Oulton Park Island Circuit in Cheshire.
After a competitive result five weeks earlier in round six at Snetterton with 4th place the team were hoping to make the podium at Oulton Park.
A wet start to race day wasnt the only thing that would dampen the teams spirits as the team were forced to miss qualifying when an unexpected last minute mechanical problem forced the team to miss qualifying. This meant the team were only able to start at the back of the grid in 26th position.
Team driver, Michael Vitulli had his work cut out in making it into the top 10 for a points scoring position over the 12 laps, meaning he would have to make up sixteen places to do so.
At the start, Michael was quick away making up a considerable number of places on the run to the first corner, Old Hall. Here, Michael was again able to pass some cars around the outside and was upto 15th position on the approach to just the second corner. Coming upto the Hairpin for the first time, Michael was in a good position and was able to get past a further four cars on the exit of the Hairpin. On completion of the first lap, Michael had made up fifteen places and was lying in an amazing 11th position. The next six laps saw Michael holding his position, but with the tyres now well past their optimum and the car becoming a somewhat handful for Michael, on lap eight a huge oversteering moment meant Michael was forced to take to the grass on the exit at Lodge Corner allowing the chasing two cars to pass down the Start/Finish straight.
With three laps now remaining, Michael was in 13th position and was able to hold his position at the flag in a determined drive.
Today was one of those days you would rather forget, said Michael after the race. Even though the first lap was probably the best Ive ever driven, the problem we had, therefore meant I had to miss qualifying and so ruined it for us today. The first half of the race the car felt good, but then dropped off dramatically and unfortunatley 13th means no points. We need to have a rethink for Pembrey.
Rounds Eight and Nine in two weeks time on the 19th and 20th August will be held in South Wales, Pembrey, when the team will be looking for a somewhat different result.
25/6/2006 - Vitulli Racing enjoys their highest finish of the year at Snetterton
Today saw a return to form for the Vitulli Racing team at Rounds 5 & 6 of the BARC Formula Renault Championship at Snetterton Circuit.
A pair of 5th place qualifying grid slots for the two Rounds in the afternoon and a 4th place in Round 6, shadowed slightly with an incident in Round 5.
Driver Michael Vitulli secured two 5th place grid slots with two consistent fastest times from the 35 minute qualifying session, just 4-tenths of a second from pole position.
Round 5 got underway just after mid-day and after a good qualifying performance the team was looking forward to a good race with a podium finish. At the start, Michael got away well and after an attempt at Riches Corner for fourth, settled into fifth going into Sear Corner. However, by the time the cars made their way to Russell Corner the delay in visible red flags saw Michael lock his front brakes when attempting to miss the slowing cars ahead and unfortunately collide with the competitor ahead. This meant the end of the race for Michael with suspension damage.
With not much time before the start of Round 6, the Vitulli Racing Team did a fine job to get the car ready for the second race. Like before a good starting position of 5th on the grid meant Michael had a good opportunity to make it onto the podium. As with the previous race, Michael made a good start but in much as the same way as the first race the red flags were shown by the time the cars made it around the first lap. A re-start was called for with this time Michael getting a good run out of Sear Corner and pulling along side the car in-front on the run down Revett Straight, although being on the wrong side going into The Esses meant that Michael had to settle into 5th position. After two laps pressurising the 4th placed competitor, on entry into Riches Corner his rear suspension failed, elevating Michael into 4th. This, consequently saw the need for yet another red flag and re-start. At the final re-start, Michael again got away well and drove home un-pressurised in a well deserved 4th position.
Speaking on the weekend, Michael said, “It was unfortunate that we had a collision in the first race, but the team did an amazing job to get the car ready and get me out for the second race. Other than that I’m glad to have been able to get the car home in 4th after such a chaotic race. I can’t wait for the next race at Oulton Park where I’m sure we will be able to show more pace”.
Round 7 will take place in five weeks time at the Cheshire Oulton Park Circuit on Aug 5th.
21/5/2006 - Rounds 3 & 4 saw wet conditions at Croft
Rounds 3 & 4 of the BARC Formula Renault Championship got underway at a very wet Croft Circuit yesterday, 20th May.
The Vitulli Racing Team began with testing on Friday, with the wet weather conditions only slightly improving by the end of the morning session, the team were satisfied with the progress made in the three hour test.
After a difficult Qualifying session on Saturday, Round 3 got underway and driver Michael Vitulli was able to come through from a starting position of 14th to 9th at the chequered flag to secure a points finish.
For Round 4, the Formula Renault BARC competitors made their way out onto the circuit, only to be confronted with rain as they took to the grid, meaning the entire field was forced into making late changes to the cars on the grid in order to cope with the wet conditions.
After a starting position of 12th on the grid, Michael ended the race in a well deserved 8th place. Although Michael was somewhat disappointed with the results of the two races he was glad to come away from the weekend with 6 points.
"Its disappointing to be fighting for top 10 finishes as I know that we should be at the sharper end of the grid. Its always nice to come away from a troubled weekend with some points and that is what we had to achieve this weekend. We need to turn things around at Snetterton and Im sure we can", said an optimistic Michael.
Rounds 5 and 6 sees a return to the Norfolk track at Snetterton in five weeks time, on Sunday 25th June.
29/4/2006 - Mixed Fortunes at Snetterton Race Weekend
A weekend of mixed fortunes hit the Vitulli Racing Team at the second round of the 2006 BARC Formula Renault Championship.
Fridays testing saw the team use the afternoon sessions only to familarise themselves with the Norfolk track. After the first of two sessions it was apparent the set-up on the Vitulli Racing car was to the likening of driver Michael Vitulli. By the end of the day the team were filled with optimism for race day after setting times in the low 1:08 sec bracket comfortably.
Saturdays qualifying session got underway on the morning of 29th April. Following success in testing the day before, the team were expecting a front end or even row grid slot. However, this was not to come after Michael found traffic lap after lap and was unable to set the times he was able to in testing. The lack of blue flags used to the slower traffic meant that he had to avoid contact under breaking and in doing so, by taking to the grass which damaged the front wing and underbody, Michael therefore had to sit out the rest of qualifying resulting in a lowly seventeenth grid slot for the race.
The 15-lap race commenced late afternoon and Michael was optimistic to improve on his starting position. His start went exactly to plan with Michael making up six places the time he completed the first lap. After this, a period of battling with other cars saw Michael take tenth place only to full down to thirteenth after making an attempt at Russell Corner for ninth.
He managed to salvage thirteenth position at the chequered flag.
Team Owner and Manager, John Vitulli said; "Unfortunately for the team, we were prevented from setting the kind of times as we did in testing. The lack of blue flags shown to slower cars meant that Michael was unable to find a clear lap and at one stage had to take avoiding action by taking to the grass which damaged his front wing and underbody, so he had to sit out the rest of the session. In the race itself Michael took full advantage at the start to pass six cars by the end of the first lap. His attempt at taking ninth was short lived after dropping to thirteenth due to what is now apparent to have been a slow puncture and to be honest is remarkable that he managed that!".
Rounds 3 and 4 take place in three weeks time at the North Yorkshire Croft Circuit for the first double header race weekend of the year on May 20th/21st.
22/4/2006 - Vitulli Racing Secures Sixth Place in Season Opening Round
Vitulli Racing achieved a Sixth place finish today in the Formula Renault BARC Championship season opener with Michael Vitulli driving the teams car.
Complications on Fridays test session saw the team lose valuable track time, although the team worked hard to rectify the problem which allowed Michael to qualify in Sixth position on the grid setting a time of 57.595 sec, just three 10ths of a second away from pole position time.
The 15-lap race saw Michael hold onto his grid slot at the start with him fighting for fifth at Copse Corner, unfortunately Michael had to yield his sixth place and therefore the run upto Maggotts for the first time saw Michael take up Seventh position.
By the end of lap two it was evident that Michael was suffering problems with understeer and by lap five he was down to eighth place.
After some time of driving around the problem of the understeer to keep the two cars ahead of him within stricking distance, Michael begun to close on the pair, with one of them retiring out from the race, Michael saw his opportunity to seize back his starting position and with a good exit out from Copse Corner Michael was able to dive down the inside at Maggotts to reclaim sixth place on lap 13.
By this stage it was too late for Michael to close the gap to fifth position and finished the race with a fine effort in sixth place.
Commenting on the race weekend Michael said; "After the problems we suffered in testing on Friday, the team did a great job to get the car ready for qualifying. Unfortunately the loss of track time didnt give me any favors for qualifying but sixth place and only three 10ths down, knowing that alot more time was in the car fills me with confidence for the year. In the race I was suffering with understeer and was unable to improve on my starting position, although considering the trouble we had, I am delighted to come away with sixth in the end".
Team Owner and Manager, John Vitulli added; "Michael drove exceptionally well considering the difficulties he faced this weekend. With reduced track time in testing and the problem of understeer in the race he did a fine job to drive home to sixth place. We are now aware of where we went wrong with the set-up in the race and are confident that it will not happen again".
Round two of the Championship will take place at Snetterton Circuit this Saturday, 29th April.
13/3/2006 - Wet conditions at Silverstone test
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Vitulli Racing was out testing at Silverstone Circuit on the 10th March, with driver Michael Vitulli.
A rain swept day saw the team take advantage of the wet weather to familiarise themselves with the tricky conditions.
After a break from Formula Renault in 2005, the team is currently testing in preperation for the BARC Championship with Michael at the wheel and the team is in negotiations for a second drive in either the BARC or UK Formula Renault Championships.
12/1/2006 - Drive available for Formula Renault UK or BARC
Vitulli Racing has a competitive drive available for either the UK or BARC Formula Renault Championships.
Drivers can check out this years calendar for both series.
Interested drivers with queries can contact John Vitulli for complete package information to suit requirements.
5/1/2006 - Formula Renault Championship Calendars
The 2006 Formula Renault UK and BARC Championship calendars are now available and can be viewed in the Calendar Section.
Ten double-header race meetings are scheduled for the UK series, commencing on April 8th at Brands Hatch Indy and concluding on October 15th at Silvertone National circuit visiting Donington Park along the way on September 9th for the now well established World Series by Renault.
After a successful opening year for the BARC Series, the championship visits eight circuits, with 12-rounds in total, four of which double-headers at Croft, Snetterton, Pembrey and Brands Hatch. The championship starts at Silverstone on April 22nd and finishing the year at Brands Hatch on September 24th supporting the BTCC.