Wales’s top racing driver has been signed by a Chinese-backed motorsport team with Formula One ambitions.
Hywel Lloyd has teamed up with Sino Vision Racing for a new assault on the British F3 International Series.
Lloyd, the 25-year-old former Formula Renault BARC champion, will be part of a two-man team along with Hong Kong’s Adderly Fong – and the glittering prize for both is the prospect of moving closer to Formula One.
It’s a major boost to the Welsh-speaker from Corwen who has been signed by Sino Vision to help Fong make the jump to the sport’s big time.
Lloyd and his CF Racing team will be part of the Silverstone-based Sino Vision outfit after being courted by the Chinese at Macau in November.
He said: “I’m really excited about the new season – they have made us a really good offer and I was really impressed by how determined they are to do well.
“They’re very professional and very well organised and we’ll be based at Silverstone which is the home of British motor racing but we’ll be keeping the CF Racing marquee and my dragon logo.
“I know from my first test in Valencia that the car was is an improvement on what we had at CF Racing in 2010. Having spent a few more days with the guys back in the workshop it is very clear to me that the motivation is very high for the coming season.
“I am looking forward to the first test at Rockingham and being able to build on what we have learned already before the first race and push for the podium.”
Sino Vision Team Manager Chris Churchill said: “We’ve seen the talent in Hywel. He has showed real potential as we’ve watched him over the last couple of years.
“Hywel is a great individual to have in the team and both he and Adderly will push each other to get more from car and team.
“We know Hywel has the ability to run at the front and he is an important part of the mix, he gets on well with Adderly and he brings plenty of experience of British F3 to the team.
“Our goal is to get our drivers in the top ten and pushing for podium places. We know that’s going to be tough but that’s the challenge for us.
“Motorsport is becoming increasingly popular in China, we have backing from Chinese industry and there is huge interest there in how we get on.”
The Sino Vision approach was first made to Lloyd in November when he and his father, CF Racing Team Manager Harry Lloyd, travelled to the Far East for the Macau Grand Prix.
Lloyd added: “They’re a new team and they competed in F3 last year. They approached us at Macau in November and had a chat and offered us a test at Valencia.
“We went to Spain in December and that went very well. We had a very good test and they came up with a really good offer.”
Lloyd is now awaiting a new upgrade to the Mercedes engine for his F3 Dallara chassis which will also undergo a new paint job, exchanging its black and red livery for the red and yellow of Sino-Vision – both the Welsh dragon and the CF Racing – Corwen Forestry – logo will still be prominently displayed.
Lloyd and the 20-year-old Fong will start testing the cars next week and it will be a boost for the Welshman to have a partner this season: “It should make a big difference,” he said.
“We will be able to compare notes and try out new set-ups much more easily and quickly.
“Getting the car right for qualifying should be much better and that is crucial if we’re going to have a good season.
“At a lot of the circuits it is vital to be up at the sharp end of the grid otherwise you’re trying to fight your way through the field and that’s not easy when there aren’t many places to pass.
“It should mean we’re much more competitive from the start and there’s a real sense of optimism about the season.
“I will be working with Adderly but there will be some healthy competition too and that can work for us as well.”
The new British F3 International Series starts on April 16 at Monza in Italy and home fans will get their first chance to see Lloyd in action in the new car the following weekend at Oulton Park.
For more on Hywel Lloyd and his CF Racing team go to http://www.f3racing.co.uk
