British F3/GT Racers Star at Spa

01 September 2003

The race action delivered by the British F3 and British GT Championships at Spa-Francorchamps over the weekend (30/31 August) was of the highest order as the British-based teams and drivers tackled one of the most challenging race circuits in the world. In front of a weekend crowd of 25,000, the big winners were Alan van der Merwe (F3) and Rollcentre Racing (GT).

The unpredictable Ardennes weather did its best to upset the F3 formbook, but van der Merwe coped superbly to win both races and move even closer to the British F3 title. The first race had to halted early after an accident, so only half points were awarded, but van der Merwe was able to extend his points advantage to 73 with just four races remaining. Jamie Green raced hard to keep the title contest open, and earned the 76 Racing Fuels driver of the day award for his efforts.

The race results also underlined the status of the British F3 Championship gripped by AVON Tyres as the premiere series of its type, as the regular British contenders dominated the podium in the face of some top quality European rivals competing in the invitation class.

The Scholarship class is now set for a stunning finale as a cracking weekend for Ernesto Viso has left the top three contenders within three points of each other. Viso, Karun Chandhok and Steven Kane now seem set to take their title battle all the way to the final race at Brands Hatch in late September.

The British GT Championship featured the most remarkable finale at the end of nearly six hours of racing. On the final lap, the Rollcentre Racing Mosler MT900R swept ahead of the similar car of Balfe Motorsport as the Balfe car ran short of fuel. Now, just 13 points cover the top five drivers in the GT/GTO class with one race remaining. Fourth place on his first drive in a TVR T400R, alongside John Hartshorne and Graeme Mundy, earned Daniel Eagling the 76 Racing Fuels driver of the day award.

In the GT Cup class, British GT history was made when 17-year old Tom Shrimpton became the youngest ever class winner in the series. Incredibly, sharing the same Tech 9/Gruppe M entered Porsche were Liz Halliday and Amanda Stretton who duly made their own history as the first women racers to win in British GT. Into second and third in GT Cup came the pair of Morgan Aero 8s, to give the British manufacturer one its best international racing results in the company's illustrious history.

With impressive reliability and excellent racing, the British GT teams were widely applauded at Spa for adding greatly to the 1000km race. The inclusion of the race on the British GT calendar was an undoubted success, thanks largely to the work put in by the teams to meet the challenge of a race five times longer than most British GT events.

The F3 teams have little chance for respite as they are back in action at Donington Park this weekend (5/6/7 September) when they race alongside the Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship. The GT teams, however, have a longer break before rejoining the F3 teams for the final rounds of both championships at Brands Hatch on 27/28 September.

See series calendar for British GT Championship | British F3 Championship

Related Story 22.08.2003 - Spa Challenge for British F3/GT Teams