Croft Beckons for British F3 Title-Chasing
HiTech Racing
04
September
2007
Hitech Racing heads to the penultimate round of the Lloyds TSB Insurance
British F3 International Series this weekend hoping to clinch its first
title in the UK’s premier single-seater series. The Silverstone-based
team, with Estonian Marko Asmer, currently lead the series by a massive
72 points from Maro Engel, with four rounds and a maximum 84 points
remaining.
After the last round at Thruxton, which saw the team frustrated with
their lack of straight-line speed, they completely rebuilt the cars
of both Asmer and his talented young team-mate Walter Grubmüller
prior to testing at Rockingham last week.
With the outfit and Asmer back on form, heading the times in both sessions
at the Northamptonshire circuit home to the grand finale in late September,
they return to the North Yorkshire track this weekend hoping to reproduce
the form that has seen them clinch nine wins and eight pole positions
this season.
For Hitech Racing double victory this weekend would earn them the title
they’ve been craving since they first entered the British F3
arena in 2004 and for team Principal David Hayle would be the achievement
of a personal goal. For Asmer, who with Hitech led the series at the
half-way point that year and just missed out on the title, it would
mark the realisation of a dream that would see him follow in the footsteps
of former F3 and F1 champions Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and Nelson
Piquet.
For F3 rookie Grubmüller, who came into the series with just a
season of Formula Renault behind him and who has steadily improved
in his very season, Croft will mark another new challenge. A new track
on which to learn but one on which he and the rest of the F3 runners
will have the benefit of extra track time with Friday’s two 50-minute
test sessions around the 2.13 mile circuit prior to the crucial Saturday
qualifying.
Although the title is now within their grasp, Hayle and the rest of
the Hitech team remain focussed on winning races and view this weekend’s
outing like any other event. For Asmer and Grubmüller though a
strong showing in testing at Rockingham last week, which saw Asmer
quickest overall in both sessions and Grubmüller chasing the fourth
quickest time before a red-flag ended his run, victory and podium finishes
are their personal aims.
“After the Thruxton weekend, where he struggled with a lack of
straight-line speed, we completely checked and rechecked everything
on both cars but found nothing wrong with either of them,” said
Hayle. “At Rockingham last week we were able to get back up to
the top of the times with Marko and Walter drove superbly throughout,
looking likely for a third or fourth quickest time, so we head to Croft
feeling very confident of a strong result for both of them.
“Yes it’s a strong position to be in, we have a good lead
in the points, but there are still four races to run and so we can’t
and won’t get complacent, even at this last stage. We’re
a race-winning team and like every other team out there on the grid
winning the championship is the overall aim but to do that you need
to be winning races so that again will be our objective on Sunday.”
Qualifying kicks off proceedings on Saturday with two 30-minute sessions
taking place at 11.40 and 14.30 with the two races scheduled to start
on Sunday at 12.50 and 16.05.
MPR Associates
See 2007 series calendar for British
F3 Championship
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