Riki Christodoulou
Encyclopedia
Riki James Christodoulou (born 15 July 1988 in Sutton Coldfield
) is a British
racing driver and is the cousin of Adam Christodoulou
, the winner of the 2008 Formula Renault UK Championship
.
, Italy
, France
, Belgium
, including winning at Spa, and in Japan
. However, it wasn't until 1999 when he started to make waves on the British karting circuit. He won the Shennington Kart Club's Formula Cadet class, edging out cousin Adam by only two points – 217 to 215. Both Christodoulous struggled the following season, with Adam coming 7th and Riki 14th. Riki got the edge on Adam in the National Cadet Championship, with Riki finishing 5th, 60 points behind champion Alexander Sims
. After a somewhat disappointing 2001 in the TKM class, Riki moved into the Intercontinental A Junior class for 2002. 5th place in the Super 1 JICA Championship led him towards a championship campaign in 2003. He did indeed win the championship, edging out Freddie Martin-Dye by just 2 points. He and Martin-Dye both moved up into the main ICA class, and Riki finished joint third in the championship – amazingly missing out on the title by 3 points, finishing tied with Dan Cruttenden. Formula A beckoned and Riki ended 2005 with two runner-up positions – losing to Jason Edgar in the British Open and Mark Litchfield in Super 1 (Riki tied with Gary Catt and Jason Parrott for second). Riki's final season of karting came in 2006, when he had another 2nd – this time coming in the European Championship – beaten only by legendary Italian
Marco Ardigò.
. Riki had a solid season, with 7 podiums including a maiden victory coming at the final round at Thruxton
leaving him sixth in the championship. Another Winter Series campaign followed, and while the series was dominated the non-points-scoring Valtteri Bottas
, Christo finished runner-up behind Richard Singleton. Riki also won a round of the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup
at Oschersleben
. A sophomore season of FRUK occurred in 2008, and again Riki scored consistently, with nine podiums and two wins for a fifth place overall championship standing. Cousin Adam went on to win the title with 7 wins and eleven podiums.
for the 2009 season
, and at the first pre-season test, Riki was underneath the Formula Three lap record at Snetterton
. On April 3, 2009 Christodoulou signed a deal to drive for Fortec Motorsport
in the series. Riki took his first win in the series at Snetterton, holding off championship leader Daniel Ricciardo
, Walter Grubmüller and Renger van der Zande
. That was his only success of 2009, as he wound up fifth overall in the championship standings.
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
racing driver and is the cousin of Adam Christodoulou
Adam Christodoulou
Adam Robert Christodoulou is a British racing driver, who won the 2008 British Formula Renault Championship, also won the 2009 Star Mazda Championship in the United States. His cousin Riki Christodoulou is also an emerging racing driver, currently competing in British Formula...
, the winner of the 2008 Formula Renault UK Championship
2008 Formula Renault UK season
The 2008 Formula Renault UK season was the 20th British Formula Renault Championship season. The season began at Brands Hatch on March 29 and finished at the same venue on September 21, after twenty rounds...
.
Karting
Christodoulou began racing in 1996, and has raced karts in the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, including winning at Spa, and in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. However, it wasn't until 1999 when he started to make waves on the British karting circuit. He won the Shennington Kart Club's Formula Cadet class, edging out cousin Adam by only two points – 217 to 215. Both Christodoulous struggled the following season, with Adam coming 7th and Riki 14th. Riki got the edge on Adam in the National Cadet Championship, with Riki finishing 5th, 60 points behind champion Alexander Sims
Alexander Sims (racing driver)
Alexander Sims is a British racing driver. He currently resides in Wansford. Sims is currently racing in GP3 Series with Status Grand Prix. He was the winner of the 2008 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award for promising young British drivers...
. After a somewhat disappointing 2001 in the TKM class, Riki moved into the Intercontinental A Junior class for 2002. 5th place in the Super 1 JICA Championship led him towards a championship campaign in 2003. He did indeed win the championship, edging out Freddie Martin-Dye by just 2 points. He and Martin-Dye both moved up into the main ICA class, and Riki finished joint third in the championship – amazingly missing out on the title by 3 points, finishing tied with Dan Cruttenden. Formula A beckoned and Riki ended 2005 with two runner-up positions – losing to Jason Edgar in the British Open and Mark Litchfield in Super 1 (Riki tied with Gary Catt and Jason Parrott for second). Riki's final season of karting came in 2006, when he had another 2nd – this time coming in the European Championship – beaten only by legendary Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Marco Ardigò.
Formula Renault
Riki moved up to Formula Renault for the 2006 UK Winter Series. Driving for the AKA Lemac team, Riki finished 5th in the championship, which was dominated by French interloper Franck Mailleux. He competed in the main championship for the first time in 2007, moving to Fortec MotorsportFortec Motorsport
Fortec Motorsport Ltd. is a motor-racing team that races in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, the British Formula Three Championship, and several junior formulae categories at a British and pan-European level...
. Riki had a solid season, with 7 podiums including a maiden victory coming at the final round at Thruxton
Thruxton Circuit
Thruxton Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England which is used to host a number of motorsport events including British Touring Cars and Formula 3 racing....
leaving him sixth in the championship. Another Winter Series campaign followed, and while the series was dominated the non-points-scoring Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Bottas is a Finnish racing driver. He currently resides in Oxford, United Kingdom.-Career:Bottas won both the 2008 Formula Renault Eurocup and the 2008 Formula Renault Northern European Cup...
, Christo finished runner-up behind Richard Singleton. Riki also won a round of the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup
Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup
The Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup is a Formula Renault 2.0 championship held on Northern Europe...
at Oschersleben
Motorsport Arena Oschersleben
The Motorsport Arena Oschersleben is long race track with a width of 11 – 13 meters and elevation changes of 23 metres. The circuit is located in Oschersleben, Börde , Northern Germany...
. A sophomore season of FRUK occurred in 2008, and again Riki scored consistently, with nine podiums and two wins for a fifth place overall championship standing. Cousin Adam went on to win the title with 7 wins and eleven podiums.
Formula Three
Riki was looking to move up into the British Formula Three ChampionshipBritish Formula Three Championship
The British Formula Three Championship is an international motor racing series that takes place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It is a junior-level feeder formula that uses small single seater Formula Three chassis. Its current official title is...
for the 2009 season
2009 British Formula Three season
The 2009 British Formula Three season was the 59th British Formula Three Championship season. It began on 13 April at Oulton Park's Easter Monday meeting and ended on 20 September at Brands Hatch after 20 rounds in four different countries...
, and at the first pre-season test, Riki was underneath the Formula Three lap record at Snetterton
Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit
Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Norfolk, England. Owned by MotorSport Vision, it is situated on the A11 road some 20 km north-east of the town of Thetford and 30 km south-west of the city of Norwich...
. On April 3, 2009 Christodoulou signed a deal to drive for Fortec Motorsport
Fortec Motorsport
Fortec Motorsport Ltd. is a motor-racing team that races in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, the British Formula Three Championship, and several junior formulae categories at a British and pan-European level...
in the series. Riki took his first win in the series at Snetterton, holding off championship leader Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo is an Australian racing driver currently competing in Formula 1 for Hispania Racing. He won the British Formula Three Championship in 2009.-Formula Ford and Formula BMW:...
, Walter Grubmüller and Renger van der Zande
Renger van der Zande
Renger van der Zande is a Dutch racecar driver. He is the son of the 1978 National Dutch Rallycross Champion with VW Golf 1600 Ronald van der Zande.-Career:...
. That was his only success of 2009, as he wound up fifth overall in the championship standings.