USR Sign Mansell and Molina for 2009

UK based racing team USR has confirmed their driver line up for the 2009 World Series by Renault Championship with the highly experienced Spaniard Miguel Molina being joined by Greg Mansell, the 21-year-old son of 1992 F1 World Champion Nigel Mansell.

Greg Mansell spent last year in the United States, where he competed in the Formula Atlantic championship, and now returns to European competition. Mansell last raced in European single seaters two years ago when he competed in the British Formula 3 Series, scoring three podium finishes against some the best young driver's in the world.

This will be Miguel Molina's fourth season in the World Series by Renault Series and is joining USR after driving in 2008 for Prema Powerteam. Molina scored two wins, one pole position and two further podium finishes with the Italian team last year, accumulating 79 points to finish 4th overall at the end of the season.

USR made a hugely impressive entrance to the championship last year, finishing their first season as runners up in the team championship, just 16 points behind Tech 1 Racing. Victories in Hungary, Germany and Portugal for Fabio Carbone underlined the team's competitiveness, with the Brazilian also scoring three further podium finishes from the seventeen race starts to finish third in the drivers championship. Carbone's points tally was also supported by a late season haul by Argentine driver Esteban Guerrieri, who scored five top six finishes in final three meetings, including a podium at Le Mans in France and a win at Barcelona in the last race of the season.

"We are really pleased to announce our World Series by Renault driver line up and with Greg Mansell and Miguel Molina we have a great opportunity to go one better than we did last season," said USR Team Principle Barry Walsh. "Miguel brings a wealth of experience with him and he should be fighting for race wins from the start of the season. Greg joins us after testing with us at the end of 2008 and earlier this year, where he immediately impressed us with his speed and his technical feedback to the team. He raced against us in British F3 two years ago where he proved that he was certainly a chip off the old block! I'm sure, given the right opportunities, a Mansell will once again be standing on the podium at some of the world's greatest circuits before the end of the year."

-credit: usr