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CITY OF
DARWIN SUPER PRIX 'WIDE OPEN' SAY F3 DRIVERS
 FORMULA
3 Australian Drivers Championship drivers believe this weekends City of
Darwin F3 SuperPrix event at Hidden Valley will be ‘wide open’ – and in
more ways than one.
It marks the first time that Australian Formula 3 will have visited the
2.8km circuit near Darwin, characterised by its 1.1km long straight and
fast, technical corners. As such, all drivers this weekend – from
experienced former champions to the newest of rookies – believe the
playing field will potentially be at its most even ever.
“It is the first completely ‘neutral’ round the series has had in years,
and that makes me more excited about it than ever,” North Queensland
Mango farmer-come racing driver John Magro enthused.
Magro had a mixed experience during the opening round of the
championship at Winton Raceway in May, showing plenty of speed by taking
his career first pole position – but only finishing one of the races
after a collision with Bryce Moore in race two left him sidelined and
out of action.
He believes this weekend will be critical towards recovering some of the
lost points from the first round.
“It really is going to be a case of the driver who can learn the track
the quickest and the team who can dial in a car the quickest who will
prevail. I’ve got a team (Team BRM) who have won four of the last five
championships on my side so naturally I’m feeling pretty confident about
their abilities of dialling in the car!”
Magro added that the round would also be ‘wide open’ in another way – in
terms of speed. Whilst F3 cars aren’t necessarily noted for their
top-end speed – they produce their remarkable lap times through
cornering – teams are still estimating that they will top out at nearly
260km/hr on the long start-finish straight this weekend.
“I think top speed will be comparable to a place like Phillip Island –
well above 250km/hr – but no where we race do we encounter a long
straight like Hidden Valley,” Magro explained. “Phillip Island’s top
speed comes because we have a really quick corner coming onto the
straight. Here it will be just because the straight is really, really
long, full stop. And it’s going to make things interesting in these
cars.
“What will be most exciting from a drivers standpoint will be braking at
the end of it – F3 cars can generate much more than 2Gs under brakes and
it will be one of the bigger ‘stops’ of the season. I think it will be a
great passing spot if you can pick up a tow down the straight, although
I hope to be out in front of any of that!”
Whilst Magro seeks more outright wins, Queenslander Ben Gersekowski
heads to Hidden Valley seeking something slightly different - an
extended advantage in the $50,000 Forpark Australia F3 Scholarship, an
innovative prize for young drivers that goes towards funding a full
championship campaign in 2012.
 Gersekowski
– a full time apprentice during the working week - impressed with his
speed at Winton and is another to believe that Hidden Valley offers him
the best possible chance to build a margin in his point’s battle.
“It’s going to be a case of who can get the setup right, and who can get
out there first and come to grips with the track,” the BF Racing driver
said. “I’m really pleased with how we went in race two at Winton – it
made up for race one (when a clutch failed mid-race). All the learning
and practice I’m getting is starting to pay off in the results we are
starting to get – and the fact no one else has been to Darwin makes it
even better for this weekend. The best thing is there is more to come.”
The quietly spoken driver, who made his championship debut less than
twelve months ago, said the Hidden Valley circuit would be ‘perfectly
suited’ to the Formula 3 cars.
“It looks like the perfect track for F3 cars,” he said. “I’ve been
watching lots of onboard from the V8 Supercars to prepare for it, and
also using a simulator to drive the track and I think it will be
fantastic in our cars – a really good mix of flowing corners and some
great passing opportunities.”
The Darwin F3 SuperPrix will be contested over three races this weekend
as part of the SkyCity Triple Crown V8 Supercar Event. The winner will
take home the inaugural City of Darwin Cup – the field this weekend
sporting distinctive ‘Darwin’ signage across their noses to signify the
new event.
Pics: Dirk Klynsmith / Graphic DAK Photos
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