|
The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
 |
|
The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
|
|
PROVISIONAL FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS pics: Jakob Ebrey Photography
|
mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk RICCIARDO & CHILTON CLAIM FINAL-MEETING VICTORIES New champion and his team-mate are the men on top at Brands Hatch
Race 1 Daniel and his Red Bull-backed Carlin Motorsport Dallara-Volkswagen extended their lead over pursuing team-mate Max Chilton on every lap bar one - when he encountered lapped traffic - and romped home more than 15 seconds clear. Ricciardo, who was boosted pre-race by a visit from the last Australian to wear the British F3 crown, David Brabham, said: "From the start I just got away and focused on my job and didn't have to worry once about what was going on behind me. Carlin prepared an amazing car which was suited just perfectly to the conditions, which made my job quite easy. David Brabham wished me all the best and congratulated me on the title win; it's great to see him here supporting us young kids." Chilton, unfazed by smoke billowing from his blazing brake pads at the end of the warming-up lap, made a good start from the front row to slot into second at the lights but had no chance of catching Ricciardo. "I was struggling under braking the whole race," said Max, "so second is a good result." On a track notorious for its lack of overtaking opportunities, fortune favoured the brave and accurate on the opening lap. Riki Christodoulou (Fortec) and Marcus Ericsson (Raikkonen Robertson) made good starts and held station, third and fourth, all the way to the end, with Hitech's Walter Grubmuller making up a couple of places away from the line to net himself fifth. Carlos Huertas held sixth throughout, ahead of Henry Arundel all the way to the flag. Wayne Boyd made the best of a dramatic opening lap, making up three places but suffering front wing damage in the process which led to T-Sport calling him into the pits for repairs. Wayne's team-mate, Adriano Buzaid, profited from Boyd's pit stop, inheriting eighth. National Class Champion Daniel McKenzie made up an astonishing six places thanks to a lightning start and aggressive opening lap, the Fortec driver winning his class easily and collecting ninth overall, ahead of Hywel Lloyd.
Race 2
Chilton, who earlier clinched the Mirror.co.uk Challenge Cup as the
championship's leading British driver, did not put a wheel wrong as he
took advantage of a rare startline error from newly crowned champion
Ricciardo to blast into an early lead. "That meant a lot for me," said Max, "because my win in Portugal wasn't an outright victory and didn't make the headlines. This will, and that's a big relief. I loved every minute of it. It was a pretty standard F3 race around here: try to make places up at the start and, once I had done that, I knew it would be hard for anyone to pass me. The safety car was a bit of a worry but I managed to pull out a good lead after that as well." Max was additionally awarded the Sunoco Driver of the Weekend award. Marcus Ericsson also got by pole-sitter Ricciardo at the start and slotted into third, which position he held to the chequered flag, with the new champion recovering from his startline wobble to claim fourth. "A bit disappointing," said Ricciardo. "The start was a problem. As soon as I released the clutch the wheels just started spinning and I think because there's a bit of a slope on the grid I couldn't really get out of it, so I went from first to fourth. But it's been a great year, a great weekend for the team and it's great to see Max get his win." Henry Arundel finished fifth on the road but was later docked 20 seconds for a start infringement, which moved Walter Grubmuller up a place. The Austrian netted enough points from the weekend to displace his absent Hitech team-mate, Renger van der Zande, from the championship runner-up position. Daisuke Nakajima claimed sixth ahead of Wayne Boyd, the Ulsterman beating his team-mate Adriano Buzaid to seventh, with Carlos Huertas in ninth ahead of Victor Garcia, National Class winner Gabriel Dias and the final point-scorer, Jay Bridger. Arundel ended up 14th. Round 19
provisional result, Brands Hatch 20/9/2009 NOT CLASSIFIED FASTEST LAPS Round 20
provisional result, Brands Hatch 20/9/2009 NOT CLASSIFIED FASTEST LAPS
RICCIARDO RACES TO
BRITISH F3 CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY
Ricciardo is the second successive Carlin Motorsport/Red Bull racer to claim the British F3 crown - last year's victor, Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari, was promoted to Grand Prix stardom a matter of months after his championship win. Daniel's title is also the first international championship victory of the modern era for engine supplier Volkswagen, and he becomes only the third Australian to win the British F3 title - Tim Schenken was the first, in 1968, and David Brabham the last, 20 years ago. "This is everything I've wanted since the start of the season," said a grinning Daniel, "and for it to come around a bit early makes it a bit sweeter. It still hasn't quite sunk in but I'm sure that by the end of tonight I'll realise it and party hard. If I can now follow in Jaime Alguersuari's footsteps that would be great - I'm not saying I'll be in F1 next year, but I'd like to be there in the near future. That's my dream." Ricciardo never doubted he could pull it off: "We had some bad rounds; Rockingham and Hockenheim weren't the best for us - that was where Hitech started coming on strong - but we never lost faith, kept believing and working hard for it." There was jubilation also for 20-year-old Brit Daniel McKenzie, who secured the National Class title thanks to a class win and a second-place finish in Portugal. Fortec Motorsport racer McKenzie has shown remarkable consistency throughout the season, beating his chief rival, Brazilian Gabriel Dias, to the class win in 10 of his 18 races. Title secured, McKenzie hopes to step up, with a Mercedes-powered Fortec Dallara, into the International class next weekend (19/20 Sep) at Brands Hatch, venue for the championship's final rounds. "This is my first championship win," said Daniel, "and it's been a long time coming. It's a great feeling. I hope very much we can sort a deal to join the International class next weekend, and then use that to launch into a full championship bid in 2010. The National class is a great stepping stone, very competitive and with some great drivers. It's been a good experience."
Race 1 The prize for most disappointed man in the paddock was pole-sitter Renger van der Zande, who led for 12 of the 16 laps only to slip back with a steadily deflating rear tyre. The Dutch Hitech driver lost the lead at the start to ART Grand Prix man Bianchi, but snatched back top spot on the third lap. Renger pulled a second clear at one stage but then struck trouble: "I think we were definitely quickest today and I am really disappointed because about seven laps from the end I started to feel the car bottoming. By the last lap my rear tyre was completely flat. I managed to make it to the finish but I could have won it easy. Not my day." Bianchi and his ART team-mate Esteban Gutierrez got the jump on van der Zande on the penultimate lap, pushing him back to third and into Ricciardo's gunsights, the Red Bull racer having driven a steady, trouble-avoiding race in fourth throughout. Daniel did not waste the opportunity: "I didn't even realise it was the last lap... I got the run on Renger and pipped him on the line. It was pretty fortunate but you have to take what you can, when you can. I'm disappointed not to have won outright." Colombian Carlos Huertas was close behind for fifth overall and his maiden British championship podium finish for the Raikkonen Robertson team, with Max Chilton sixth after a slow getaway from second on the grid, and Riki Christodoulou seventh for Fortec. Invitation runners Adrien Tambay and Pedro Enrique were next up, with Hywel Lloyd making a great start in the CF Racing Dallara and moving up to claim 10th overall and sixth in championship class. Hitech's other championship title challenger, Walter Grubmuller, endured a tough time. The Austrian started only 13th and was badly delayed by a spin in avoidance of a third-lap collision involving the cars of Sam Bird, Valtteri Bottas and Daisuke Nakajima. McKenzie made an excellent start to overhaul class pole-sitter Gabriel Dias, only to lose the National Class lead on the opening lap. "That was the most up and down race I've had all year. The start was insane but I took advantage of it and made up eight places to the first corner. Unfortunately Dias was then able to drive straight past me - he has found some serious power from somewhere." Daniel played a waiting game and seized his opportunity to regain the class lead on lap 12, when Dias was delayed by a tussle with an international class car. Gabriel was then bumped backed to third in class two laps from the end by impressive Lebanese newcomer Joe Ghanem, making his debut with the Carlin team.
Race 2 The initial race leader was Fortec's invitation class runner Sam Bird, who got the drop from fourth on the grid, passing Ricciardo and pole-sitter Chilton. But Sam's grip on top spot was loosened by Bianchi on lap four, the Frenchman blasting past both Ricciardo and Bird at the restart after a two-lap safety car period initiated after a clash between Riki Christodoulou and Roberto Mehri. Bianchi pulled into a commanding lead as Ricciardo's pace faded - Daniel believed contact with Bianchi's car had damaged his car's nosecone - with Bird, and then van der Zande, giving chase. Renger moved up to second past Bird on lap six but yet again fell victim to a rear puncture in the latter stages, limping home 12th. That gave Bird a secure grip on second, and he was more than able to fend off Chilton's challenge, Max having recovered from his poor opening lap, which left him sixth, to take Ricciardo and then profit from van der Zande's demise. Max was under heavy pressure from Carlos Huertas for much of the race but never wavered. Bianchi crossed the line 4.7 seconds clear of Bird, with Chilton next up and the leading championship class driver by a two-second margin. "It's good to do it at last," said Max, "although it's a shame it's not an outright win. My start wasn't shocking but I got forced wide and several got past me. I knew Dan had a problem and then Renger had a puncture, and there I was." Huertas earned himself the Sunoco Driver of the Weekend award for his chase to fourth, and championship class second. Esteban Gutierrez claimed fifth overall for ART, ahead of the final championship class podium finisher, T-Sport's Adriano Buzaid. Ricciardo, Henry Arundel, Hywel Lloyd and Adrian Tambay completed the top 10. In the National class, Gabriel Dias led all the way to win for the seventh time for T-Sport, with McKenzie cruising home for second and the title, and French newcomer Mathieu Maurage third in class for Team West-Tec.
PROVISIONAL RESULTS
NOT CLASSIFIED
FASTEST LAPS
Round 18, Algarve
13/9/2009
NOT CLASSIFIED
FASTEST LAPS
SILVERSTONE SUCCESS FOR RICCIARDO & VAN DER ZANDE
Race 1 The 20-year-old Australian and his Red Bull-backed Carlin Motorsport Dallara-Volkswagen made an impeccable start to build a one-second lead over his closest pursuer, van der Zande, on the opening lap. That was as close as anyone would come to Daniel for the remainder of the race. The demandingly technical nature of the Silverstone International circuit militated against much overtaking. Most of the action occurred away from the startline, Ricciardo's team-mate Max Chilton fluffing his getaway and slipping from second on the grid to fourth behind van der Zande and Grubmuller. "It was pretty straightforward," said Ricciardo. "I got the start I needed to get. I saw that Max didn't get away well and let the Hitech boys through, but that was out of my control so I had just to focus on my race, setting the fastest lap and taking the win. After a few laps I saw the cars in my mirrors getting a bit smaller, and that's what I wanted to see." After lap one, the only passing manoeuvre in the top 10 came on the 17th of the 23 laps, when van der Zande, who had looked a secure second, lost time and was overtaken by his Hitech team-mate Grubmuller. "I was under a bit of pressure at the start from Chilton," said Grubmuller, "and towards the end it was difficult because there were a lot of lapped cars, but other than that it was all straightforward for me." "We were struggling a bit with the set-up this weekend," added van der Zande. "Winning here was not possible and I am disappointed. I look forward to the next race..." Chilton recovered from his slow getaway to hang on to fourth all the way to the line, ahead of his Carlin team-mate Henry Arundel, and the Dallaras of Carlos Huertas, Wayne Boyd, Riki Christodoulou, Daisuke Nakajima and Adriano Buzaid. T-Sport's Gabriel Dias led all the way in the National Class, finishing 11th overall to record his fifth class win of the season. The man who has led the class points standings all season, Fortec's Daniel McKenzie, was a solid second despite complaining of handling problems.
Race 2 Nakajima made a copybook start from his maiden British F3 pole in his Raikkonen Robertson Racing machine, pursued by Carlin's Max Chilton and Hitech team-mates van der Zande and Walter Grubmuller, with Ricciardo slotting into fifth on the opening lap. Lap eight was decisive to the outcome of the race, van der Zande popping past Chilton for second and Ricciardo catching out Grubmuller to relieve his chief title rival of fourth place. Next lap van der Zande barged past Nakajima around the outside at Abbey to lift the lead and run away with the race. "The start was not that great for me," said Renger. "But I managed to get close while Max and Daisuke were fighting, then I passed Max around the outside at Luffield, and then a lap later I managed to go around the outside of Nakajima also. There was a bit of wheel-banging on the straight after. At the end I pushed to increase by lead to 11 seconds, and I'm very happy with that." Chilton fancied his chances of following van der Zande's example in passing Nakajima, and made a move at Becketts on the 11th lap; alas their cars touched and Max not only failed to relieve him of second but also spun back to ninth. That handed third to Ricciardo. "My start wasn't that good," said Daniel, "and Walter managed to jump me and I fell back to fifth. After a few laps I managed to get by Walter when he made a mistake, and then within a lap or two I was on the back of the leading guys, who were fighting quite aggressively. It was fun to watch them and I really wanted to be a part of the battle but always at the back of my mind was the championship..." Grubmuller had no answer to Ricciardo in the closing stages and had to settle for fourth, and watch Daniel increase his championship advantage to 45 points. Nakajima's team-mate Carlos Huertas took fifth ahead of Riki Christodoulou and Chilton, who recovered from his off to twice pass Wayne Boyd to secure seventh. Henry Arundel and Victor Garcia rounded out the top 10. National Class points leader Daniel McKenzie got tangled up with others' problems on the opening lap and lost a lot of time to T-Sport's Gabriel Dias. Daniel recovered to pass Litespeed's Victor Correa for second in class but could not catch Dias, who said: "The race was good for me. All I can keep doing is to try to take as many wins and fastest laps as I can." McKenzie's championship lead is now 53 points with four races remaining. Round 15
provisional result, Silverstone 16/8/2009
NOT CLASSIFIED
FASTEST LAPS Round 16
provisional result, Silverstone 15/8/2009
FASTEST LAPS
BUZAID IS WINNER NUMBER EIGHT IN BRITISH F3
The biggest winner of the weekend however was Red Bull racer Daniel Ricciardo, who today added a second-place finish to his Spa race victory of yesterday to extend his championship lead to 37 points - the largest advantage that the Australian has enjoyed all season. Buzaid's win was a real battle against the elements. Rain started to fall on the warm-up lap and pole-sitter Adriano and his rivals had to make a difficult pre-start tyre choice. All but Invitation Class runner Jake Rosenzweig opted to start on slicks, and some rued their decision when the heavens opened again on lap five. Buzaid and Ricciardo tip-toed their way around the opening laps, Adriano swiftly repulsing an early attack from the Australian and building a one-second advantage within a couple of laps. Buzaid pulled even further ahead as the rain fell and the track became even more treacherous, Ricciardo mindful of his championship lead. "I had a sniff of victory today," said Carlin driver Ricciardo. "I took the lead for a while but Adriano outbraked me, which was a good move. Then the rain came and I had a few moments and I thought that if I can end the race second then that's good result for the championship." Buzaid crossed the line 5.9s ahead and was predictably overjoyed: "This win is very special for me, amazing. To take my first F3 win at such a nice track as Spa, and in such conditions, is very special. I would like to dedicate this win in memory of Henry Surtees, who was a very good friend of mine." Adriano additionally collected the Sunoco Driver of the Weekend award. Renger van der Zande and Riki Christodoulou diced for third for much of the race, so closely in fact that both slithered off the track at the Bus Stop chicane on lap seven and then clashed again at the next corner, La Source, Christodoulou's car suffering enough damage to end its race. That left van der Zande sitting pretty for third - until the penultimate lap, that is, when he lost time and was passed for the final podium slot by his Hitech team-mate and championship title aspirant Walter Grubmuller. Van der Zande scrabbled around the final corner fourth, just ahead of Carlin boys Henry Arundel and Max Chilton, with Carlos Huertas seventh, some way ahead of Daisuke Nakajima and Hywel Lloyd. The only Invitation Class car, the ART Grand Prix machine of Mexico's Esteban Gutierrez, completed the top 10. Daniel Mckenzie and Gabriel Dias enjoyed another close battle for National Class honours, the British Fortec driver leading his Brazilian counterpart from T-Sport until opting on lap seven to pit for wet tyres, not realising the race had only a further four laps to run and that making up the time lost would be an impossibility. "There were no mechanical problems today," said Dias, who cruised home to a 27-second class victory. "It's really good to win like that in such difficult conditions, and at a track where I had a bad accident last year, it's very special for me. I was side by side with Daniel until he decided to go to the pits for wets, and then he couldn't recover the time he lost." Despite his setback, McKenzie's National Class lead is now 65 points with six races remaining.
Round 14 provisional
result, Spa-Francorchamps (BEL), 24/7/2009 1
INT Adriano Buzaid/BRA, T-Sport Dallara-Volkswagen, 27m 34.731s /
103.98mph
NOT CLASSIFIED
FASTEST LAPS
WIN NUMBER FOUR FOR DANIEL RICCIARDO
Ricciardo and his Carlin Motorsport Dallara-Volkswagen led every lap and in so doing meted out a sweet beating to the dominant F3 Euro Series team ART Grand Prix, whose drivers Jules Bianchi and Valtteri Bottas had to make do with second and third places overall. Renger van der Zande and Victor Garcia claimed the remaining UK International Class podium places, with Daniel McKenzie the National Class victor for the ninth time. Round 13 proved more than unlucky for the driver of car 13, Grubmuller, and for Riki Christodoulou, who collided at the La Source hairpin on the opening lap to bring both their races to a premature end. Daisuke Nakajima was another lap one casualty and Max Chilton very nearly was - he stalled on the front row of the grid and was miraculously hit by only one car, that of Hywel Lloyd, which had started from an excellent fourth on the grid. Both Chilton and Lloyd got going but had to pit for repairs at the end of the lap. Ricciardo had van der Zande breathing down his neck through the opening corners but was afforded a breathing space when the safety car was deployed while crash debris was removed. The restart came at the start of lap four with just 18 minutes of the race remaining; there were no mistakes from Ricciardo as he pulled clear of his Dutch rival. Said Red Bull racer Daniel: "It was a good result for me. Starting from first I just had to get in front. It was quite close at the start, Renger was alongside me at one point, but then we got the safety car warning. At the restart I managed to break the elastic band and Renger couldn't really get a proper tow from me." Bianchi, one of five non-scoring Invitation Class runners in the race, made steady progress up the field from fifth on the grid to relieve van der Zande of second overall on lap six. He pulled up to within 1.5s of Ricciardo but could not get any closer. "Bianchi got past Renger," added Daniel, "and was closing on me a bit but I managed to keep consistent and pass the line first. Every win is good but this win is perhaps a bit sweeter for the team because of who we beat." Van der Zande was pushed back to fourth overall two laps from home by Bianchi's ART team-mate Bottas, but was more than pleased with collecting the points for second in class: "I just didn't have the top speed on the straight, and that cost me. I could have won the race otherwise, but that's the way it is." Carlin's Invitation Class runner Jake Rosenzweig finished next on the road, ahead of T-Sport's Buzaid, who drove a canny race to sixth overall only to be slapped with a one-minute penalty by stewards who judged he had started from the wrong position. The Brazilian's team-mate Wayne Boyd stopped with a fuel pump problem three laps from the end. Of the regular championship runners, Victor Garcia finished third in class for Fortec - it was the Spaniard's first British F3 podium - ahead of Chilton and Lloyd, who staged remarkable recovery drives after their pit visits, Philip Major, Henry Arundel, Jay Bridger, Stephane Richelmi, who took his first championship points of the season for the Barazi Epsilon team and championship newcomer, Taiwanese driver Kevin Chen. Gabriel Dias enjoyed a superb opening lap, storming from 14th on the grid past all the carnage to take up seventh overall. He overtook his T-Sport team-mate Buzaid for sixth at the restart but four laps later plunged to dead last with a recurrence of the fuel pump issues which blighted his Donington race. Dias managed to get going again to finish third and last in class, behind McKenzie and Victor Garcia in the Litespeed SLC.
Round 13 provisional result, Spa-Francorchamps (BEL), 24/7/2009
NOT
CLASSIFIED
FASTEST
LAPS
GRUBMULLER AND BOYD CLAIM THE HONOURS AT DONINGTON
With race wins for Walter Grubmüller and Wayne Boyd at Doning
Race 1 Grubmüller's Mercedes-powered Dallara made the decisive move of the race away from the startline, Walter making a better getaway than van der Zande to slot ahead of his team-mate into the first right-hander, Redgate Corner. The only real threat to Grubmüller's second victory of the season came on the 10th lap, when the Safety Car was called into play while the stricken car of National Class runner Gabriel Dias was retrieved from a dangerous position. But Grubmüller and van der Zande handled the restart perfectly and kept well clear of their closest pursuer, Colombian Carlos Huertas who, after claiming his best grid slot, was enjoying a convincing run in the Raikkonen Robertson Dallara. Ricciardo was meanwhile enduring a nightmare, slipping from third on the grid to seventh by the third lap. The fight back to third was impressive, Daniel's Carlin Motorsport car dispatching Riki Christodoulou through the Craner Curves on lap seven, Max Chilton six laps later, then Adriano Buzaid within a further two laps and, finally, Huertas for third on the inside at McLeans nine laps from the end. That was to be as far as Daniel would get, however. Said Ricciardo: "My start wasn't perfect, too much wheelspin, and I fell back a couple of positions. Then I tried to make them up a bit too quickly and that ended up costing me a couple more positions. The safety car helped a bit, and the car was really good and I managed to get back to third. I had the pace of the Hitech cars but Renger was doing a good job holding me off. Third was all I could do in the end." Grubmüller crossed the line six-tenths clear of van der Zande, and said: "After the start it was a pretty uneventful race for me, but still difficult because it was extremely slippery. I was struggling with that a bit but managed to get it home safe. I am still in contention for the championship; we're only half way through the season and anything can happen. We are still in the fight." Huertas held on for fourth, equalling his best result, ahead of Buzaid, Chilton, Christodoulou and Daisuke Nakajima, with Jay Bridger and Wayne Boyd completing the top 10. In the National Class Dias threw away a massive grid advantage on the opening lap, Fortec's Daniel McKenzie gratefully accepting the class lead. With Dias later hobbled by mechanical problems, McKenzie enjoyed a relatively easy run to his seventh class win of the season.
Race 2 Boyd's drive was all the more remarkable in that he started from 10th on the grid, and fell as low as 12th in the early stages before scything his way through to a popular victory at the wheel of his Volkswagen-powered Dallara. Championship leader Daniel Ricciardo led the way from the pole in the early, dry laps, pursued by Buzaid and the Hitech cars of Renger van der Zande and Walter Grubmuller. But at the completion of a two-lap safety car period, caused by the need to rescue a stranded car from the track, Ricciardo was hijacked by van der Zande and Buzaid through McLeans corner, and the Australian spun back to seventh, just ahead of Boyd, who had recovered well from a grassy moment on the opening lap and who was revelling in the increasingly damp conditions. Boyd made short work of Ricciardo and within a further two laps had dispensed with the cars of Carlos Huertas and Max Chilton to move into fourth. Both Grubmuller and Buzaid fell victim to the charging Ulsterman on the 15th lap, the former at Redgate and the latter at Coppice, and then, after five laps shadowing van der Zande, Wayne put in the overtaking move of the season at Redgate, around the outside of the Dutch driver, to claim the lead. With van der Zande fading towards the end (and later slapped with a 25-secnd penalty for his incident with Ricciardo), Buzaid moved into second for a T-Sport 1-2. "It's absolutely amazing," said Wayne of his victory. "After being so dominant in Formula Ford last year, jumping up to F3 was a big step. People doubted I could do it. But now to get my first win in the hardest conditions we've seen all year... it's absolutely brilliant. I got pushed on to the grass at the start, and that fired me up a bit. Big thanks to T-Sport, the car was absolutely brilliant." Grubmuller claimed third, ahead of Huertas and Ricciardo, to narrow Daniel's championship lead further still. The top 10 was completed by Henry Arundel, Chilton, Jay Bridger, Daisuke Nakajima and Ricki Christodoulou, with Daniel McKenzie emerging on top in a topsy-turvy National Class battle.
Round 11 provisional
result, Donington Park, 19/7/2009
NOT CLASSIFIED
FASTEST LAPS
Round 12 provisional
result, Donington Park, 19/7/2009
NOT CLASSIFIED
FASTEST LAPS
VAN DER ZANDE & CHRISTODOULOU TAKE THE SNETTERTON WINS
Race 1 Renger blasted into a one-second lead within the first couple of laps, and thereafter his second race win of the season was beyond doubt... His pursuers were racing for the second step of the podium. "It has been a very good weekend so far," said Renger, "I have been quickest all the way. It's been a lot of fun. It's a great effort from the team, they have done really well." Henry Arundel headed the chase for 20 of the 29 laps, until his Carlin Motorsport Dallara suffered a gear selection issue which delayed him long enough to allow his team-mate and championship leader Daniel Ricciardo to slip past. "I was struggling with the gears and Daniel made it through," said Henry, "but once I had worked out what the problem was I was able to drive around it and hang on to third." Van der Zande crossed the line 3.8s clear at the line, his lead at one stage having been in excess of eight seconds, with Ricciardo comfortably ahead of Arundel. Van der Zande's Hitech team-mate Walter Grubmuller held fourth place throughout, shadowed all the way by Riki Christodoulou, Max Chilton and Jay Bridger. Daniel McKenzie slotted his Fortec Dallara into eighth on the opening lap and held on in that position all the way to the flag to collect his sixth National Class victory of the season. Birthday boy Adriano Buzaid snatched ninth from the grasp of Daisuke Nakajima 10 laps from the end.
Race 2 Riki got the job done within three laps of the start, after pole-sitter and round nine victor Renger van der Zande fluffed his getaway from the grid and let Christodoulou nose his way into second place at the first corner, just behind the Hitech car of Walter Grubmuller. Christodoulou piled on the pressure during the first and second laps, then popped past the Austrian to claim the lead into Riches at the start of lap three. Thereafter he was home free. Said Riki: "I knew I had to get a good start, and I managed to get ahead of Renger off the line, then two laps later I passed Walter down the start/finish line, and from there I was able to control the race." Grubmuller further lost out when Ricciardo followed Christodoulou's example and popped past, following Riki home all the way to the flag and a solid second place for Carlin Motorsport. "If someone had told me this morning that I would take 30 points from today I wouldn't have believed them," said Daniel. "We still don't have winning pace, but when you can't win you have to try to bag good points, which is what we've done." A disappointed Grubmuller had to make do with third, just ahead of his team-mate van der Zande. The T-Sport twins, Adriano Buzaid and Wayne Boyd, were well in touch throughout the race to collect fifth and sixth, with Max Chilton, Henry Arundel, Jay Bridger and Victor Garcia completing the top 10. Gabriel Dias made an excellent start to the race to lead the National Class throughout, with Daniel McKenzie second in class and newcomer Aaron Steele third in his Litespeed.
Round 9 provisional
result, Snetterton, 5/7/2009
NOT CLASSIFIED
FASTEST LAPS
Round 10 provisional
result, Snetterton, 5/7/2009
NOT CLASSIFIED
FASTEST LAPS
GRUBMULLER ON TOP AT LAST FOR HITECH
Despite treacherous damp track conditions, Austrian Grubmüller did not put a wheel wrong in his Dallara-Mercedes and crossed the line a second clear of his team-mate Renger van der Zande to score a Hitech Racing 1-2. Championship debutant Robert Wickens was a close third for the Carlin Motorsport team. Grubmüller, who moves into second place in the championship thanks to his victory, said: "It's excellent. This was a real team effort after all the misery we went through last year. We knew we would be quick here. I'm really happy; the team really deserves it." Walter won the Sunoco Driver of the Weekend award for his efforts. Heavy rain in the hours before the off made the German circuit an unpredictable prospect for the 20-car field, all of whom opted to race on slick Cooper tyres. There were several spinners in the early laps and quite a few more who found their cars less than well suited to the conditions. Not so the Hitech cars, Grubmüller blasting into the lead at the off ahead of Saturday race-winner Marcus Ericsson in his Raikkonen Robertson Dallara. The Swede had made a devastatingly quick get-away from fifth on the grid to overhaul van der Zande and Max Chilton, and clung to Grubmüller's tail for five laps, falling back as the track dried. After van der Zande pushed past Ericsson for second, the Dutch driver latched on to his team-mate's tail and they circulated as one for the remaining 12 laps. "I started on the wet line, so I had a bit of a disadvantage there, but I managed to hold on to third at the first corner. I waited for three laps to see where I was quicker than Ericsson. I passed him and then I stayed behind Walter because I did not want to take a big risk in the conditions. It was a good race and I'm so happy for the team because they worked so hard." The battle for third provided the highlight of a thrilling race, as cars fought and collided in the bid to join the Hitech boys on the podium. Chilton ran third for several laps until Wickens (who had a lap prior got the better of an entertaining duel with his Red Bull/Carlin colleague and championship leader Daniel Ricciardo) nabbed the position from Max with an audacious move up his inside through the Sachs Kurve. Worse was to come for Max; next lap he, Wayne Boyd and Ricciardo tangled at the hairpin and all three spun down the order. Boyd, who was enjoying a good run and had held fourth at one point, was forced into retirement with a damaged rear wing, while Chilton had to pit with a broken wheel. Ricciardo lost only three places and continued to eighth at the flag. Nick Tandy and his JTR Mygale were promoted to fourth by the Chilton/Boyd/Ricciardo incident and Nick was right on the leading trio's tail for three laps before spinning away his chances of victory. "I was trying too hard to win," said a rueful Nick, "and I spun right around." Tandy lost four places. Thus it was Ericsson who inherited fourth, the Swede finishing well ahead of top British finisher Riki Christodoulou. Tandy picked off Ricciardo and Adriano Buzaid on the final lap to slot into sixth, with Buzaid, Ricciardo and Henry Arundel completing the top nine. An excellent 10th overall, and the leading National Class contender, was Fortec's Daniel McKenzie. With his usual sparring partner Gabriel Dias running very worn tyres as a consequence of his Saturday accident, the Brazilian was in no shape to attack Dan. "It was a great race, I think Gabriel ended up about 45s behind me. It wasn't easy, though: I needed to keep my nose clean and the conditions were extremely hard. But the car was fantastic and I was keeping well up with the International runners." Daisuke Nakajima collected the final international class point with 11th overall.
ROUND 7 EXCLUSION FOR TANDY
Round 8 provisional result, Hockenheim, 7/6/2009
NOT CLASSIFIED
FASTEST LAPS
ERICSSON IS THE HOCKENHEIM HERO
The Swede in his Raikkonen Robertson Racing Dallara made a superb start from third on the grid, blasting past bogged-down pole man Renger van der Zande and championship leader Daniel Ricciardo to assume command in to the first corner. Then, but for a brief mid-race blip, Marcus led van der Zande all the way to the chequered flag, with Walter Grubmuller third to make it a Mercedes power 1-2-3 on home ground. "By mid point I pulled a gap on Renger," said Ericsson, "but then I made a silly, silly mistake into the hairpin and he overtook me, so I had to fight back at the next corner. I did it thank goodness because otherwise I would have been very disappointed." Van der Zande was left to rue his startline error, which cost him his second British F3 win, and also Ericsson's aggressive repass for the lead. "I am not very happy," said Renger. "I stalled it at the start and that made for quite a tricky race. I was able to follow Marcus and I think I was quicker. But I wore my tyres too much. One time he was late on brakes at the hairpin and I got past, but then he put me on the grass so I couldn't stay in front. But second place is good and there is always tomorrow..." Van der Zande had blown away the opposition in qualifying on Friday, his Hitech Racing Dallara posting the best Hockenheim F3 lap time of the season, more than half a second inside the Euro Series F3 pole time from earlier in the year.
The first lap of the race brought high drama and the elimination of
three cars - those of Daisuke Nakajima, Riki Christodoulou and visiting
F2 points leader Robert Wickens - in a collision. Ericsson wasn't the
only slow starter: the other Rockingham victor, Nick Tandy, bogged down
also and got away last. Ricciardo and Chilton hung on for fourth and fifth respectively, with Adriano Buzaid sixth ahead of Carlos Huertas, Tandy, Wayne Boyd and Victor Garcia. An extraordinary end to the National Class contest brought a maiden class win for Brazilian youngster Victor Correa and the Litespeed F3 team. As in every race so far this season it was Daniel McKenzie and Gabriel Dias who made all the running, the duo swapping the class lead several times in a very close contest. Alas it became too close on the 15th of the 19 laps, the duo coming together and spinning into retirement. With the fourth class regular, Max Snegirev, not in attendance this weekend, that left Correa victorious. "I just did my job and drove the car safely to the end," said the bemused Brazilian. "I am very happy, it's good to be first."
Round 7 provisional result, Hockenheim, 6/6/2009
NOT CLASSIFIED
FASTEST LAPS
TANDY & ERICSSON ROCK TO THE TOP IN BRITISH F3
Race 1 An even bigger boost for Tandy was that the runaway championship leader Ricciardo failed to score a single point. After starting from the pole, the Carlin Motorsport man collided with Renger van der Zande's fast-starting Hitech car at the Deene hairpin on the opening lap as Dan tried to regain the lead. Ricciardo's Dallara was too badly damaged to continue while van der Zande was forced to the pits for repairs to his rear wing. "I couldn't believe my luck when I saw van der Zande and Ricciardo," said Nick, who drove around the carnage, and Marcus Ericsson, to take the lead. "I didn't make a particularly good start, so to see Daniel riding over the back of Renger... my God, did I smile. So far as the championship is concerned it just doesn't get any better than this. To score 20 championship points when our main title rival scores zero, it's fantastic." Tandy pulled clear of his closest pursuer, Swedish returnee Ericsson, by nearly a second-and-half on the opening lap and proceeded to build his advantage with every lap, taking the flag 8.6s clear. There was drama right on the line as Nick braked and swerved by his pit crew to acknowledge their cheers - he braked so hard it broke his suspension and a front wheel fell off, preventing him from completing a victory lap. Ericsson had no hope of catching Tandy, he said: "I made a good start but I was delayed when Daniel and Renger had their accident, and Nick went past. From then on Nick had much better pace that we couldn't really match." It was a good championship return nonetheless for Marcus, and an excellent debut for him with the Raikkonen Robertson team. Daisuke Nakajima moved into third at the start and held on for the final podium slot despite strong pressure throughout from his Raikkonen Robertson team-mate Carlos Huertas. It was the Japanese driver's maiden British F3 podium. Huertas's fourth place was his best result of the season also. Max Chilton came home fifth, the leading Volkswagen runner, with Riki Christodoulou's Fortec car completing the top six. National Class honours went for the third time this season to Fortec's Daniel McKenzie; Brazilian T-Sport driver Gabriel Dias led the class for much of the race but collected a penalty for overtaking under the yellow warning flags. He recovered from his drive-through penalty to take second in class.
Race 2 "I had some problems with the clutch slipping at the start," said Marcus, "but I got away OK. Then Riki was very brave into the first corner and took the lead. I had the pace to attack him in the race but when I saw the penalty sign I was able to settle down and relax. "Last year was very tough: we were so close so many times, it was frustrating. But I got my first F3 win in Japan earlier this year and it was good for my confidence, such a relief. Now I am driving with confidence, and it shows. This weekend has been a dream." The first lap of the race was hugely messy, with several separate incidents leading to four retirements and a dire race for round five victor Tandy and his JTR Mygale. Nick's car was shoved by another into the Dallara of van der Zande; the Dutch driver was out on the spot while Nick limped to the pits for repairs. He made it back on track and though he finished down in 14th he was able at least to score the point for fastest lap. Out of the chaos of the opening lap emerged Henry Arundel in third place behind Christo and Ericsson, with Adriano Buzaid close behind and Nakajima just ahead of Ricciardo. Christodoulou's exit from the race - he was first ordered to the pits for a drive-through penalty and then black-flagged after the punishment was taken late - bumped everybody following him up one place. Thus Arundel finished an excellent second in his Volkswagen-powered Carlin Dallara and made his maiden visit to the British F3 podium. "It's been a long time coming," said Henry. "I've always known that I had the potential. It's been a tough start to the year, so this is exactly what I need and we can move forward from here." Buzaid was pleased also for his T-Sport team with third spot - his second podium of the year - and Nakajima consolidated his improving championship pace with fourth. Ricciardo, his first-race mishaps forgotten, enjoyed an uneventful run to fifth ahead of Walter Grubmuller and Victor Garcia, the Spanish racer seventh for his best finish of the season. Gabriel Dias was a first-lap casualty, as was Victor Correa, which left Daniel McKenzie with a clear run at National Class honours. "It was absolutely manic on the first lap, the worst I have seen," said Dan. "The main thing was to keep your nose clean, which I managed to do by taking to the grass. Gabriel didn't and it's cost him. I had a good race, we've improved the car a lot and I'm looking forward to Hockenheim next weekend." Team West-Tec's Max Snegirev took class second.
Tribute to Joe Tandy More than 100 people surrounded the JTR pit garages to show their support and respect for the Tandy family, Joe's friends and JTR team members. Joe's family said: "Joe, Marilyn and Nick would like to thank everyone for the overwhelming kindness and support we have received. It is comforting to know that Joe was so highly thought of."
Round 5 provisional result, Rockingham, 31/5/2009
NOT CLASSIFIED
FASTEST LAPS
Round 6 provisional result, Rockingham, 31/5/2009
NOT CLASSIFIED
FASTEST LAPS
SILVERSTONE WINS FOR VAN DER ZANDE & RICCIARDO
Race 1 The 23-year-old, whose Hitech drive was confirmed a matter of hours before the meeting, displayed immense confidence on a circuit he had never before raced to claim the team's first victory since its championship-winning season in 2007. It was also the first win of 2009 for engine supplier Mercedes. "I only did 29 laps of free practice," said Renger. "But I managed to set a good time in qualifying. The car was very good, the team did a great job, and that helped me a lot. It was decided at the start really; I made a good start and drove away. But the race wasn't easy because of the wind, which blew me off the track one time. After that I took things a little easier. I think this is a good entry to the championship and I'm happy with it. I'm not sure about the rest of year yet, for sure I would like to come back and do more races." Pole-sitter Max Chilton pursued van der Zande all the way to the end, rarely more than half a second behind in his Carlin Dallara, and was left to rue the Dutchman's better grid getaway: "I got a good start," said the 18-year-old Brit, "as good as everyone around me apart from Renger. He absolutely launched it and gave me no chance of blocking him from getting past. During the race I wasn't taking any risks because of the wind out there. You didn't know what it was going to do next..." Brazilian Adriano
Buzaid slotted into third in his T-Sport car and stayed well in touch
with van der Zande and Chilton until a minor mistake mid-distance cost
him time. He recovered to stay ahead of Riki Christodoulou to take his
maiden British F3 podium. Though Nakajima fell victim both to Christo and Ricciardo, he had the pace to stay ahead of Walter Grubmuller for sixth, with Nick Tandy battling through to eighth in his JTR Mygale from 15th on the grid. Henry Arundel and Carlos Huertas rounded out the top 10. In the National Class, Fortec's Daniel McKenzie outgunned T-Sport driver Gabriel Dias at the start to lead the division for a couple of laps until handling problems prevented him from resisting the Brazilian's attentions. For Dias, who broke his back in a crash last season, class victory was sweet: "Daniel got past me through the first corner but I managed to get him back. The race was difficult but races will always be so; it was a good result." Race 2 "We stayed in formation for most of the race," said Daniel. "Max's first few laps were good and he pulled a gap. Then I started to feel a bit more comfortable with the car and I saw Max have a few problems, a bit of oversteer, and with a few laps to go I managed to get alongside him through the fast Maggotts/Becketts section and got the run on him down the straight." A disheartened Chilton said: "I led from the pole after a great start. I had a good lead and I knew that Dan wouldn't have the pace to pass me... Then three laps from the end I tried going down through the gears and it just wouldn't, so I lost at least a second trying to get it to go in gear. Dan got a tow off me and did a good move and that was the end of the race to be honest." Max was voted Sunoco Driver of the Weekend for his efforts. Chilton's Dallara appeared to recover quickly from its gearbox trouble, Max fighting manfully with Daniel, side-by-side along the Hangar Straight, before admitting defeat. Then, perhaps demotivated, he fell victim to an opportunistic move from Christodoulou, who dived up Chilton's inside at Abbey two laps from the flag to snatch second from his grasp. It was Fortec driver Christodoulou's maiden podium finish, and it promotes him to championship third. Race one victor van der Zande held third for the first 12 laps before being unseated by Christodoulou and then suffering a power loss which dropped him to 12th by the end. Nakajima collected fourth spot, five seconds adrift of the winner. Tandy put in a typically gutsy drive for the JTR team, charging from 10th on the grid to fifth in his Mygale and smashing the hours-old circuit lap record as he went. He closed on to Nakajima's tail before losing pace in the latter stages. Arundel, Grubmuller and Huertas held station for the duration to collect sixth, seventh and eighth respectively, with Oliver Oakes ninth, just ahead of Buzaid, the Brazilian losing ground after running sixth early on. Buzaid's countryman and T-Sport team-mate Dias pinched the National Class win on the final lap from the clutches of Fortec driver McKenzie. ROUND 3
PROVISIONAL RESULT,
Silverstone GP, 3/5/2009 ROUND 4
PROVISIONAL RESULT,
Silverstone GP, 3/5/2009
RICCIARDO ROCKS TO A DOUBLE VICTORY AT OULTON PARK
Race 1 Nick Tandy and his JTR Mygale-Mercedes pressured Ricciardo all the way to the chequered flag to claim second, with Austria's Walter Grubmuller taking third for the Hitech team to collect his maiden podium finish in what has been a long British F3 career. Fortec's Daniel McKenzie took the National Class honours. Chilton's startline gaffe left Ricciardo in no doubt that, though he was running second on the road, he was effectively the leader. "I made a good start but I noticed that Max misjudged the lights and jumped the start, so I knew he'd get a penalty," said Daniel. "So then I had to race my own race and not worry about him in front... Nick's pace was really good and mid-race it was really hard to keep him behind me. It's a great start, to win in my first race here is incredible." Tandy made "the worst start of my F3 career" to slip behind Daisuke Nakajima's RR-prepared Dallara on the opening lap. He recovered to find a way past on lap two, however, and quickly set about reeling Ricciardo in, narrowing the gap to less than half a second at one point and shattering the circuit lap record as he went. "I expected Max to get a penalty," said Tandy, "and that was confirmed on the radio to me, so I knew I was racing for the lead. I made a shocking start but managed to get past Nakajima when he made a little mistake going up Clay Hill. Then I had to try to bridge that gap to Daniel. I was hoping to put him under pressure so that he moved up right behind Max, but unfortunately it didn't work out for me." Grubmuller, who started fifth, drove well to overhaul Nakajima for third place on the fourth of the 20 laps, and finished well ahead of the Japanese driver. Midlander Riki Christodoulou placed fifth for the Fortec team, ahead of T-Sport team-mates Adriano Buzaid and Wayne Boyd, whose race pace proved much stronger than their qualifying times suggested they would. Hywel Lloyd, Oliver Oakes and Victor Garcia rounded out the top 10, with McKenzie 11th overall and a very clear National Class victor some 20 seconds ahead of his nearest class rival, T-Sport's Gabriel Dias. The only non-finisher was Brazilian Victor Correa, who damaged the nosecone of his Litespeed machine with a mid-race spin. Race 2 "The restart was a setback," said Red Bull racer Daniel, "but fortunately I was able to beat Walter away from the line the second time also. After that, it was a case of keeping my head and trying to maintain my pace. I'm still very new to this car and I'm still learning." The first race had to be abandoned after F3 rookie Boyd spun at Old Hall Corner. His car was then collected by that of his T-Sport team-mate, Gabriel Dias, which rolled. Neither driver was injured in the crash. Ricciardo's lead by the end of the opening lap of the restarted race was 1.3s, with Hitech Racing pilot Grubmuller his closest pursuer and the JTR Mygale of Tandy a close third. Grubmuller posted fastest lap of the race in his pursuit, but was unable to reel Ricciardo in. Daniel was 2.6s to the good at the fall of the chequered flag. Tandy overhauled Chilton's Carlin car for the third on the opening lap and held station to the end for the final spot on the podium. Chilton made up for his first round faux pas with fourth, ahead of Nakajima and Christodoulou. Buzaid lifted T-Sport's spirits with seventh after nicking the place early on from Carlos Huertas. The Colombian would have taken eighth but for a mid-race spin which dropped him to 14th... Carlin team-mates Oliver Oakes and Henry Arundel placed eighth and ninth, with Victor Garcia the final point-scorer in 10th, surviving late-race pressure from Hywel Lloyd. McKenzie once again enjoyed an untroubled run to National Class victory honours.
Round 1
provisional result, Oulton Park, 13/4/2009 FASTEST LAPS Round 2
provisional result, Oulton Park, 13/4/2009 FASTEST LAPS
pics Jakob Ebrey Photography
|
|
The
Cooper Tires British Formula 3 season was concluded in some style at
Brands Hatch on Sunday, with race wins for Carlin team-mates Daniel
Ricciardo and Max Chilton. Ricciardo crowned his championship-winning
season with a dominant display in the first of the day's races and
Chilton brought his British F3 career to a close in the best possible
way, with a lights-to-flag win in the finale.
Daniel
Ricciardo clinched the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International
Series championship title in fine style today (Sun 13 Sept) at the new
Algarve circuit in Portugal. The Australian 20-year-old took a
maximum-points finish in the first of the day's races, and claimed a
fourth-place finish in race two, enough to lift the crown beyond the
reach of any of his rivals.
Daniel
Ricciardo edged ever closer to the 2009 Cooper Tires British Formula 3
International Series championship title today (Sun) at Silverstone, the
Carlin Motorsport driver netting one race win and a third-place finish,
ahead of his chief title rival Walter Grubmuller, to increase his points
advantage to 45 with only four races remaining. Grubm�ller's Hitech
team-mate Renger van der Zande was the second-race victor at
Silverstone.
Brazilian
Adriano Buzaid this afternoon (Sat) became the eighth different race
winner of the 2009 Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series,
the Brazilian 21-year-old sweeping to his maiden F3 win at a rain-soaked
Spa in round 14 of the championship. It was the second win in a week for
the Volkswagen-powered T-Sport team, whose Wayne Boyd was a winner at
Donington.
Championship
leader Daniel Ricciardo scored his fourth race victory of the Cooper
Tires British Formula 3 International Series season this afternoon (Fri)
and, with his chief title challenger Walter Grubmuller failing to score,
the Australian significantly increased his points advantage.
ton
Park today, and scant rewards forthcoming for Cooper Tires British F3
points leader Daniel Ricciardo, the championship has come alive as it
enters its second half, with only 13 points now separating the top
two...
Renger
van der Zande and Riki Christodoulou were the Cooper Tires British F3
International Series race victors at Snetterton today (Sun), the Dutch
driver dominating round nine after starting from the pole, and the young
Englishman taking his maiden British F3 win in round 10 after making an
inspired start. Daniel Ricciardo was a podium visitor in both races to
extend his championship lead.
Walter
Grubmüller, the most experienced competitor in the Cooper Tires British
Formula 3 International Series, broke his duck on Sunday 7 June at
Hockenheim, leading the championship's eighth round from pole position
to chequered flag to record a popular maiden victory.
Marcus
Ericsson scored his second successive victory in the Cooper Tires
British Formula 3 International Series on Saturday afternoon (6 June),
leading virtually all the way from the start of the championship's
seventh round at Hockenheim.
The
Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series welcomed two new
race winners this afternoon (Sun) at Rockingham, Nick Tandy claiming an
emotional maiden victory in the day's first race and Marcus Ericsson
finally making it to the top step in race two. It was a day to forget
for championship leader Daniel Ricciardo - he exited race one on the
opening lap and could salvage only fifth place from race two.
A
brace of scintillating Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International
races kept the Silverstone crowds enthralled today (Sun), with visiting
Dutch driver Renger van der Zande enjoying a dream debut in the
championship to win on his maiden outing and Australian Daniel Ricciardo
scooping victory three laps from home in the second race, extending his
championship lead in the process.
Australia's
Daniel Ricciardo enjoyed a superb start to his Cooper Tires British
Formula 3 International Series career at Oulton Park today (Mon),
leading the championship's opening round from start to finish at the
wheel of his Carlin Motorsport-prepared Dallara, and then repeating the
feat in round two. Ricciardo's twin wins were also a magnificent return
to the series after a 20-plus year absence for engine supplier
Volkswagen.