CONOR DALY CROWNED MRF F2000 INTERNATIONAL CHAMPION

The 2012 edition of the MRF F2000 was concluded in Chennai last month, and it was the American GP3 driver Conor Daly who bagged the first ever MRF F2000 International title. Before the weekend races even started, Conor was already the top contender for the championship. The first day proved crucial and Conor seemed focused, but in the first race it was British driver Josh Hill, son of 1996 Formula One Champion Damon Hill, who dominated on debut at the Madras Motor Race Track. Hill beat pole sitter Jon Lancaster and Formula 2 Champion Luciano Bacheta to win Race 1 comfortably. Meanwhile, Alice Powell, who started 5th on the grid, was given a drive-through penalty for jumping the start and fell back to 12th position. GP3 driver Conor Daly, who had a miserable qualifying session and started 13th on the grid, had a superb race and managed to finish in a brilliant 6th place. This allowed Conor to start on pole for Race 2, and the American once again showcased his brilliant talent and led from start to finish to take victory by over 11 seconds. There was a close battle for the positions behind him, with Belgium driver Sam Dejonghe finishing just a second ahead of Jordan King.

On Day 2, Conor Daly needed just one win to secure the title, but in the first race he couldn’t even secure a podium finish.  Jordan King was the victor this time round as he led from pole to finish. Following him very closely behind was his compatriots Jon Lancaster and Josh Hill. The three drivers stuck close together throughout the race with Hill unable to find a way past Lancaster to even think of challenging King and the result was an all-British podium.

The final Race was the last chance for the American to secure the title, and Conor demonstrated why he deserved the title. The American drove brilliantly and had a convincing win over Jon Lancaster and Josh Hill. The victory meant that Conor was crowned the first ever MRF F2000 International champion. But although Conor won the championship, the best driver of the weekend had to be Josh Hill as he finished on the podium 3 times in 4 races.