Forthcoming UK Events
| Date | Event | Location |
| 06-08.07.2012 | Formula 1 British Grand Prix | Silverstone (Arena GP) |
| 01-03.06.2012 | British Drift Championship | Norfolk Arena |
| 23-24.06.2012 | MG Live 2012 | Silverstone |
| 25-26.08.2012 | FIA World Endurance Championship | Silverstone |
The 2012 Season Starts Here
The last week has seen a flurry of activity as championships big and small held their annual media days and opening tests, with some already even getting down to racing proper. The British Touring Car Championship heads strongly into a new all-turbo generation and this year boasts 10 models from nine different marques on its 24-car grid, including the technicolour liveried return of the MG name.
The BTCC season opener hits Brands Hatch on 1st April, followed a week later by the first rounds of the British GT Championship and the British F3 International Series at Oulton Park. While some single-seater formulae have struggled in recent times - Formula Renault postponing its UK series due to poor entries - British F3 continues to attract young talent. With recent champions including the Scuderia Toro Rosso pairing of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne, its status as a stepping-stone to Formula 1 is hard to dispute.
Read more...Pietro Fantin Takes Maiden British Formula 3 Win at Rockingham
- Details
- Category: British F3
- Saturday, 03 September 2011
Fantin assumed control of Round 22 of the championship on the 15th lap when Felipe Nasr, who had led from the start, was penalised by race officials for not observing the track limits. Championship leader Nasr was summoned to the pits for a drive-through penalty, dropping him well down the order.
“It feels amazing, I didn’t expect to win,” said Fantin. “I’m pleased to get the win and right now we have a quick car so starting from eighth in the next race I hope to make a good start and hope that we are able to challenge at the front again. I’m really, really happy to win, it still hasn’t quite sunk in yet.”
Fantin had made a good start from the pole but Nasr’s was better, the Brazilian rocketing from second on the grid to pass Fantin for the lead through turn one. By the Deene hairpin, Nasr had top spot well secured. He survived an early-race safety car period, nailed the restart and went on to build a three-second lead over Fantin before his transgression and subsequent penalty. The pit visit cost Felipe seven places; he fought back to sixth by the end, enough to keep alive his hopes of sealing championship victory tomorrow.
Rupert Svendsen-Cook was another fast-starter, the Carlin man slotting into third ahead of his team-mate Kevin Magnussen on the opening lap; third became second when Nasr was penalised.
Magnussen’s hopes of a podium finish came to an end with a spin on the third lap, promoting Jack Harvey to fourth, which became third by the end and another podium finish for the young Racing Steps Foundation driver.
Jazeman Jaafar placed fourth for Carlin, ahead of Carlos Huertas and Nasr. Local man Will Buller would have been seventh but for a penalty similar to Nasr’s - Will failed to take the drive-through and instead received a time penalty, dropping him out of the top 10. Magnussen recovered to seventh ahead of Double R’s Scott Pye, T-Sport man Menasheh Idafar and Sino Vision Racing driver Hywel Lloyd.
Luca Orlandi was the sole Rookie class finisher, the Italian West-Tec pilot inheriting class victory after Kotaro Sakurai joined Yann Cunha and Fahmi Ilyas in retirement after a lap-one clash, the incident which prompted the safety car.
British Formula 3 enjoys the headlining support of Cooper Tires and is additionally backed by Sunoco Racing Fuels, Anglo American Oil Company and OAMPS.
