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Leanne Tander Creates History As First Ever Female Winner Of An Australian Drivers Championship Race |
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Sunday, 06 May 2007 |
Leanne Tander has today created Australian Motorsport history by becoming the first female driver to win a race in the 51-year history of the Australian Drivers Championship for the CAMS Gold Star – the series recognized as the premier title for Open Wheel racers in Australia.
Leanne won the second of two races in this weekend’s third event of the 2007 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship today at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit in Victoria after a stunning drive in her #42 Fleetcare TanderSport Dallara F304 Spiess-Opel Formula 3 car.
Her win today – It is believed to be the first ever major F3 race won
by a Female driver in the long worldwide history of the category -
joins her past history making successes in V8 Supercar, Australian
Production Car and Formula Ford competition.
It was Leanne’s first win since joining Australia’s premier Open Wheel
championship in the middle of the 2005 racing season, and since forming
their professional TanderSport operation with husband Garth at the end
of the same year.
Leanne started from the front row of today’s second race and followed
race one winner James Winslow, from Great Britain, for the first two
laps before executing a daring pass for the lead around the outside of
turn one, at speeds approaching 260kph.
Tander was never headed for the remaining 12 laps of 14-lap race,
running away to a 3.8 second win over Winslow and Italian driver Marco
Mapelli.
The result lifted her to third in the championship with 69 points,
trailing the series leader Tim Macrow by just 11 with five rounds – 10
races – remaining in the season.
The win was a remarkable comeback after a tough opening race where
Leanne struggled from second on the grid and was shuffled back to
seventh place after the first lap.
She charged forward after the slow start, however, finishing race one 5th.
After many setbacks and close finishes, Leanne was today relieved to
have her maiden Formula 3 win under her belt, as well as vaulting
herself right back into the middle of a thrilling battle for this
year’s championship.
”The last three laps were probably just about the slowest laps I’ve
driven around here all weekend but there was no way I was going to make
a mistake and spear off!” she said.
”Closing the gap to the championship leaders was my aim for the weekend
and I’m pleased to have pulled back a chunk of time on the two leaders.
I missed an opportunity in race one when I stuffed up the start but I’m
very happy and I think that with five rounds to go I think I’m in reach.
“We have proved now that we can progress throughout the race meeting
after a couple of rounds where we I was fast on Friday and then went
backwards afterwards. I’ve proved to myself that I can be fast on
Friday, Saturday and win on Sunday, which gives a lot of confidence.”
Leanne said today that she was honoured to become part of a long list
of extremely successful drivers that have won races in the Australian
Drivers Championship.
“I’m surprised it hasn’t happened sooner and a bit of a shame it’s taken this long!” she said this afternoon.
”Some great drivers have won races in the past in this championship and
It’s fantastic to join that list. It’s fantastic enough to have finally
won a Formula 3 race so to be part of the history of the Gold Star is
something special.
”It’s nice to have achieved what I have so far – I hope this is the
first of many wins that can lead me to winning the Gold Star at the end
of the year – that would be the best thing.” She said.
The Australian Drivers Championship has, for 50 years, been awarded by
the Confederation of Australian Motorsport (CAMS) to Australia’s
champion driver in the ‘top’ Open Wheel class in the country.
Previous race – and championship – winners include a who’s who of
Australian and New Zealand Motorsport names, including Lex Davison, Bib
Stillwell, Kevin Bartlett, Leo Geoghegan, Alfredo Costanzo, John Bowe,
David Brabham, Mark Skaife, Paul Stokell and, more recently, Jason
Bright, Scott Dixon, Simon Wills, Rick Kelly and Will Power.
The Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship for the CAMS Gold
Star is Australia’s premier, and only fully international, Open Wheel
Formula. For more information about the series please visit
www.formula3.com.au
A high-res image of Leanne Tander, in addition to the images included
within the body of this release, is attached for general media usage.
TanderSport and Leanne Tander thank the ongoing support of their
sponsors Fleetcare, HSV, Holden, Greenwood & Freehills, Valvoline,
Web105.com.au and My105.com
For more information about Leanne Tander, Fleetcare TanderSport or the
Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship, visit
www.leannetander.com, www.tandersport.com or www.formula3.com.au.
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