Teenager ends first event of 2013 second highest of the series regulars from 40 entries

Shahaan Engineer made a strong start, to the 2013 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup (NEC) at a cold Hockenheim in Germany over the weekend, 6th/7th April, to round-out the event as the second highest ranked NEC driver.

With an influx of vastly more experienced drivers taking part in the opening three rounds of the NEC season in order to gain extra track time, the challenge was fierce with almost 40 cars lining-up on the grid for each encounter.

Racing to seventh position in round one on Saturday afternoon, Shahaan backed that result up with a pair of top sixes on Sunday.

In qualifying he achieved a best grid slot of fifth for race two, out of 38 drivers, and started races one and three similarly high up the order in seventh place for both.

“My goal this weekend was to finish all three races whilst scoring as many points as possible”, said Shahaan, “It’s been a good start to the new season.”

As well as the record-breaking grid, the weekend’s racing also made championship history in terms of the wealth of international talent on display. No fewer than 22 countries were represented, underlining the category’s position as a key breeding ground for future F1 talent.

There are just two weeks to wait until the second event of the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC season which will take place on 20th/21st April at Germany’s Nurburgring.

Keep up-to-date with Shahaan’s latest news during the year at www.shahaan.com follow him on Twitter @ShahaanEngineer and also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ShahaanEngineer