Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 team Manor MP Motorsport is delighted to confirm the first two drivers for its exciting three-car championship challenging line-up after today, Friday, 24th January, agreeing deals with podium finisher Andrea Pizzitola and fellow front-runner Steijn Schothorst – the squad’s third Eurocup driver will be revealed in due course.
The successful Anglo-Dutch team, which steered Britain’s Oliver Rowland to the Vice-Champion’s position in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 last year, is determined to go one better this time around and is confident Pizzitola and Schothorst will be one of the strongest driver pairings in the series.
Pizzitola, from Montpellier in France, secured his maiden Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 podium last season on his way to 13th in the championship, during a year which also included a strong run in the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup (NEC) where he claimed a race win, pole position and two other podiums en-route to sixth in the title chase.
The Frenchman also combined Eurocup and NEC programmes in 2012, taking four podiums in the latter, after graduating from French Formula 4 where he was 2011 Vice-Champion with three race victories and a total of seven podiums. He began his career in karting in 2009 and actually debuted in cars in the French Renault Clio Cup before turning his attention to single-seaters.
Dutch 19-year-old Schothorst, who is currently competing in the New Zealand-based Toyota Racing Series for the second year in succession, returns to Manor MP Motorsport for the 2014 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 season having raced with the squad in Formula Renault 2.0 NEC in 2012.
Starting out his car racing career in the Formido Swift Cup in 2010, Schothorst then progressed into Formula Ford the following year where he was fourth overall with three wins in the 2011 Formula Ford Duratec Benelux series.
Making his Formula Renault debut with Manor MP Motorsport in 2012, he dovetailed Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula Renault 2.0 NEC programmes – taking two wins in the latter and finishing fifth overall. In 2013, Schothorst was fifth again in the NEC category after beginning the year fourth overall in the Toyota Racing Series with one victory.
“It’s fantastic to have two young drivers as quick as Andrea and Steijn confirmed for the new season, they’re proven front-runners and should be podium regulars”, commented Manor MP Motorsport’s Tony Shaw, “We were really close to winning the championship with Oli [Rowland] last season and we’re confident we have a good chance of battling for the title again this year.
“We’re looking forward to working with Andrea for the first time, he’s a top quality driver and has two years of experience under his belt now. With Steijn, we’re all delighted to welcome him back to the team and sure it’s going to be a great season for him.”
Motorland Aragon in Spain will host the opening two rounds of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 season on 26th/27th April, running in support – as always – to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series as part of the ‘World Series by Renault’ motor racing tour.
Manor MP Motorsport Press Release
