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Mapelli In The Wet, Tander The Dry In Topsy-Turvy Practice Day At Mallala |
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Tuesday, 03 July 2007 |
Teams and drivers within the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship for the CAMS Gold Star have been able to hedge their bets for this weekend’s racing after a day of practice that featured both wet and dry conditions.
Persistent rain lashed the Mallala circuit this morning, teams arriving to a sodden circuit after a cold but dry testing session yesterday.
In this morning’s wet session Italian youngster Marco Mapelli (Team BRM
Dallara F304 Spiess) was a massive 1.3 seconds quicker than his next
rival, whilst in drying conditions this afternoon Leanne Tander set the
benchmark time.
Mapelli said that he was pleased with the sessions in the rain.
”For sure it was good,” he reported.
”It is nice to be this far in front but it’s only practice. The others will be closer because they are all very fast.”
Tander’s lap in the dry – 1m05.3s – was some 10 seconds quicker than
Mapelli’s best lap in the morning session, showing how vastly different
conditions were.
Whilst the margins between first and second were more than considerable
in today’s sessions, the fiercely competitive nature of this years
championship series was more than evident given the close times seen
amongst the chasing pack.
In the dry session Tim Macrow (Cooltemp / Scud Racing), James Winslow
(Team Opes Prime), Mat Sofi (Total Developments), Mapelli and the
Astuti Motorsport pair of Charlie Hollings and Michael Trimble all
lapped within five tenths of each other.
Mapelli and Sofi in particular could sway the direction of the outright
championship battle this weekend should they maintain their strong
performances this weekend.
Whilst Macrow (leading), Hollings, Tander and Winslow are separated by
less than 15 championship points, Mapelli (6th) and Sofi (7th) are
looking to claw back lost ground to the leading contenders.
So far neither has won a race this season however Mapelli finished on
the podium at Phillip Island recently showing his improving form.
The fourth round of the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship
will continue tomorrow with two qualifying sessions that will decide
the grid for each of Sunday’s two races, respectively.
The action-packed 20-minute sessions may yet be held in similar
conditions to today’s practice sessions, with the bureau of Meteorology
forecasting early showers to clear in the afternoon.
For more information about the Kumho Tyres Australian formula 3 championship please visit www.formula3.com.au
Unofficial practice times – Practice 1
1. Marco Mapelli (ITA) 1m15.1s
2. Tim Macrow 1m16.3
3. Leanne Tander 1m16.7
4. Charlie Hollings (UK) 1m16.7
5. Michael Trimble 1m17.4
Practice 2
1. Leanne Tander 1m05.3
2. Tim Macrow 1m06.0
3. James Winslow 1m06.0
4. Mat Sofi 1m06.1
5. Marco Mapelli 1m06.5
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