Silverstone Showdown for British
Formula 3
06 August
2009
With just six races remaining in which to decide the outcome of the
Cooper Tires British F3 International Series, next weekend's (15/16
Aug) double-header at Silverstone will be crucial to the hopes of the
title aspirants.
British Formula 3 has rarely been more competitive and exciting, with
eight different drivers from six different teams having scored race
wins already this season and plenty more competitors lining up to take
their turns in the limelight.
Australia's Daniel Ricciardo has led the championship all season and
arrives at Silverstone with as big a lead as he's ever had - he's 37
points ahead of his closest rival, Walter Grubmüller, thanks to
a win and a second-place finish late last month at Spa-Francorchamps
in Belgium.
The championship title is now Ricciardo's to lose, and he'll be careful
not to repeat the unforced error he made at Silverstone in May, when
he spun his Volkswagen-powered Dallara in qualifying. Daniel has won
four races, including one victory at Silverstone, and he says he'll
take more if he gets the slightest chance. But with one eye on where
his Carlin/Red Bull predecessor Jaime Alguersuari now finds himself
- in a Toro Rosso F1 seat - Ricciardo won't be taking too may chances
and risk fumbling his title bid.
Silverstone is home turf for the T-Sport team, and the Brackley-based
squad is on good form, as witnessed by race wins last month at Donington
for Wayne Boyd and at Spa for Adriano Buzaid. When he's not at home
in Ulster, 18-year-old Boyd bases himself in Silverstone village, so
next weekend's races are a 'home game'.
"Our testing pace at Silverstone was really good," says
Wayne, "and I think we can be very confident going into it. We
have made some aerodynamic modifications now and changed a few other
bits and pieces since we last tested there, back in March, so it will
be interesting to see how we get on."
Boyd is hoping for a typical summer's day at Silverstone - in other
words, sunshine and showers, the very conditions which gave him the
opportunity to display his consummate car control at Donington. "It's
very difficult to pass in F3 in dry conditions, because as soon as
you get close to someone your front downforce disappears. When the
conditions are a bit greasy it's a lot easier to pass - it all comes
down to car control and your confidence in slippery conditions."
Wayne is planning on giving it his all up to the end of the year: "This
year there's been quite a lot to learn and I go out in every race with
the aim of pushing as hard as I can so that I learn as much as I can.
I don't go out there with the aim of trying to finish second; I always
go out to give it my best and that will stay the same to the end of
the year."
And Boyd has words of warning for championship leader Ricciardo: "I
think he's going to find it tough to stay ahead of the Hitech drivers;
Grubmüller can definitely catch him in the championship. Daniel
is trying to do a few of the Renault World Series rounds as well, and
maybe that will confuse him a bit."
At Silverstone in May, on the Grand Prix circuit, Ricciardo and Renger
van der Zande took the wins, the latter on his debut with the Hitech
team. Since then van der Zande has won once more and his team-mate
at the Buckingham team, Grubmüller, has won twice also.
Max Chilton was quick at Silverstone in May, too, netting pole position
for both races and a brace of podium finishes in his AON-backed Carlin
car; he and his team-mates Henry Arundel and Philip Major will be only
too keen to support Ricciardo's title bid if the best way of doing
it is to bag a win for themselves.
Daventry's Fortec team is another with a winning pedigree; West Midlander
Riki Christodoulou came up trumps for the squad at Snetterton, and
scored his first podium finish of the season at Silverstone in May.
Riki's Northampton-domiciled team-mate, Spain's Victor Garcia, claimed
his first podium at Spa and will be looking to build on that.
Raikkonen Robertson Racing and their regular twosome, Japan's Daisuke
Nakajima and Colombia's Carlos Huertas, have shown flashes of pace
this season and will be joined at Silverstone by Taiwanese racer Kevin
Chen. Fresh from their best showings of the season at Spa, Stephane
Richelmi and Mugen Honda-powered boys Hywel Lloyd and Jay Bridger ought
to be a factor also. Reigning National Class Champion Jay is pinning
his hopes on a recent aero upgrade for his Litespeed Racing-run Mygale.
NATIONAL TITLE BECKONS FOR McKENZIE
Season-long National Class points leader Daniel McKenzie has a mathematical
chance of clinching championship victory next weekend. The 20-year-old
Fortec Motorsport driver is currently 65 points clear of his only
real rival for the title, Brazilian Gabriel Dias, and if Dan can
stretch that advantage to 85 points by close of play at Silverstone
he will have the job sewn up with four races in hand.
However, T-Sport driver Dias is not going down without a fight; he's
won the class four times this season, including a double win at Silverstone
in May, and he was on top again last time out, at Spa-Francorchamps.
The National Class welcomes a new competitor at Silverstone in the
shape of Italian Michele Faccin, who will race a second Mugen Honda-powered
Dallara for Team West Tec, alongside the squad's regular team member,
Russian Max Snegirev.
"I know the people behind Team West-Tec well and I know they
do a really good job at engineering a fast car so I am really looking
forward to it," says Faccin. "I won't have much chance to
try the car before the meeting but I am looking forward to racing at
Silverstone where I have enjoyed racing in the past."
Litespeed's Victor Correa is the season's other National Class race
winner, and he will be out to cement his third place overall in the
National standings.
British F3 is sponsored by US tyre manufacturer Cooper Tire and is
further supported by motorsport insurance specialist AON, by Sunoco
Racing Fuels and by Anglo American Oil Company.
SRO
See 2009 series calendar for British
F3 Championship
Related Story 25.07.2009 - Buzaid is Winner Number Eight in British F3
