|
Percat Perfect as Nick and Team BRM record first-up race wins in Formula Ford |
|
|
|
|
Sunday, 18 November 2007 |
In stunning
fashion, Team BRM driver Nick Percat recorded his and his
teams’ first ever race win in the Australian Formula Ford
Championship at the weekend.
Over 15 laps at the 2.2km
Symmons Plains circuit in Tasmania, South Australian driver Percat
diced with rivals Ash Walsh (Spectrum), Kristian Lindbom (Spectrum)
and Tim Blanchard (Mygale) in his supposedly unfavoured Van Diemen
chassis to give the team and driver their first wins at a National
Formula Ford level.
The overall podium finish for the round
and the race win back up a strong performance by team and driver at
Sandown in September, where they also finished on the podium.
Percat has now scored more points in just two rounds with
Team BRM than he had in the opening half of the championship, before
joining the team.
He finished third in races one and two at
the weekend before charging from fourth on the first lap to win a
thrilling finale’ at the Tasmanian circuit on Sunday.
The
lead changed six times between three drivers over the frenetic
fifteen laps however Percat and his #16 Walkinshaw Performance Team
BRM entry withheld the pressure to lead the last five and take the
flag by just one-tenth of a second.
It was the first win for
a Van Diemen chassis in this years’ championship
series.
Percat said that the result was a great reward for
plenty of hard work from the team.
”I was pretty happy to see
the chequered flag in the final race, but it was also a great reward
for the team who have worked so hard getting the car ready for the
round,” he said.
”The car was pretty much perfect from the
moment we unloaded it from the truck. We made some small changes to
the car before race two but ended up going back to where it was for
the third race – which proved to be the right call.
”It’s
great to have backed up the result at Sandown with another round
podium, and a race win, here.
“Everything just worked – it
was a great weekend!” he enthused.
Team BRM Manager Mark
Rundle said that the result was the vindication of hard work and the
decision to stick with the Van Diemen chassis.
”We had faith
that with the right combination the Van Diemen could do the job, and
I think we proved that today,” he said.
”This has been a
fantastic result for the team and also for Nick. It’s great to
finally ‘break the duck’ in Formula Ford racing and get Team BRM
onto the race winners list. It’s a result that we certainly hope to
see more often. Congratulations to Nick and the team at Symmons for
the hard work and we are confident that it can continue on into the
final round at Phillip Island.
“This gives us even more
motivation to win next season,” Rundle added. “We’re in the process
of talking to some drivers but we’re always keen to hear from others
looking to join a race winning combination for the 2008
championship.”
The Symmons Plains result backed up a
fantastic weekend for Team BRM, who also wrapped up the Duratec
class of the South Australian State Formula Ford Championship at
Mallala on Saturday.
With rookie driver Jordan Skinner in
just his third meeting with the team, the second Van Diemen car ran
well in each of the three races in the South Australian sun to take
out the class honours.
”Jordan did a great job and continues
to improve, we think he’s got the potential to be very good in the
future,” Mark Rundle said.
”It is a testament to the hard
work and dedication that our team puts in that we were able to win
races in two different states in two different series, in two days
of a weekend!"
Team BRM’s Formula Ford contingent will next
be in action in the final round of the Australian Formula Ford
Championship on December 1 – 2, at Phillip Island in Victoria.
|
