Word has it that he’s set to be the man to lead the charge of the 1Malaysia F1 team. If he is, then Fairuz Fauzy certainly did his reputation no harm with two podium finishes in Round 8 of the Formula Renault 3.5 World Series held at the Nurburgring over the weekend.

Fairuz, racing for team MOFAZFortec Motorsport with Sten Pentus, took pole position during the qualifying sessions, beating championship leader Bertrand Baguette of International Draco Racing and Jon Lancaster of Comtec Racing to become the fastest driver in qualifying.

However, that was not sufficient for a pole position start, as Fairuz and Pentus, merely qualified for the SuperPole lineup, from which they had to compete with the likes of Charles Pic, Brendon Hartley and Oliver Turvey for the first position on the grid. Hartley triumphed in this battle, with Fairuz having to start Race 1 from 5th placing.

Fairuz in action.

After a cautious start, which saw him drop to as low as ninth place Fairuz ramped it up in the latter stages of the race, advancing past Jaime (no, not our Jaime) Alguersuari, Daniil Move, and Jon Lancaster to secure a second-placed finish for the day.

The Jalur Gemilang flies in the Nurburgring

For Race 2, MOFAZ played a more defensive strategy, as Fairuz secured third position early, and held on to it with dear life. At the end, third was where Fairuz finished, as the Malaysian celebrated Hari Raya with a double podium finish.

Fairuz (right) on the podium a second time.

When interviewed, Fairuz was quoted as saying,”Alhamdulillah, I am thankful for the blessings that the team and I have received on this glorious day of Aidilfitri. I must say that having such a strong support network, especially with AirAsia coming on board as our official airline, has helped boost the overall confidence and motivation for every member of the team.”

With rumour mill working over time on him being set to helm the 1Malaysia F1 Team’s challenge in the next Formula 1 season, it would be interesting to see how Fairuz and his team MOFAZFortec Motorsport handle all the associated pressure and media speculation in the coming months.

Formula 1 beckons?

Team MOFAZFortec Motorsport will be back in action on the 23^rd – 25^th of October 2009, when they battle it out to secure the top 3 positions within the World Series by Renault 2009 Finals at Motorland Aragon, Spain.

KON

This weekend, aspiring Malaysian driver Fairuz Fauzy of MOFAZFortec Motorsport team is set to compete in the World Series Formula Renault 3.5 at the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. Having just secured his first win in the last round of the series at the Hungaroring Circuit in Hungary, Fairuz, with the help of teammate Sten Pentus is intent on keeping the run going with a second successive victory at Silverstone.

Fairuz powering his way to victory at Hungary

Regarded by many as the penultimate step prior to Formula 1, the World Series Formula Renault 3.5 began in 2005 as a merger of the Eurocup Formula Renault V6 and the World Series by Nissan. A total of thirteen two-car teams are invited, all competing in car with uniform design complying to stringent F1 safety regulations. The cars are powered by a 3,498cc V6 engine producing 425bhp @ 8,250rpm. Weighing only 600kg, the car is capable of a 300kph top speed.

Even with only a 3.5 V6, these cars are capable of 300kph

The sole Asian on the grid, Fairuz has been competing with senior go-karters in the international level at the age of 12, having been crowned Champion of the ASEAN Kart Prix for five successive years from 1996 to 2000. He has since moved on to the Formula Ford Zetec Championship, then GP2 before representing Malaysia in the A1 GP. Should he continue is path of excellence in Formula Renault entry into the prestigious, though now dishevelled, Formula 1 beckons for the aspiring driver.

Fairuz on the podium.

Racing alongside Fairuz is Estonian Sten Pentus, who joined MOFAZFortec only this year, having tested in GP2 and Formula Renault the year before. According to MOFAZFortec, Pentus receives great support from his government being one of the brightest racing prospects to have emerged from his country. Malaysians wishing to catch Fairuz in action can do so live by tuning in to Eurosport Channel (Astro Channel 814) on Saturday, 4 July 2009, at 8:30pm.

Can he do it again?

KON