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2007 Lloyds TSB Insurance British Formula 3 International Series

2007 Champions win second Croft race

2007 Lloyds TSB Insurance British F3 International Series Champion Marko Asmer finished the day with his tenth win of the season and celebrated on the podium with his Hitech Racing team. Asmer won after a hard charging Niall Breen tried to spoil the Estonian's party but the Irish driver had to settle for 2nd with Atte Mustonen in a lonely 3rd place.

Sergio Perez also celebrated winning the National Class title with a win ahead of 'Frankie' Cheng and Hamad Al Fardan.

At the start it was Asmer who got away cleanly but it was Naill Breen who made the first move, getting ahead of Jonathan Kennard to go second on the exit of the first corner. Maro Engel also got ahead of Atte Mustonen to take fourth place but the German lost the place by the end of the lap as the Finn fought back.

At the end of the opening lap it was Asmer from Breen from Kennard and Mustonen. In the National Class Sergio Perez was leading from Salman Al Khalifa, who had made a demon start from 25th overall to end the lap in 19th overall and second in class ahead of 'Frankie' Cheng.

Niall Breen kept up the pressure on Asmer, with the nose cone of the Carlin Dallara glued firmly to the rear wing of the Hitech Dallara on the exit fo the Hairpin for lap after lap. Jonathan Kennard was the first casualty as the Kentish driver went off the track at Sunny to gift the third place to Mustonen. Kennard rejoined at the back of the field but he was out of the points for the second time at Croft. Sam Bird came slowly into the pits after the rear suspension on his Carlin Dallara failed, a sad end to an otherwise good weekend for the English driver.

'Frankie' Cheng was closing in on Al Khalifa and on lap 9 moved ahead of the Bahraini driver who fell into the clutches of his fellow countryman Hamad Al Fardan. Al Fardan put Al Khalifa under pressure and on lap 11 he span off at the exit to the Complex, rejoining down the field.

As the race entered the second half Asmer started to pull away from Breen as the Irish driver's rear tyres started to suffer and by lap 20 the gap had opened up to over two seconds, giving Asmer a bit of breathing space. Race one winner Stephen Jelley was having a good battle with Rodolfo Gonzalez for 8th place and for many laps the Venezuelan driver held Jelley at bay but on lap 22 the Raikkonen Robertson Racing driver managed to get ahead of his rival.

As the chequered it was Marko Asmer who finished his championship weekend in style, finishing over 3 seconds in front of Niall Breen and a further 5.7 seconds ahead of the lonely Atte Mustonen.

Sergio Perez took the honours in the National Class, two places ahead of 'Frankie' Cheng, the Chinese driver in his last British F3 race of the 2007 season after receiving a call to drive for his country in A1GP in three weeks time. Hamad Al Fardan secured another podium finish to move him up to 3rd in the championship ahead of the non finishing Michael Meadows.

Round 20 - Result (Provisional)

1 - 7 - C - Marko ASMER - EST - Hitech Racing - 30:08.115 - 24 - - 101.54 - 01:14.555
2 - 21 - C - Niall BREEN - IRL - Carlin Motorsport - 30:11.404 - 24 - 3.289 - 101.35 - 01:14.583
3 - 26 - C - Atte MUSTONEN - FIN - Raikkonen Robertson Racing - 30:17.162 - 24 - 9.047 - 101.03 - 01:14.904
4 - 22 - C - Alberto VALERIO - BRA - Carlin Motorsport - 30:22.757 - 24 - 14.642 - 100.72 - 01:15.161
5 - 23 - C - Maro ENGEL - GER - Carlin Motorsport - 30:22.934 - 24 - 14.819 - 100.71 - 01:14.942
6 - 50 - C - Greg MANSELL - GBR - Fortec Motorsport - 30:24.317 - 24 - 16.202 - 100.64 - 01:15.179
7 - 14 - C - Esteban GUERRIERI - ARG - Ultimate Motorsport - 30:25.669 - 24 - 17.554 - 100.56 - 01:15.250
8 - 1 - C - Stephen JELLEY - GBR - Raikkonen Robertson Racing - 30:27.436 - 24 - 19.321 - 100.46 - 01:15.145
9 - 9 - C - Rodolfo GONZALEZ - VEN - T-Sport - 30:28.956 - 24 - 20.841 - 100.38 - 01:15.163
10 - 5 - C - Sebastian HOHENTHAL - SWE - Fortec Motorsport - 30:29.821 - 24 - 21.706 - 100.33 - 01:15.222

Asmer and Perez win titles as Jelley takes second win 

Marko Asmer (#7 Hitech) was crowned the 2007 Lloyds TSB Insurance British F3 International Series Champion after Round 19 but he had to watch most of the race from the sidelines after a blown engine forced him out of the lead. Stephen Jelley came home for his second win of 2007. finishing ahead of Sam Bird and Greg Mansell after Niall Breen and Maro Engel's race ended in a clash at the first corner.

Frankie Cheng won the National Class but second place for Sergio Perez was enough for the young Mexican to be crowned 2007 British F3 National Class Champion. Perez's TSport team mate Salman Al Khalifa took the final podium position.

At the start it was Asmer who got the best start from pole position as Niall Breen from 3rd got on terms with Maro Engel into the opening corner. The two Carlin cars collided as Niall Breen locked his wheels in a cloud of tyre smoke, taking both cars out of the race, effectively handing the British F3 title to Marko Asmer because Engel had to finsh ahead of the Estonian to keep his slim championship hopes alive.

As Asmer took off the rest of the field sorted themselves out, with Stephen Jelley now in second, Sam Bird up from sixth to third and Greg Mansell up from eighth to fourth ahead of Atte Mustonen, Sebastian Hohenthal and Alberto Valerio.

Asmer opened up a five second gap to Jelley but as the Estonian's Dallara came into the Hairpin a puff of smoke was seen coming from the back of the car. At every corner smoke would appear and as the race progressed it got steadily worse. However Asmer was able to maintain his lead.

Further back in the National Class Frankie Cheng was leading Sergio Perez, who had the championship car of Alistair Jackson on his rear wing. The Ulsterman tried to pass the National Class car at the Hairpin but he collided with the Mexican and Perez was up on two wheels and was lucky not to end up on his roll hoop. The Dallara ended up on all four wheels and Perez got going but he had lost two places to Salman Al Khalifa and Viktor Jensen.

Back at the front Asmer started to slow and on the 13th lap he pulled over at Tower Bend as his Mercedes engine gave up. Stephen Jelley inherited the lead and started to pull away from Sam Bird, who had Greg Mansell less than a second up the road.

Further back Juan Pablo Garcia Samano had Francessco Castellacci trying to move ahead but the Italian tried a bit too hard into the Hairpin and he locked up hitting the Mexican and leaving both cars were stranded in the middle of the track. Garcia managed to get going but the Safety Car was deployed to recover the ADR Dallara. However by the time the Safety Car was out on track the marshals had already moved the car and racing resumed at the end of the lap.

Sergio Perez recovered to pass Jensen and Al Khalifa to move back into second place in the National Class but Cheng was too far up the road for the Mexican to catch.

Jelley once again moved away from Bird as the race went green leaving the Carlin driver to fend off Mansell and Mustonen for the final few laps. At the flag it was Jelley who took his second victory in three races, with Sam Bird returning to the podium, his first since Spa. Greg Mansell scored his third podium finish of the season ahead of Atte Mustonen, Alberto Valerio, Mario Moraes, Michael Devaney and Rodolfo Gonzalez. Leo Mansell scored his first championship points of the season with John Martin taking the final championship point.

However with Maro Engel failing to score Marko Asmer was crowned British F3 Champion even though he failed to finish the race.

In the National Class second place was good enough for Sergio Perez to become the 2007 British F3 National Class Champion and the TSport team celebrated by dressing up as Mexican bandits.

ROUND 19 - RESULT

1 - 1 - C - Stephen JELLEY - GBR - Raikkonen Robertson Racing - 30:50.597 - 24 - - 99.21 - 01:14.886
2 - 3 - C - Sam BIRD - GBR - Carlin Motorsport - 30:52.548 - 24 - 1.951 - 99.1 - 01:15.119
3 - 50 - C - Greg MANSELL - GBR - Fortec Motorsport - 30:53.052 - 24 - 2.455 - 99.08 - 01:15.111
4 - 26 - C - Atte MUSTONEN - FIN - Raikkonen Robertson Racing - 30:53.895 - 24 - 3.298 - 99.03 - 01:15.109
5 - 22 - C - Alberto VALERIO - BRA - Carlin Motorsport - 30:58.515 - 24 - 7.918 - 98.78 - 01:15.372
6 - 4 - C - Mario MORAES - BRA - Carlin Motorsport - 31:02.059 - 24 - 11.462 - 98.6 - 01:15.618
7 - 15 - C - Michael DEVANEY - IRL - Ultimate Motorsport - 31:03.642 - 24 - 13.045 - 98.51 - 01:15.486
8 - 9 - C - Rodolfo GONZALEZ - VEN - T-Sport - 31:04.062 - 24 - 13.465 - 98.49 - 01:15.548
9 - 39 - N - Cong Fu CHENG - CHN - Performance Racing Europe - 31:07.632 - 24 - 17.035 - 98.3 - 01:16.093
10 - 44 - C - Leo MANSELL - GBR - Fortec Motorsport - 31:08.323 - 24 - 17.726 - 98.27 - 01:15.894

Mustonen makes it a weekend of firsts for Double R

Atte Mustonen (#26 Raikkonen Robertson Racing) scored his first win in British F3 finishing in a lights-to-flag victory ahead of Niall Breen (#21 Carlin) in Round 18 of the 2007 Lloyds TSB Insurance British F3 International Series.

Rodolfo Gonzalez (#9 T Sport) took his podium of 2007 and the first for Mugen Honda this season and it was all smiles in the T Sport garage as Sergio Perez and Salman Al Khalifa finished 1st and 2nd in the National Class.

Round 18

Atte Mustonen led the 28-car field away as the lights went out to begin the race, with Double R teammate and Round 17 winner Stephen Jelley tucking in behind him as they entered the Complex for the first time. Jelley then was seen to slide sideways, either by contact with another car or a mistake, but the result was the Leicester driver was on the grass and trying desperately to rejoin the race but losing places all the time.

Sixth placed Niall Breen made an excellent start to move up through the field before the first corner and when the cars came back into view the Irish driver was behind Atte Mustonen, with Maro Engel (#23 Carlin) in third and Marko Asmer (#7 Hitech) in 4th as the big losers in the opening lap was 3rd placed Greg Mansell (#50 Fortec) and Jonathan Kennard (#2 Raikkonen Robertson Racing).

However things were worse for Mike Meadows (#55 Newnet Raikkonen Robertson Racing) and ‘Frankie’ Cheng (#39 Performance Racing) as a collision put both cars into the barriers and out of the race. The Safety Car was brought out for the second time that day to allow the two wrecked Dallara’s to a safer position and the two drivers were returned to the paddock, both OK after their experience.

This put Sergio Perez in a comfortable lead at the front of the National Class, while his T Sport teammate Salman Al Khalifa was two places further back with the Championship car of Leo Mansell splitting the two National Class runners.

The race resumed on lap 6 with Mustonen getting a good start to pull away from Breen and Engel, who were nose to tail around the circuit. Engel in turn had Marko Asmer breathing down his neck, with Rodolfo Gonzalez, Alberto Valerio (#22 Carlin) and Greg Mansell all waiting for the front runners to make a mistake that would allow them to move up.

Stephen Jelley was recovering well, picking his way back up the field and passing Greg Mansell on lap 11 to move into 7th and challenging Valerio for 6th. However at the Chicane both cars spun, dropping Jelley behind Mansell and Valerio two places further down the order.

Salman Al Khalifa was trying to get past the Championship car of Leo Mansell to allow him to get a clear run at Perez but it was difficult for the Bahraini driver to get past the more powerful Dallara. However on lap 13 Mansell made a mistake and spun at the Chicane, right in front of Al Khalifa, who had to take hasty avoiding action.

Further backing in the National Class Hamad Al Fardan (#38 Performance Racing) was clawing his way back up the field after a bad opening part of the race and was soon into the third podium spot after getting the best of the ADR Dallara of Viktor Jensen (#37 ADR), the young Icelandic race winner struggling for pace on the sweeping Thruxton circuit.

At the front of the field Mustonen continued to pull away from Breen as Gonzalez set up a determined challenge on Engel. The Venezuelan dived on the inside of the German into the last corner and moved ahead to take the final podium position.

As the race entered the final lap it Mustonen who was nearly five seconds ahead of Breen and the 18-year-old Finn finally saw the chequered flag to the delight of his Double R team. Niall Breenn secured his first podium since his win at Snetterton in June and Rodolfo Gonzalez came home in 3rd, the first podium of 2007 for the reigning British F3 National Class Champion and the first for a Mugen Honda engined car this season. Gonzalez underlined his pace by taking the fastest lap of the race and the additional championship point.

Maro Engel was 4th, one place ahead of championship leader Marko Asmer. Asmer now holds a 72-point lead with 84 points available. Engel becomes the only challenger to the Estonians relentless march to the coveted title after Sam Bird picked up no championship points and slipped to 4th in the table behind Stephen Jelley who recovered to finish 7th in the race.

Sergio Perez had another perfect weekend with two wins, two poles and two fastest laps and now holds a commanding 69 point lead over ‘Frankie’ Cheng. Two podiums for Hamad Al Fardan has closed the gap to third placed Mike Meadows to just 5 points.

Rounds 19 and 20 of the 22 race series will take place at Croft in North Yorkshire on Sunday 9th September. Channel 4 and Motors TV will be showing the highlights of the Thruxton races in the coming weeks.

ROUND 18 - RESULT
1 - 26 - C - Atte Mustonen- FIN - Raikkonen Robertson Racing - 30:07.208 - 24 - - 112.63 - 01:07.251
2 - 21 - C - Niall BREEN - IRL - Carlin Motorsport - 30:12.040 - 24 - 4.832 - 112.33 - 01:07.340
3 - 9 - C - Rodolfo GONZALEZ - VEN - T-Sport - 30:13.766 - 24 - 6.558 - 112.22 - 01:07.137
4 - 23 - C - Maro ENGEL - GER - Carlin Motorsport - 30:15.440 - 24 - 8.232 - 112.12 - 01:07.516
5 - 7 - C - Marko ASMER - EST - Hitech Racing - 30:19.102 - 24 - 11.894 - 111.9 - 01:07.578
6 - 4 - C - Mario MORAES - BRA - Carlin Motorsport - 30:22.929 - 24 - 15.721 - 111.66 - 01:07.562
7 - 1 - C - Stephen JELLEY - GBR - Raikkonen Robertson Racing - 30:23.584 - 24 - 16.376 - 111.62 - 01:07.149
8 - 50 - C - Greg MANSELL - GBR - Fortec Motorsport - 30:26.608 - 24 - 19.4 - 111.44 - 01:07.544
9 - 14 - C - Esteban GUERRIERI - ARG - Ultimate Motorsport - 30:28.269 - 24 - 21.061 - 111.33 - 01:07.714
10 - 22 - C - Alberto VALERIO - BRA - Carlin Motorsport - 30:29.214 - 24 - 22.006 - 111.28 - 01:07.456
 

Jelley scores maiden win in Thruxton thriller

Stephen Jelley (#1 Raikkonen Robertson Racing) finally got to climb on to the top step of the British F3 podium with a convincing win at Thruxton. The Leicestershire driver won from 5th on the grid, overtaking Jonathan Kennard (#2 Raikkonen Robertson Racing) at the restart after a short Safety Car period to recover the cars of Sam Bird and Atte Mustonen. Maro Engel (#23 Carlin) drove through from 15th on the grid to finish on the podium.

Sergio Perez (#31 TSport) took his 11th National Class win ahead of Hamad Al Fardan (#38 Performance Racing) and Michael Meadows (#55 Newnet Raikkonen Robertson Racing).

Round 17

Sebastian Hohenthal (#5 Fortec) lined up on pole position, ahead of Atte Mustonen (#26 Raikkonen Robertson Racing but it was third placed Niall Breen (#21 Carlin) who got the jump on the Finn at the start, sweeping past the number 26 Dallara on the second corner. The Irish driver then set off after the leading Fortec Dallara.

Further back Marko Asmer made a good start from his unaccustomed 9th on the grid to end the opening lap in 6th, briefly holding 5th until Jonathan Kennard regained the place at the Chicane.

Fourth placed Sam Bird (#3 Carlin) was challenging Mustonen for his podium position but in turn he had Kennard and Stephen Jelley, who had passed Asmer on lap 2, challenging his position.

Niall Breen was all over the back of Hohenthal’s Dallara as they completed lap 2 but on the next lap disaster struck as the two cars touched, spinning both off the track, Hohethal into retirement and Breen down the order and out of contention.

This put Sam Bird into the lead after Mustonen had lost ground to end the 3rd lap in fourth place. Bird had Kennard right behind him as Jelley held of the recovering Mustonen. Bird held on until lap 6 when Kennard had a look on the inside at Church Corner and the Spa winner moved into the lead. However the Carlin driver wasn’t going to give in easily and the two cars were side-by-side in the Chicane on lap 7 but Kennard held his nerve and his leading position.

Meanwhile the battle for 3rd was just as hot, with Mustonen looking for a way past Jelley as almost every corner, but the Finn finally got past on the 8th lap and was soon on terms with Sam Bird.

Further back Maro Engel (#23 Carlin) was on the move. The German had qualified back in 15th place after a torrid time in qualifying but found the race trim of his Mercedes powered Dallara more to his liking. After a good start he made steady progress towards the front of the grid and by lap 8 he was up to 7th and challenging Esteban Guerrieri’s Mygale for track position. However both drivers were promoted two places as another two front runners came to grief.

Sam Bird challenged Kennard for the lead into the Chicane at the end of the 10th lap but once again Kennard was able to fend off the Carlin driver and this allowed Mustonen to close up on Bird and overtake on lap 11. Once again Bird fought back and challenged the Finn into the Chicane but there was a coming together as the two cars entered the Chicane, spinning both into the barriers and into retirement. The two Dallaras were judged to be in a dangerous place and the Safety Car was deployed to allow the recovery of the cars, bunching up the field but not before Engel managed to pass Guerrieri and close up on Rodolfo Gonzalez in the T Sport Dallara who was now in third.

As the Safety Car headed for the pits Jelley closed up behind Kennard and as the race recommenced he pounced, taking the lead into the Complex. Engel also made a move on Gonzalez at the same place, pushing the Venezuelan onto the grass, which lost Gonzalez four more places before the end of the lap.

Jelley started to pull away from Kennard as Engel now tried to wrest second place away from the driver from Kent. Kennard once again defended well to hold his position and allowing Engel to come under pressure in turn from Guerrieri.

However as the chequered flag approached Jelley had opened up a big enough breathing space to enjoy the feeling of taking his first ever win in British F3 and he punched the air in delight as the Raikkonen Robertson Racing team lined the pitwall to welcome him home for a Double R 1-2. Engel came home in third, a brilliant performance from 15th.

However the drama wasn’t done yet. Michael Devaney (#15 Ultimate) was fending off the recovering Rodolfo Gonzalez, with Greg Mansell (#50 Fortec) also wanting to accumulate as many points as possible from a very lowly 18th starting position. As the three cars entered the chicane for the final time they were side-by-side and Gonzalez had to cut across the Chicane and came across the line in front of Mansell and Devaney. However Gonzalez was later demoted one place as he was judged to have gained the place by cutting the Chicane.

In the National Class Sergio Perez took his 11th win with apparent ease after an early battle with ‘Frankie’ Cheng. At the end of the race the Chinese driver found himself battling with Hamad Al Fardan and Mike Meadows and on the final lap Al Fardan and Meadows managed to pass Cheng to claim the two other podium finishes at the chequered flag.

ROUND 17 - RESULTS - PROVISIONAL
1 - 1 - C - Stephen JELLEY - GBR - Raikkonen Robertson Racing - 29:58.967 - 24 - - 113.15 - 01:07.154
2 - 2 - C - Jonathan KENNARD - GBR - Raikkonen Robertson Racing - 30:00.777 - 24 - 1.81 - 113.03 - 01:07.150
3 - 23 - C - Maro ENGEL - GER - Carlin Motorsport - 30:01.463 - 24 - 2.496 - 112.99 - 01:07.420
4 - 14 - C - Esteban GUERRIERI - ARG - Ultimate Motorsport - 30:02.786 - 24 - 3.819 - 112.91 - 01:07.587
5 - 22 - C - Alberto VALERIO - BRA - Carlin Motorsport - 30:04.318 - 24 - 5.351 - 112.81 - 01:07.569
6 - 50 - C - Greg MANSELL - GBR - Fortec Motorsport - 30:05.107 - 24 - 6.14 - 112.76 - 01:07.317
7 - 9 - C - Rodolfo GONZALEZ - VEN - T-Sport - 30:05.117 - 24 - 6.15 - 112.8 - 01:07.399
8 - 15 - C - Michael DEVANEY - IRL - Ultimate Motorsport - 30:05.183 - 24 - 6.216 - 112.76 - 01:07.479
9 - 7 - C - Marko ASMER - EST - Hitech Racing - 30:06.145 - 24 - 7.178 - 112.7 - 01:07.752
10 - 31 - N - Sergio PEREZ - MEX - T-Sport - 30:09.308 - 24 - 10.341 - 112.5 - 01:07.753
 

Kennard Breaks his Duck in Torrential Rain at Spa

Jonathan Kennard ( Raikkonen Robertson Racing) scored his first British F3 win in a race hit by a torrential downpour and ended under the safety car. Kennard leaves Spa with a 1st and 2nd places plus a new British F3 lap record to his name. Maro Enge, Carlin Motorsportsd, was a fighting second ahead of  teammate Sam Bird.

Sergio Perez (# T Sport) took a another win in the National Class, just missing out on a clean sweep with Frankie Cheng (Performance Racing) taking the point for the fastest lap in second place.

The track was awash after overnight rain, with more rain continuing to fall as the cars formed up on the grid. The decision was taken to start the race behind the safety car and for two laps the 30 drivers played follow-my-leader before the safety car pulled in and racing got underway on lap 3 with Kennard the only driver with a clearer view of the track as the rest of the field disappeared in a cloud of spray kicked up by the Avon wet tyres.

At the end of lap one the status quo remained at the front of the field with Kennard from Engel and Bird as they crossed the line. Behind them Mario Moraes (Carlin) had made up two places to finish lap 3 in 6th, one place of Alberto Valerio ( Carlin) who had made up four places on his grid position. Moraes made up another place overtaking Atte Mustonen ( Raikkonen Robertson Racing) on the next lap.

Esteban Guerrieri (Ultimate Motorsport) was another driver to make up places on the opening lap finishing two places up in 11th and then passing Rodolfo Gonzalez ( T Sport), when the Venezuelan ran wide at Pouhon, and Niall Breen ( Carlin) on successive laps. Salman Al Khalifa ( T Sport) and Leo Mansell (Fortec) banged wheels as the Bahraini tried to pass the Fortec Dallara in the slippery conditions. Viktor Jensen's weekend to forget continued as his Dallara was seen circulating with damage, which caused the Icelandic teenager into retirement.

Meanwhile at the front Engel was closing on Kennard and as the leading pair came into the Bus Stop Kennard ran wide in the slippery conditions, regaining the track in front of the German, but struggling to put the power down. Engel closed down on Kennard as the pair braked for La Source. Engel was on the inside and it seemed he had the lead but Kennard took the wider line and was able to get on the gas earlier than Engel and retain his lead. Engel tried to get a tow off the leader on the run into Les Combes but Kennard defended his position.

As the race entered the 7th lap Ricardo Teixeira ( Performance Racing) lost control of his Dallara at the bottom of Eau Rouge, spinning across the track and hitting the barriers quite hard. The Angolan walked away unharmed but his car was judged to be in a dangerous position and the Safety Car was deployed. At the same time Esteban Guerrieri's Mygale drifted to a halt at Eau Rouge and into retirement from 9th place.

The Safety Car period lasted until the end of the race and the cars crossed the line in formation, having completed eight laps, but just four at racing speed. Jonathan Kennard was obviously delighted to secure his first ever British F3 victory as he punched the air in delight.

Marko Asmer leaves Spa with a reduced lead in the championship, leading by 60 points from Sam Bird and a further 12 points ahead of Maro Engel.

Sergio Perez finished 15th overall, two places ahead of title rival 'Frankie' Cheng. Perez heads to Silverstone with a 10 points lead over Cheng, with Mike Meadows a distant third despite securing his fifth podium of the season in the race.

Jonathan Kennard: "It was a bit of a weird race, it started behind the safety car which probably not completely necessary I wouldn't have thought. Got a good restart and my first lap was pretty good. I made a mistake into the chicane, which was a bit annoying, and Maro (Engel) caught up. Then the Safety Car came out again and that was it really. I hope this is a turning point, we had a good test at Pembrey before we came here and found a couple of tweeks with the car and hopefully that's what we need to keep this momentum going."

Hohenthal takes first British F3 win

Sebastian Hohenthal (#5 Fortec Motorsport) took the chequered flag for the first time in British F3 and the UK Formula Renault Champion couldn't hide his delight. Atte Mustonen (#26 Raikkonen Robertson Racing) took his maiden podium finish, with Marko Asmer finishing 3rd to extend his championship lead to 78 points over Maro Engel.

'Frankie' Cheng finished off a perfect weekend with another win and fastest lap from pole position in the National Class. With Sergio Perez finishing 2nd, the pair are level on points at the top of the table after 12 races.

Pole position holder Marko Asmer and Sebastian Hohenthal got a good start but not as good as third placed Sam Bird who shot between the lead pair before they had got off the line. Bird was off down Paddock Hill as Hohenthal dived to the inside of Asmer and pulled off a great overtaking maneuver at the first corner, with Atte Mustonen slotting in behind Asmer.

At the end of the opening lap Bird was already 2.4 seconds ahead of Hohenthal but then all became clear as the Carlin driver was judged to have jumped the start and would have to serve an drive through penalty, as would T Sport’s Rodolfo Gonzalez for the same offence.

Gonzalez and Bird pitted on lap 4 and 5 respectively and this released Hohenthal, Asmer and Mustonen, the top three soon pulling away from 4th placed Niall Breen who had fellow Irishman Michael Devaney not far behind in the Ultimate Motorsport Mygale.

Further back Greg Mansell had a moment at Hawthorn’s, hitting some gravel that had been thrown on the track by another car and spinning off. He rejoined but the car was too badly damaged and he retired.

In the National Class Alex Waters and Mike Meadows were also judged to have jumped the start and they came in to serve their drive through penalties at this point.

At the front Hohenthal was unable to break away from Asmer, the Estonian able to maintain a half second gap to his rival but unable to force the Swede into an error that would allow him to overtake. Mustonen was tracking the leading pair, maintaining a 1 to 2 second gap to the battling duo.

Meanwhile Devaney was on the back of Breen but in turn had Stephen Jelley pressurising him. This battle for 4th place raged for lap after lap until lap 18 when Breen made a mistake which allowed the Mygale to move ahead of the Carlin Dallara.

At the race drew to a close Asmer started to put further pressure on the leader, crossing the line on lap 19 just 0.4 seconds behind. However Asmer got too close at Sheene and slid wide onto the grass in the dirty air and Mustonen pounced to move in second place.

Hohenthal started the last lap with Mustonen now on his rear wing. The Finn tried to dive down the inside at Druids, and the two cars, briefly touched but Hohenthal was not wasn’t going to be denied his first win. He held his nerve and crossed the line with his arm raised to his mechanics on the pitwall. Asmer recovered to finish 0.5 seconds behind Mustonen and a full second behind Hohenthal, the closest finish to a British F3 race since Thruxton last season.

In the National Class ‘Frankie’ Cheng made it a clean sweep of pole positions, fastest laps and race wins, with Sergio Perez unable to get on terms with his rival as he had Ricardo Teixeira’s championship class car between him and Cheng for the majority of the race. Hamad Al Fardan made it a good day for Performance Racing with his 5th podium of the season.

Marko Asmer now holds a commanding 78 point lead over Maro Engel who could only manage a disappointing 7th place. Sam Bird picked up a point for the fastest lap despite finishing just outside the points in 11th place and is now 5 points behind Engel in 3rd place.

The next races are on the Grand Prix circuit at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium on 27/28 July

Asmer attacks at Brands

Marko Asmer scored his 7th win of the year, taking a dominant lights-to-flag victory. Behind the Estonian things weren't so clear cut early on as drivers stalled and others jumped the start. However Stephen Jelley came out on top, leading Double R team mate Jonathan Kennard to the flag. Rodolfo Gonzalez had his best race of the year, fighting his way back from 12th on the first lap to finish 4th.

'Frankie' Cheng closed the gap in the National Class title battle after securing the win and fastest lap, but Sergio Perez was a lot closer to the Chinese driver than the qualifying positions would've suggested. Viktor Jensen took his 5th podium finish of the year after starting 24th on the grid and 4th in class after a long battle for position with Mike Meadows.

At the start Asmer leapt away as Atte Mustonen stalled on the front row causing the drivers behind to take avoiding action to miss the stranded Finn. Sam Bird went into 2nd from 4th on the grid as the cars dropped down Paddock Hill for the first time.Sebastian Hohenthal got a good start to head into Druid’s in 4th place ahead of Kennard and Stephen Jelley. However Hohenthal’s start was too good and the Swede was given a drive through penalty as a result. Behind them Rodolfo Gonzalez had a terrible start, dropping back to 12th on the opening lap but this set the stage for a fantastic come back drive.

Sam Bird’s great start came to naught as the Carlin Motorsport Dallara was seen cruising through Hawthorn’s with a clutch problem, his race run.

At the front Asmer started to pull away from Jelley, with Kennard in 3rd, having dispatched Hohenthal out of view, tracking his every move. The first four laps saw the top 8 stay in position, with Gonzalez making progress up to 9th. Hohenthal still had to serve his drive through penalty but on lap 5 he came in just as the Safety Car was deployed.

Alberto Valerio’s Dallara was a sorry mess after a collision with John Martin at Druid’s launched the Brazilian’s car into a series of barrel rolls. Valerio was OK but Martin’s car was stranded close to the track and had to be removed by the marshal’s, which they did before the end of the Safety Car lap. The Ford Mondeo dived into the pitlane and the race resumed with the loss of only 1 lap.

At the restart Michael Devaney put his Mygale alongside his teammate Esteban Guerrieri as they dived into Paddock Hill. The Argentine held the place but Devaney then fell into the clutches of Gonzalez, who moved ahead of the Irishman at Druid’s.

At the front Asmer moved ahead of Jelley and Kennard, with Maro Engel holding off Niall Breen. Gonzalez started to reel in Breen and caught him on lap 12 and went around the outside of the Irish driver at Hawthorn’s in a great move to finish lap 13 in 5th place.

Another driver on the move was Mario Moraes moving into the points by passing Greg Mansell on lap 12 and then moved up a further place when Guerrieri had to pit with a slipping clutch. Atte Mustonen, who had rejoined at the back of the field after stalling on the grid was coming back through the National Class field and on lap 17 was challenging Grubmuller for the final championship point.

By now Gonzalez was now on terms with Engel and challenging the German for 4th place. The two cars crossed the line side by side, with the Venezuelan driving around the outside of Engel at Paddock Hill to move ahead.

In the National Class Cheng had Perez breathing down his neck for most the race but on the notoriously difficult Brands Hatch circuit Perez couldn’t find a way to overtake his rival. Viktor Jensen had made a great start to move ahead of Mike Meadows and after a long battle he scored his 5th podium of the 2007 season.

Lap 20 saw Mustonen attack Grubmuller out of Druid’s and into Graham Hill but the Austrian held on, with the Finn over cooking it on the last lap, dropping four places at the chequered flag.

Marko Asmer took the chequered flag, posting a new British F3 lap record for the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in the process. Stephen Jelley and Jonathan Kennard were happy to return to the podium after the trials of Monza. Rodolfo Gonzalez was pleased with his best finish of the season so far in 4th and the 2006 British F3 National Champion was hopeful that the pace shown could be translated into a podium finish in Round 12.

Carlin 1-2-3 at Snetterton

The Carlin F3 team recorded a fantastic one-two-three finish in the first race at Snetterton today, with F3 rookie Niall Breen taking his first win in the championship. Breen was joined on the podium by Sam Bird and Alberto Valerio, to take the team's first podium BF3 lock-out since Charlie Kimball, Alvaro Parente and Christian Bakkerud in 2005.

As the lights went out at the start of the 28 lap race, the three leading Carlin drivers made a clean get away, with Sam Bird proving the most impressive, beating pole man Mustonen, third placed Kennard and team mate Alberto Valerio to the first corner. By the end of lap one, it was Breen first, Bird second and Valerio third, the order the team would maintain to the chequered flag.

Brazilian Alberto Valerio was the quickest driver in the early stages of the race, setting the fastest lap on lap two, three and five to close up on team mate Bird. In an incredibly close race, Breen, Bird and Valerio were separated by just one second after 28 laps of intense racing.

Meanwhile Maro Engel, who had dropped down to eighth at the end of lap one, moved up to seventh after championship leader Marko Asmer retired with a puncture on lap six. Further down the field, 19 year-old Mario Moraes was fighting his own battle, having dropped to 16th on the same lap. The young Brazilian passed a number of cars to reach 12th by lap 25, the position he would take at the chequered flag.

Commenting on his first British F3 win, Niall Breen said, "It feels just brilliant to win my first British F3 race. I was hoping to win a race towards the end of the year, but I've had a great start to the season and to get a win at my seventh start is just fantastic. I can only get better and stronger, as I'm still learning. Every race I go to I'm feeling more confident as I've got more experience in the car and at the circuits. It was brilliant to have a one-two-three. We all get on very well, so it was nice to be on the podium with my team mates."

Speaking about his lightening start, second placed man Sam Bird commented, "I got great traction and was able to get a really great start. I've started catching Stephen and Marko in the championship a bit recently, and that's all it's going to be really; just moving up gradually. It's going to be really hard to catch Asmer, but that's the aim."

Completing the top three, Alberto Valerio was pleased to take his place on the podium adding, "It was a great race for Carlin, the team have done very well to put three cars at the front. Sam was very quick at the start and managed to get past me, Mustonen got bogged down so I was able to pass him. I had to fight a bit with Kennard to take third place at the start, but from then it was quite an uneventful race."

Team Principal Trevor Carlin was delighted with his team's performance adding, "It's fantastic to get a one-two-three; it's great for the whole team and for the three drivers and their standings in the championship. They all made up positions on the grid and drove consistently well lap after lap. The team is looking very strong; this was only the seventh race of the year and we've already had three drivers winning races. That shows that as a team we can produce equal equipment at a very high level. I think Alberto looks strong for a race win soon, and we want to get Mario on the top step too, then we'll have the whole set!"

Lloyds TSB Insurance British Formula Three International Championship

Bird flies in Bucharest

 ROUND 6 - RACE

As in race one, the start was held behind the safety car, which led the 28 strong grid around the 3.1km Bucharest circuit before releasing them on lap 3. As the green flag was waved the field had stung out with Stephen Jelley (#1 Raikkonen Robertson Racing) pulling away from Alberto Valerio (#22 Carlin Motorsport).

Further back Michael Devaney (#15 Ultimate Motorsport) challenged Marko Asmer (#7 Hitech Racing) into the first corner, with the Irishman muscling the Mygale past the Estonian on the inside to take 10th, one place behind his teammate.

At the end of the first lap at race speed it was Jelley just ahead of the closing Valerio, who was ahead of Atte Mustonen (#26 Raikkonen Robertson Racing) and Maro Engel (#23 Carlin Motorsport). As the leaders crossed the line Valerio made a move on Jelley, braking late on the inside of Jelley. The Double R driver took the racing line into the corner and was collected by the Brazilian forcing both cars down the escape road and promoting Mustonen into the race lead. However the Finns moment of glory was short lived as he and Engel approached the chicane. Engel went down the inside of Mustonen, getting alongside the Finn as they entered the corner but Mustonen turned in, squeezing the Carlin Motorsport Dallara up against the wall and forcing both cars into retirement.

The race continued under waved yellows as the marshals snatched the two cars off the track in good order. It was now the turn of Sam Bird (#3 Carlin Motorsport) who took the lead, two seconds ahead of Niall Breen (#21 Carlin Motorsport) and Stephen Jelley, who had recovered to regain the track following the clash with Valerio.

Bird started to pull away from Breen as the laps counted down, with Jelley 1.5 seconds behind Breen. Sean Petterson (#12 Fluid Motorsport) clashed with Viktor Jenson (#37 ADR), with the South African losing half of his front wing, forcing him into the pits for a new nosecone. The two Ultimate Motorsport Mygale’s of Esteben Guerrieri and Michael Devaney were running 5th and 6th until Guerrieri came into the pits after dropping back on track. The team got to work on the problem and he regained the track 1 lap down but still running.

Marko Asmer was also having a hard time as he tried to find a way past Rodolfo Gonzalez (#9 T Sport) but the Venezuelan was defending his position aggressively. The battling pair were soon caught by John Martin (#24 ADR) and the reigning Australian Formula Ford Champion waited for a passing opportunity to present itself. He didn’t have to wait long as Asmer was squeezed by Gonzalez on lap 11 and as they ran wide Martin nipped through on the inside overtaking both cars at a stroke.

Back at the front Bird continued to pull away from Breen and by lap 13 he was over five second ahead but then this advantage was nullified when the Safety Car boards were displayed. Hamad Al Fardan (#38 Performance Racing) clipped the wall, with the unfortunate Michael Meadows (#55 Newnet Raikkonen Robertson Racing) and Albert Costa (#36 Raikkonen Robertson Racing) getting caught up in the accident. The stranded cars were removed under the Safety Car and three laps later racing resumed.

Sam Bird leapt away at the start to open up a two second gap by lap 18, with Irishman able to do the same over third placed Jelley, who had Martin just 0.4 seconds behind him.

In the National Class Sergio Perez was leading the way but had Alistair Jackson (#35 Raikkonen Robertson Racing) breathing down his neck. The Mexican found himself on the losing end of an overtaking move but by the end of the lap had regained the place from Jackson. Jackson’s race ended a lap later when an incident involving Francesco Castellacci (#8 ADR) ended both drivers races.

Bird crossed the line with just two seconds showing on the clock so the field had to complete another lap but this just delayed the delight shown by the Englishman as he crossed the line to secure his first win in British F3 and become the third different winner in six races. Niall Breen came home to secure a Carlin 1-2 and equally his best performance in the series so far. A disappointed Stephen Jelley was third but knew that the race should’ve been his but for the incident with Valerio at the start of the race. John Martin was 4th, the best finish so far for the Australian, and Marko Asmer and Michael Devaney rounding out the top six. The fastest lap of the race went to Devaney, underlining the progress Mygale and Ultimate Motorsport are making with the brand new Formula 3 chassis.

Marko Asmer (105) now holds a commanding 47 point lead over second placed Stephen Jelley (58), with Sam Bird (51) moving up to 3rd place ahead of Maro Engel (50).

In the National Class Sergio Perez took the chequered flag for the second time this year, with Viktor Jensen securing another podium finish from 26th on the grid. ‘Frankie’ Cheng ended a bad weekend with a smile as he took the final podium position, which moves him back to the top of the National Class drivers table with 76 points, 5 points ahead of Sergio Perez (71) and the non finishing Michael Meadows (68) who took the 1 point for the fastest lap of the race.

Asmer wins first ever race held in Bucharest

 ROUND 5 - RACE

Mike Meadows scored another victory, his second of the season, after poleman Alistair Jackson had an incident with Jonathan Kennard force the Northern Irish driver into retirement. Sergio Perez was a close second, ahead of Hamad Al Fardan, the first visit to the podium for the Bahraini driver.

The 24 lap race was started under the safety car due to the track conditions following an earlier qualifying session and for two laps the 30 car grid circulated a slow speed weaving to try and get some heat into their slick Avon tyres.

At the end of the second lap the race went green and Asmer pulled ahead of Valerio, who had Hohenthal and Bird climbing all over his rear wing as they exited the first corner at racing speed, with Bird going very wide on the exit but despite hopping over the kerbs he maintained his pace. National Class pole position holder Alistair Jackson was the first casualty of the race when he tangled with his Raikkonen Robertson teammate Jonathan Kennard and his race ended before it had even begun. Kennard was able to continue.

By the end of lap 4 Asmer had opened up a 2.8 second gap to the chasing pack, with four tenths separating the three cars fighting for second. Meanwhile further down the grid Esteban Guerrieri was moving up from his 14th position on the grid, picking off Michael Meadows on lap 5.

On lap 6 there was disaster for Hohenthal as Bird made a move on the Swede at the penultimate corner. Bird got alongside his rival and attempted to out brake the Fortec driver into the sharp left hander. Hohenthal locked up and the car stepped out. As he tried to recover the slide he was collected by the unlucky Greg Mansell who was following behind his teammate, who was in turn hit by Michael Devaney in the second Ultimate Mygale. Devaney was able to extract his car from the tangle but the two Fortec Dallara’s were locked together.

The Safety Car was deployed to allow the safe recovery of the wreckage and for six laps the cars once again circulated at medium speed.

Racing recommenced on Lap 11 and Asmer once again started to pull away from Valerio, who now had Bird challenging him at every corner. However the Safety Car board was once again shown before the lap was completed. ‘Frankie’ Cheng had been running down to the penultimate corner on the left hand side of the track with Leo Mansell and Francesco Castellacci on the right hand side when the Chinese driver brushed the concrete wall and the Performance Racing Dallara speared across the track right into the path of the unfortunate Mansell, who had no where to go. He was then collected by the equally unfortunate Castellacci and all three drivers were out of the race.

A further three laps under the Safety Car meant that the race was going to be called at 30-minutes rather than 24 laps and when the race went green for the third time Asmer led a two lap sprint to the flag.

Esteban Guerrieri used the restart to move further up the grid in the Mygale, forcing his way past on the inside of Jonathan Kennard in the first corner to secure 8th.

At the chequered flag it was Asmer who waved his finger in the air as he crossed the line, with an equally pleased Alberto Valerio taking his second podium finish in British F3 and the first at his new Carlin team. Carlin Motorpsort claimed a double podium as Sam Bird scored his first top 3 finish in British F3.

Michael Meadows, who inherited the lead of the National Class from his Raikkonen Robertson teammate Ali Jackson, drove a solid race and finished 0.3 seconds ahead of a charging Sergio Perez, who scored his third podium finish in a row. Hamad Al Fardan was equally pleased with his first British F3 podium finish and will hope for something similar in Round 6, which he starts in second place. Meadows now holds a three point advantage over Cheng at the head of the championship table.

The afternoon belonged to Mark Asmer and with four wins on the trot now holds a commanding 47 point advantage over Maro Engel who finished 5th in the race.

Marko Asmer: “The race wasn’t that fantastic, we didn’t get many racing laps, but still it was good for me. The organisers and Romania have done a fantastic job to make this circuit. I really like it and I enjoy it. I managed to pull away in the first laps and I had a good restart after the next safety car, so he (Valerio) was even close enough to try to pass, so no I wasn’t under any pressure. The championship is looking good and we will keep trying to get as many points as possible.”

Michael Meadows: “I had Gonzalez and Moraes behind me and after the Safety Car I let them go because I didn’t need that kind of pressure. I had do a bit of defending from Sergio (Perez) but nothing major, just put my car in the middle of the road and it was OK. It’s good to sign for Double R and get the weekend off to a good start with a win.”

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