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PROVISIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
After Round 8 of 8

1.Tim Macrow (Cooltemp Racing / Scud Racing Dallara F304 - Spiess Opel) 208
2.Leanne Tander (Fleetcare TanderSport Dallara F304 - Spiess Opel) 206
3.Charlie Hollings (Astuti Motorsport Dallara F304 - Spiess Opel) 199
J4.ames Winslow (Team BRM Dallara F304 – Spiess Opel) 133
5.Marco Mapelli (Team BRM Dallara F304 – Spiess Opel) 114
6.Mat Sofi (Total Developments Dallara F304 – Mugen Honda) 71
7.Stuart Kostera (Team BRM Dallara F304 – Renault Sodemo) 68
8.Barton Mawer (Team BRM Dallara F304 – Spiess Opel) 52
9.Chris Gilmour (Gilmour Racing Dallara F304 – Spiess Opel) 52
10.Michael Trimble (Astuti Motorsport Dallara F304 – Renault Sodemo) 46

NATIONAL CLASS:

1. Chris Barry 269
2. Lauren Gray 121
3.
John Boothman 102
4. Daniel Schulz 92
5. Jesse Wakeman 87
6.
Gordon Campbell 22

TROPHY CLASS

1. Rod Anderson 183
2. Graeme Holmes 134
3. Samantha Reid 38
4. Greg Hunter 30

 

 

 

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2007 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 championship

Tim Macrow wins 2007 Kumho Tyres Australian F3  Title

Tim Macrow has come from third position in the standings and fourth on the grid for race two to win the 2007 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship and the 51st Australian Drivers Championship for the CAMS Gold Star at Oran Park.

Although the full championship results will remain provisional due to the investigation of an incident in Friday Practice – with a hearing to be held at a later date – Macrow won Sunday's second race after leaping from the second row of the grid and leading the 15-lap duration. Macrow finished the championship with 208 points, finishing two ahead of Leanne Tander (206) and seven ahead of Charlie Hollings (199).

Tander finished  race two second, whilst Hollings finished fourth after Barton Mawer made an aggressive move on the start to force him behind the Team BRM entry. Macrow led lights-to-flag in race two, setting fastest lap and eventually leading Tander to the flag by 2.5 seconds. The championship was a relief for Macrow who has often finished in the runner-up position in the championships he has contested.

In 2004 he finished second by just one point in the Australian Formula Ford Championship before finishing second in Formula 3 last year, behind dominating champion Ben Clucas.His win in the Australian Drivers Championship also means he now holds an award that his dad Peter narrowly missed out on in the 1980s after he too finished second. Macrow completes an amazing few seasons for his family after elder brother Adam won the Fujitsu V8 Supercar series last year. In 46 Formula 3 championship race starts Macrow amassed a record that includes 7 wins and 25 podium finishes.

After an emotional celebration with his team and family, 23-year-old Macrow said that he saved his very best Formula 3 race for last. ”That was my best ever race,” he said. ”I simply can’t believe it. I didn’t qualify well for race two and started fourth so to win the race and get the championship from there is amazing. I nailed the start, it was the best ever start I have made in anything. The start was crucial because whoever won the first lap was probably going to win the race. This team has done an amazing job. I have to thank Bevan (Carrick, car owner) and Gary (Sturdy, mechanic / engineer) and all of my guys for their work. They made some inspired changes to the car between races one and two and it was just perfect.”

The result means Macrow becomes the 51st driver to be called Australian Drivers Champion and will receive the CAMS Gold Star at the Australian Motorsport Awards in December. He said that the result has special meaning for both his family and himself. ”To be able to win the Gold Star after Dad finished second so many years ago is special,” he enthused. ”It means a lot. It’s a major award and to win it like this is amazing. We are a small team. Everyone is a volunteer and puts in so much so the result is just fantastic.”

Tim singled out his championship rivals for praise after a long and competitive 16-race championship. ”This weekend was great. Leanne and Charlie fought hard and it just happened that it was just us that came out on top – but they both did great jobs,” he said.”It’s been a long and hard championship and to have it come down to a race between three drivers to win the Gold Star is a great result for everyone involved and the championship.”

For more information please visit www.formula3.com.au

 

Brilliant Bart wins Country Club Tasmania Formula 3 SuperPrix, Tander takes series lead

Sydney driver Barton Mawer has won a dramatic Country Club Tasmania Formula 3 SuperPrix at Symmons Plains raceway in Tasmania today.

Opes Prime / Team BRM driver Mawer held off concerted pressure from Leanne Tander for the 30-lap duration of the event, securing a five-night accommodation package from Country Club Tasmania for two, as well as the inaugural John Bowe Trophy.

The race was dramatic for several reasons, not the least for it’s affect on the championship standings – the points order completely reversed heading into the final round with Leanne Tander now leading Tim Macrow and Charlie Hollings in the race for the CAMS Gold Star. Mawer made the best start and led the field into turn one, polesitter Charlie Hollings slotting into second ahead of Tander and Winslow.

In dramatic fashion, Marco Mapelli and Winslow clashed heading down the high speed back stretch, leaving the Opes Prime driver spinning off the circuit and into retirement – a cruel way to end his weekend after a storming race one win. Mapelli was later black-flagged as a result of the incident and was relegated to fifth at the flag.

The dramas continued just a few moments later when points leader Charlie Hollings’ Astuti Motorsport Dallara broke it’s gearbox, leaving him slowing dramatically and stuck in third gear for the remainder of the race.

Hollings eventually limped the car to the flag three laps down in ninth place to secure four vital points to keep him well in the hunt. A three-lap sprint the flag completed the drama after Mat Sofi collected Daniel Schulz – who was a lap behind – on the run into the hairpin.

The Total Developments car was stranded on the circuit and brought the day’s second safety car out to the track. On the restart Mawer’s Opes Prime / BRM entry was able to hold off concerted pressure from Tander and a resurgent Macrow – who survived the carnage to finish on the podium – to record a stunning victory.

”I can’t believe it, I’m over the moon,” Mawer enthused.  ”It’s been a very long time between drinks for me because my last real race win in this category was about 2003 so I’m just stoked.  ”I entered the championship at the last round and since then it’s been fantastic. This win is a credit to Opes Prime and Team BRM for preparing the car. It’s a great feeling.  ”Everyone knows what John (Bowe) has done in Australian Motorsport so to win the Trophy named after him is a great honour. I’m also looking forward to coming down here soon to take up my five nights at the Country Club!"

Leanne Tander applied pressure to Mawer at the end of the race however resisted the temptation to make a last-ditch lunge at the eventual winner. ”I’m happy with second because it’s put us in a great position in the championship,” Tander said.”Our car was good but I just didn’t quite have the pace to get Barton. In the end I guess I settled for second and the championship points.”It’s been a great weekend. The event has been successful and I’m really pleased to be leading in the championship.”Macrow’s day was a tale of the great escape, getting onto the podium despite a lack of pace in comparison to the leading contenders.”I’m pleased,” he said.”Third is a good result given we didn’t really have the pace to compete for the win this weekend. It’s a reward for the team and for our championship. We may not be leading but we’re not far behind so we are still very much a shot at this.”The championship is as close as ever but its Leanne Tander leading for the first time this year – now with 176 points to Macrow’s 172.

Hollings sits third (169) with James Winslow some 36 points from the lead now the last realistic title contender.

The final round of the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship will be held at Sydney’s Oran Park Raceway in November.

Race Results – Country Club Tasmania Formula 3 SuperPrix

1. Barton Mawer
2. Leanne Tander
3. Tim Macrow
4. Chris Gilmour
5. Marco Mapelli

 

Winslow beats Tander after close combat in race one at Symmons Plains

James Winslow has won the first race in round seven of the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship today after defeating Leanne Tander after 24 laps of hand-to-hand combat at Symmons Plains

The 24-lap race was a stunning lead in to this afternoons Inaugural Country Club Tasmania Formula 3 SuperPrix, to be held at 2:45pm over 30-laps.  Winslow and Tander swapped the lead three times in the race, with Team Opes Prime driver Winslow scoring his third win of the season with a late-race pass at the notorious Symmons Hairpin with less than six laps to go.

Tander – who had assumed the lead with a bold move on Winslow following a mid-race safety car period – settled for second but launched herself into second in the championship in the process.

The race featured outstandingly close racing between the pair, never split by more than a second for the entire race distance and often side-by-side as they disputed the lead.Both hailed clean driving as one of the key things to producing the result. ”It was a great race but we gave each other racing room and because of that we were able to have a great fight,” Winslow said. ”For a couple of laps there had been Yellow flags before the hairpin. On the lap when I got past I checked really early, saw that it was clear, and went for the move. Leanne gave me room.”To her credit she didn’t push me wide when she passed me (at turn five) so it was kind of returning the favour.”

Tander mused a lost opportunity, but was pleased to have closed on the championship lead. ”We had the pace, I just didn’t hold onto the lead when I needed to,” she said. ”It was a great race though and the championship points were great given we finished ahead of Hollings and Macrow."

Charlie Hollings and Barton Mawer fought out third position for a majority of the race, Mawer coming home to give Team Opes Prime / BRM a 1 – 3 finish and score himself his first F3 podium since 2003. Hollings’ finished fourth and in the process elevated himself into the points lead.

After race one, Hollings (165) now leads Tander (161) and Macrow (160) in the battle for the Australian Drivers Championship. Macrow had a desperately disappointing race, running sixth early on before contact from behind at the hairpin saw him make contact with the wall. With font-wing damage he limped his Cooltemp / Scud Racing car home in seventh place in an act of damage limitation.

Astuti Motorsport’s Daniel Schulz finished fifth, whilst Macro Mapelli recovered to sixth after running as high as fourth early on – only running off the track when he made contact with Mawer early in the race as they battled for the podium position.

The Safety car was called once, after Rod Anderson spun at he hairpin and was unable to move his car.Anderson joined Stuart Kostera, Sofi and Samantha Reid as the retiree’s from the event.

The seventh round of the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship will be completed this afternoon with the 30-lap Country Club Tasmania Formula 3 SuperPrix, drivers racing for over $5000 in prizes and the all-new John Bowe Trophy.

Race 1 Results:

1. James Winslow
2. Leanne Tander
3. Barton Mawer
4. Charlie Hollings
5. Daniel Schulz 

 

Tander and Macrow beat the drama and the weather in wild Phillip Island F3 fight

The most competitive fight for the Australian Drivers Championship in years has got even closer following a wet and wild round of the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship held today at Phillip Island.

Tim Macrow and Leanne Tander shared the glory in a day of high drama, Macrow regaining the championship lead after winning a race for the third time this year, whilst Tander won her second race of the season to follow up from her debut F3 win at the Island in May this year.

Macrow now leads Charlie Hollings by two points, with Tander still well in contention a further nine points back with just two rounds (four races) remaining.

Macrow took a stunning victory in a race one after following polesitter James Winslow for all bar one of the races 14 laps.
Winslow took an early lead on a wet circuit but faced continual pressure from Macrow for most of the race. After a mid race safety-car period Macrow continued to attack and with Winslow’s tyres withering was able to execute a dramatic pass at Siberia (turn five) on the final lap.

Winslow slipped to third, with a fast-finishing Charlie Hollings – who conserved his tyres early on the drying circuit – leaping from fifth to second in the last five laps.

Tander slipped from an early third to finish the tough race in sixth position, behind an impressive Daniel Schulz and Marco Mapelli.

Race two began in even wetter conditions and was marred by three safety car periods within the first six racing laps.

The first was to remove the damaged car of National Class Champion Chris Barry – who crashed heavily at turn one – and also to remove Mat Sofi’s Dallara after its engine failed.

Following the restart – after less than half a lap of racing – Barton Mawer fired his Team Opes Prime Dallara off the circuit at the final corner, becoming bogged in the waterlogged outfield. A subsequent caution to remove the damaged cars of Marco Mapelli and Graeme Holmes meant that there was just one racing lap in the first six of the race.

On newer tyres and in an aggressive frame of mind, Leanne Tander quickly passed Charlie Hollings on the resumption of racing and then assumed the lead with a bold outside pass on Macrow over Lukey heights just a few laps later.

She won the race by over five seconds, with Macrow holding of Hollings to the line to retake the championship lead. Schulz was again an impressive fourth, leading home Chris Gilmour as the last of the surviving Championship-class runners.

James Winslow (broken fourth gear), joined a long line of retirements including Mapelli, Mawer, Holmes and Barry in a dramatic and attrition-filled race.

Ian Dyk failed to start the race after his Scud Racing team discovered a cracked rear-wing mount moments before the race began, whilst Impressive South Australian teenager Jesse Wakeman won the National Class in style.

A relieved Macrow said the tough weekend was worth it for his regained championship points lead.

“I was just happy to finish second in the second race to be sure I got the championship lead,” he said.

“We had old rubber on the car and had it dried it further it would’ve been fine – but I couldn’t get heat into them with the safety cars and I just wanted to finish. Race one was rough but it was a fantastic result. The entire team has done such an excellent job.

”I was happy to be second in R2 to make sure I got the championship lead, so it’s been a tough but very good weekend for us.”

Tander said that the race two win made up for the dramas of the day’s first event.

”In the race I did poorly in Tim and Charlie happened to do well so It wasn’t great for us,” she said.

”But I got plenty of points back when I won race two which was fantastic. To win this championship someone is going to need to win the next couple of races, it’s that competitive. We are looking good for at least third, although it’s still not good enough, but I’m just going out to focus on winning the next four races and the championship will look after itself.

Charlie Hollings – the points leader before the round – said that he found the weekend an exercise in damage limitation.

“We had loads of understeer in race two,” Hollings said.

”We couldn’t risk making a pass and we were just tip-toeing around. When the weather is like this it’s all about damage limitation and making sure we get the points in the end. It’s still very close.

”Race one was a good result, to come from sixth to second. We were quick at the end and we got some good points."

The next (penultimate) round of the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship for the CAMS Gold Star will be held at Symmons Plains raceway on September 1 – 2.

For more information head to www.formula3.com.au

Eastern Creek

It was an Italian themed day at Eastern Creek raceway today as The Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship’s Italian contingent – with the help of the English – dominated proceedings at the circuit, in the fifth of eight rounds.

Astuti Motorsport – a team with an Italian owner – driver Charlie Hollings won a lights-to-flag victory in race one this morning whilst 19-year-old Italian Marco Mapelli tasted his first ever F3 win this afternoon, in a similar commanding fashion to Hollings.

Hollings win has elevated him to a clear championship lead for the first time this season, whilst Mapelli’s successful weekend sees him gain ground in the series turning it into a five way fight for outright honours.Astuti Motorsport finished 1 - 2 in this morning's opening race, Yorkshireman Charlie Hollings leading home his rear gunner Michael Trimble in the first of two events today.

Hollings made a perfect start from the second row (he qualified third) and shot past a slow starting Tim Macrow to assume the lead into turn one - with Trimble right behind.What followed as a 14-lap pressure motor race, the Astuti duo trailed by Macrow and Marco Mapelli for the entire duration, the four crossing the line split by just two seconds.Tim Macrow finished third with Mapelli banking fastest lap en route to fourth. Leanne Tander finished fifth.

It was the first 1-2 for the Astuti Motorsport team and Hollings third win of the season – one that put him into the lead of the series for the first time.

In race two Mapelli made the best jump from the line and lead the field to turn one, Tander withstanding pressure from the Astuti pair to hold second.Mapelli won the shortened 11-lap affair after establishing a stunning 1.5 second lead on the opening lap and despite pressure from Tander on the last lap, the Italian Team BRM driver held on to take his first win.Hollings finished third, Michael Trimble fourth in a consistent drive and former points leader Tim Macrow fifth.

The races’ only notable incident occurred when James Winslow was penalized for jumping the race start, relegating the Team Opes Prime car to seventh at the flag in what turned out to be a disappointing weekend. ”Seconds and thirds are great and important to a championship, but it’s great to win,” Hollings said after the second race.

”Race one was fantastic and a great result for the team and for our championship. I think we could have put pressure on Leanne in the second race but we developed an engine problem so I settled for third. It’s good to lead the championship.” He said. Mapelli was equally enthused; Tears of joy greeting the BRM team following the race win later this afternoon.

”We fast at Oran Park, fast at Phillip Island and not so good at Mallala,” Mapelli said.”But this is fantastic. I am very happy to have been able to win a race and we now also can fight for the championship!"

Hollings now leads the series by six points, with Macrow relegated to second and Leanne Tander consistent in third.

In the Kumho Tyres National Class for ’99 – ’01 model cars an intense battle was disputed all day between protagonists Daniel Schulz and Chris Barry – each taking a win apiece after being split by tenths for a majority of the weekend.Barry now has an impressive 97-point lead in the National Class championship and can wrap up the title at Phillip Island.

In the Kumho Tyres Trophy Graeme Holmes won two races and now sits second in the series – behind Rod Anderson – with three rounds to go.

The next round of the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship will be held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on August 11 – 12 as part of the Shannons National Motor Racing Championships.

 

 

Gold Star race even closer after drama fills Mallala Day, Winslow and Macrow win

The battle for the 51st Australian Drivers Championship has reached new levels of intensity following this weekend’s fourth championship round, at Mallala raceway in South Australia.

Two races today were won by James Winslow and Tim Macrow, respectively, however it wasn’t quite that clear cut.

Winslow (Team Opes Prime Dallara F304 Mugen) won a drama-filled first 18-lap affair from sixth on the grid, taking a gamble on wet-weather tyres to carve his way through the field to assume the lead before the fifth lap.

However most of the drama occurred on the opening lap when Leanne Tander and Tim Macrow controversially came together at the turn seven hairpin.

Tander tried to outbreak the championship leader on the inside of the corner when the two cars contacted – doing damage to the front wing of the Fleetcare TanderSport entry and leaving Macrow out of the race with front suspension damage.

Tander would later recover to finish a storming second however the stories varied following the clash.

”I would have won if Tim hadn’t have punted me off on lap one,” Tander said.

“I went into the corner leaving her room,” retorted Macrow, “But she seemed hell-bent on having me off into the dirt. She then finished the job by hitting me again in the sandtrap.”

On a drying circuit, Winslow won a thrilling affair by a small margin over Tander, with Stuart Kostera working his way to third place in the final corner after starting the race a lowly eighth.

“I was just hanging on and trying to get the best run out of the corners to pull away from the field as best I could because at the end I was struggling,” Said the British winner – his second for the season.

“I saw Leanne move to the inside (on the run to turn seven on the final lap) so I went to cover but she was passing Hollings. It was a pretty wild race.

”I’m really pleased to get another win, it’s fantastic.”

Marco Mapelli, Charlie Hollings and pole sitter Michael Trimble completed the top six – Trimble dropping to the back of the pack and forcing a recovery after stalling his car on the start.

Race two was a far more straightforward affair, Tim Macrow gaining the ascendency on the opening lap and running a lights-to-flag win ahead of Astuti pair Charlie Hollings and Michael Trimble.

Out of the championship battle, Trimble surrendered second to his team-mate on the final lap to allow Hollings to stay in touch with his year long rival Macrow.

Tander (4th), Winslow (5th) and Mapelli (6th) struggled to find the same performances as they had earlier in the day and resorted to finishing securing valuable championship points.

The battle for the Kumho Tyres National Class was decided in the favour of Chris Barry, who extended his already considerable championship points lead.

Daniel Schulz was second on both occasions despite gearbox dramas in the final race whilst both Lauren Gray and debutant Jesse Wakeman scored podiums in the class.

The championship battle has closed at the half-way point of the championship with Tim Macrow facing a reduced margin – he leads Hollings by just five points now – as the series heads to Eastern Creek in two weeks.

The top four contenders are covered by nine points with eight races remaining.

The next round of the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship for the CAMS Gold Star will be held at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway in two weeks time, June 13 – 15.

The opening round of the 2007 season was held there in February this season, Macrow and Kostera splitting the honours at the A1GP meeting.

 



Close title fight looms as James Winslow and Leanne Tander score maiden F3 wins, at Phillip Island

Four drivers are split by just 15 points in the battle for the Australian Drivers Championship after three rounds following debut wins for James Winslow (# 27 Team Opes Prime Dallara Mugen-Honda) and Leanne Tander (# 42 Fleetcare TanderSport Dallara Spiess Opel) today.

The pair became the fourth and fifth different winners in a season just six races old – the first time since 2005 that more than four divers have won in the first six events.

Winslow completed a remarkable comeback from a horrific start to the season by winning race one today in crushing fashion whilst Tander drove the race of her career to hold off the pack in race two to secure her first F3 win and the first for a female driver in the 51 year history of the Australian Drivers Championship.

Behind the new winners the two closest protagonists for the series title – Tim Macrow and Charlie Hollings – came to blows on track as their personal battle reached a new level today.

In clear but cool conditions Winslow lead from start to finish in race one, making a clean getaway and heading the field by 3.9 seconds at the chequered flag some 14 laps later.

Charlie Hollings held off a flying Marco Mapelli to the line by just .05s after charging from fourth on the grid on the opening lap. Both Hollings and Mapelli took advantage of a poor start by Tander, who was forced as low as seventh on the second lap of the race.

Caught up in the competitive midfield, she then waged a race long battle with Mat Sofi and Stuart Kostera to come away with fifth place, one position behind Tim Macrow’s Cooltemp / Scud Racing Dallara.

Mat Sofi – who logged the races’ quickest lap – was sixth ahead of Kostera and Geelong driver Ricky Occhipinti.

Race two started in similar fashion to the first with Winslow cleanly leading Tander into turn one.

That was until the TanderSport driver launched a daring attack on Winslow on the outside of turn one, Flying around the outside of the race one winner in a high-speed move that rocketed her to the race lead for the first time this season.

It was a lead that she wouldn’t loose, recording a 3-second win ahead of Winslow and Mapelli.

Both podium finishers were lucky to score the results they did after a charging drive from Mat Sofi who was having the event of his career.

Sofi ran as high as second – chasing down Tander – before the rear brakes of his Total Developments R-Tek F3 Dallara overheated on the 11th lap, causing him to run off the circuit at the notorious Honda hairpin and relegating him to fourth at the finish.

Behind the enthralling leading dice Macrow and Hollings came together on the first lap at the same hairpin – both then forced to work their way back to a respectable finishing order (fifth and sixth, respectively) to salvage points for their respective championship campaigns.

The mixed results ensured that the battle for the championship closed right up, with Hollings, Macrow, Winslow and Tander split by a negligible margin after three of eight rounds.

Not focussed on the championship battle, however, was Winslow – the British driver just satisfied to finally take a long-overdue debut championship race win on Australian soil.

”The car was mega, just fantastic - how an F3 car should be,” Winslow said today.

”It’s been a great weekend for us and things are certainly back on track. I really wanted to win the second race and I made a good start but I knew something wasn’t right in the early laps – I think there was a bit of an issue with the engine map which cleared later in the race.

”Leanne made an awesome, really brave move – but it’s annoying when we’re leading the race and something happens that drops you back.

"We got a really good lot of points – I’d love to go to Mallala to win both races.” He said.

Tander explained that it was an all-or-nothing move at the 260kph turn one – the fastest in the series.

“I got a tow coming down the straight as we were approaching turn one he went to the inside to defend his line, so I went to the outside to see if I could get around him,” She explained.

“It was really good for James to give me the room that he did but it was just enough to hang on – It was a little bit twitchy there but it stuck and from there on I put my head down and tried to get out of there as fast as possible!”

Chris Barry and Daniel Schulz split the wins in the Kumho Tyres National Class today, Schulz – driving his Ballarat-based CERASport Dallara – taking his maiden class win in race two and breaking Barry’s five-race streak he had maintained to that point. Barry now leads the series by a considerable margin, however, heading into round four.

Lauren Gray (Scud Racing) had a tough weekend but was able to continue to score points in her National Class campaign.

Rod Anderson and Graeme Holmes split the duties in the Trophy Class with Anderson building his solid points lead over his chasing class rivals.

The Next round of the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship will be held at South Australia's Mallala Raceway between June 30 - July 1.

Winslow's dominate win at the Island

Winslow’s started the weekend in fine style with two pole positions in qualifying on Saturday “The changes we made to the car between testing on Wednesday and practice on Friday transformed it completely,” Winslow confirmed, “Although we were starting from scratch with the new dampers, the car felt good straight away and gave me the confidence to really push.

“We found something like six-tenths on our first lap in practice and, although there was probably a bit more in it in qualifying, we know we’re a frontrunner now – just as we should have been from the start of the season. It’s frustrating that such a seemingly simple problem has been holding us back - the start of the season has effectively been wasted - but it’s good to be able to show what we’re capable of.”

Winslow made the most of his pole position in race one to take a lights to flag victory, his winning margin of 4 secs over championship rival Charlie Hollings, setting the Opes Prime car up for a strong second race.

However, despite again getting the jump at the lights, Winslow found his running down on power losing the lead to Leanne Tander at turn one, before slipping down to fourth by mid-race. A blocked injector was the suspect with Winslow lapped 1 second off thel pace when the problem suddenly cleared allowing him to stage a recovery drive to second.

”The car was just fantastic,” he said of the #27 machine, “Although I could have won both races, it’s still be been a great weekend for us, and things are certainly going in the right direction. Winning the first race has given the whole Scuderia Piccola team a lot of confidence and, even though we couldn’t repeat that in race two, we got a lot of points.

“I knew something wasn't right in the early laps, but I showed just how competitive the Opes Prime car can be. It feels really good to be able to show our true potential after a difficult start to the year, and the season starts here for us.”

The win and second place were enough to promote Winslow to fourth place in the championship standings, just 15 points off the lead, with five double-header rounds remaining. However, he insists that the bigger picture is not occupying his thoughts just yet.

“I’m not thinking about the championship after the start to the season we have had,” he confirmed, “I just want to win every remaining race, starting with both rounds at Mallala, next month.

“The team have really pulled out all the stops to find the problem and with out the full support of our title sponsor Opes Prime this would not of been possible so a really big thank you to them”

James Winslow is supported by stockbrokers Opes Prime and associate sponsors Industrie and Bob Jane T Marts.

 

For more information head to www.formula3.com.au

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