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The Macrow - Hollings Show Reaches Its Zenith After Controversial Final F3 Affair At Albert Park |
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Sunday, 18 March 2007 |
If this weekends’ non-championship Kumho tyres Australian Formula 3 races at the Australian grand Prix are any indication a rivalry between Tim Macrow and British driver Charlie Hollings will dominate headlines in this years Gold Star championship.
The two drivers fought out each of the four races at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne this weekend and today continued their battle for supremacy in a controversial eight-lap affair that ended with Macrow winning his third race from four starts.
For the fourth time this weekend Hollings made the best start in his Astuti Motorsport Dallara, leaping into the race lead.
Behind them Karl Reindler, Walter Grubmuller, Marco Mapelli and Leanne
Tander fought hard for the minor positions with Astuti’s second car
assuming the position – one he wouldn’t loose for the remainder of the
race.
The race’s key moment came on lap four, when Macrow got a strong tow from Hollings down the start finish straight.
With yellow flags flying at turn one thanks to a car buried in the sand
trap, Macrow stuck his nose down the outside of Hollings’ car and was
able to assume the lead.
The race officials deemed that Macrow had passed Hollings before
entering the yellow zone and cleared the Victorian driver of any
wrongdoing; however the Astuti Motorsport team had appealed the
decision with results pending at time of release.
Behind the leading dice Italian driver Marco Mapelli threw everything
he had at Grubmuller in an effort to get past, whilst also fending off
charges from a flying Chris Alajajian – who had started the race as the
only competitor on new tyres.
On lap two Leanne Tander’s strong weekend came to an end when she spun
her Fleetcare TanderSport car exiting turn 13 – contacting the wall and
ending a weekend that once again featured strong form yet unlucky
weekend.
Meanwhile, Karl Reindler’s horrific weekend came to an end on the seventh lap, his Team BRM car expiring with a failed engine.
Queenslander Chris Gilmour was a star of today’s race, taking his #17
SnatchIT.com.au Dallara F304 Spiess through the field to 7th place
after eight laps.
Gilmour – replicating charges made earlier in the weekend by Chris
Alajajian and Finnish driver Henri Karjalainen – raced from 27th to
12th after just one racing lap and finished his weekend with the strong
top eight finish.
“That’s one of the best races I’ve ever had,” Gilmour said today.
”It was going to be either a hero drive or a zero drive and in the end it was one of the most enjoyable races I have ever had.”
Macrow, however, left the weekend with three wins from four races and
takes strong race form into the next championship round at Oran Park,
in Sydney, this April.
“I was past before the yellow flag. My nose box was past before the flag point so that was that,” Tim Macrow said.
“It’s just been a great weekend and I have to thank my team for their
work and for their support. This will be great because I’ll carry a lot
of momentum into the championship round at Oran Park.” He said.
Naturally, there were two sides to the story with Hollings far from
convinced that the situation was going to go in Macrow’s favour.
“I’m taking this as two wins and two seconds,” Hollings said.
”Tim got a run on me and went to the outside. I thought he would get a
penalty and I just let him go, but the car just didn’t have the pace to
keep with him anyway.”
Walter Grubmuller ended his Australian campaign – he will now join
Hi-tech racing in the British F3 series - with a podium finish and said
that the experience of racing at Albert Park was a good one.
“I got a very good start and was able to have a great race with Marco – he put a lot of pressure on me,” Walter said.
”It’s a competitive series and there are a lot of competitive drivers
in it. It’s been a good experience for me. It is pleasing to get onto
the podium at the end of the weekend. The Austrian media have been very
supportive and it’s been good to race here.”
The next round of the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship
will be contested at Oran Park Raceway, in Sydney, on April 21 – 22.
For more information head to www.formula3.com.au
RACE RESULTS – Race 4 (8 Laps)
1. Tim Macrow (Team BRM)
2. Charlie Hollings (Astuti Motorsport)
3. Walter Grubmuller (Astuti Motorsport)
4. Marco Mapelli (Team BRM)
5. Chris Alajajian (Team BRM)
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