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'Blink Of An Eye' Formula 3 Racing Returns To Phillip Island |
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Monday, 14 August 2006 |
| Attachment 16859 |
| Victorian driver Michael Trimble is pumped for a big home round following a successful test day |
WHEN the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship for the CAMS Gold Star visited the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in May this year the margin separating season-long rivals Ben Clucas and Michael Trimble was just a blink of an eye.
Both drivers will be hoping to make that margin a little more comfortable when Australia’s Premier Open Wheel championship returns to the 4.46km circuit two hours south of Melbourne for round six this weekend.
Team BRM’s British import Clucas currently leads Victorian Astuti Motorsport driver Michael Trimble by 60 points heading into the expected Island battle, the 132 points still up for grabs in the final three rounds ensuring that the championship fight is well and truly alive.
Clucas dominated a saturated round at the circuit in May this year, scything his way through the field in the first race following a stop-go penalty to beat Trimble to the line by just .0031 of a second – the closest finish in series history.
The result spurred the Englishman on to win the following five races,
taking his tally to nine out of ten race wins for the year.
Far from out of the fight, Trimble has past success at the circuit to
fall back on and proof of strong dry weather pace at his home circuit
after taking a pole position at the third round this year.
The Melbourne-based Astuti team recently completed a successful test
session in preparation for the round to give their driver – who was
second in the championship last year – his best possible chance at
taking the title fight into the final two rounds of 2006.
“The test day was unbelievably good for us,” Said Trimble.
“We found something in the car that we had been missing all season and
if we can carry that over to Phillip Island then we should be in a
really good position. Until the test I thought the car had been good
but now I know what I was missing out on. I’m really looking forward to
the weekend.”
Victoria’s other clear hope for outright success comes from the
resurgent Tim Macrow, who has posted an exceptionally strong middle
section of 2006.
After scoring just one podium result from the first four races, Macrow
has been on a roll since – scoring four thirds and two second-place
finishes in the last six events driving his older-model Scud Racing
Dallara F301, to come agonizingly close to his elusive first Formula 3
victory.
The second-generation driver has speed on his side and is a former pole sitter at the high speed circuit.
”We know we have the speed, we just need to put a full weekend together,” Macrow said.
”If it hadn’t have rained at Phillip Island in May we would have been
right up there in both races and that would have given us a much better
chance at scoring a win. Our car is really suited to the track and I’m
confident that we will be quick again this weekend.”
22-year-old Macrow sits just 28 points behind Trimble (Also 22) and 88 points behind series leader Clucas.
A private little war has developed this season between Leanne Tander
(#42 Fleetcare Tandersport) and Chris Gilmour (#17 StatchIT.com.au /
Gilmour Racing), both drivers pushing themselves to the limit to close
the small margin to the leaders.
Gilmour – 4th in the championship with 77 points – is just 3 points
ahead of Tander with the battle for fourth having changed hands a
number of times this season.
Tander, the first female driver to score a podium in Kumho Tyres
Australian Formula 3 History, is at her best at Phillip Island having
posted her best ever qualifying result to date at the circuit earlier
this year; placing her Fleetcare-supported car just a two tenths from
the top of the grid for race two.
Tander also made her Formula 3 debut at the circuit last season racing to a top six finish.
Another driver ready to shake up the leading group will be Stuart
Kostera, who will make his second start aboard his PHR Scuderia
F304-Renault entry.
Kostera, the 1999 Formula Ford Rookie of the year, recently completed
his first ever Formula 3 test day at Winton and after a tough outing at
Eastern Creek a month ago, will return to the circuit fired up for a
stronger result this weekend.
““It was great to get some miles under my belt in one of these cars. We
learnt a lot and got down to some good times even though the car was
running the same gearing as at Eastern Creek. I think there’s still a
lot more to come until I get close to the limit which is promising.” He
said.
The PHR Scuderia entry will race with a stunning new livery this
weekend, a result of the team’s commitment to complete the remainder of
the 2006 championship season with Kostera – and team owner Maher
Algadri when business commitments allow.
A massive battle between New South Wales and Victoria has been building
between Kumho Tyres National Class participants Tim Berryman (#33 Delta
Agriculture) and Ricky Occhipinti (#32 Formula-Uno-Racing),
respectively.
Separated by 51 points in the championship – thanks in part to Berryman
missing two rounds of the five held to date – the pair have been much
closer on track, leading the way in the new-for-2006 National Class for
2001-specification cars only.
After dominating the first four rounds (Eight races), Occhipinti
struggled at Eastern Creek recently and ceded ground to Berryman who
took his first class win of the season. Both drivers have aspirations
to race with the outright competitors this year and the inter-class
battle is sure to spur them on to get closer to the front.
Victorian youngster Lauren Gray continues to hold a firm grip on the
Kumho Tyres Trophy Class (For 1996 – 1998 Cars), despite both team boss
Bill Maddocks and Graeme Holmes closing in on her lead in recent rounds.
The fastest circuit in Australia for Formula 3 cars, the field will
average over 180kph per lap when the sixth round of the Kumho Tyres
Australian Formula 3 Championship contest’s its sixth round – over two,
14-lap races on August 20th.
For more information head to www.formula3.com.au
Entrants – Round 6, 2006 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship
| Number |
Class |
Driver |
State |
Team |
Car |
Engine |
| 2 |
C |
Matt SOFI |
NSW |
Transwest Insurance Brokers/Benchmark Motorsport |
Dallara F301 |
Fiat |
| 10 |
C |
Michael TRIMBLE |
VIC |
King Springs/Astuti Motorsport |
Dallara F304 |
Renault |
| 12 |
N |
John BOOTHMAN |
NSW |
JB Motorsport |
Dallara F301 |
Fiat |
| 17 |
C |
Chris GILMOUR |
QLD |
StatchIT.com.au/Gilmour Racing |
Dallara F304 |
Spiess |
| 21 |
T |
Graeme HOLMES |
NSW |
|
Dallara F398 |
Toyota |
| 25 |
C |
Tim MACROW |
VIC |
Scud Racing |
Dallara F301 |
Spiess |
| 27 |
C |
Stuart KOSTERA |
WA |
PHR Scuderia |
Dallara F304 |
Renault |
| 32 |
N |
Ricky OCCHIPINTI |
VIC |
Formula-Uno-Racing |
Dallara F301 |
Spiess |
| 33 |
N |
Tim BERRYMAN |
NSW |
Delta Agribusiness |
Dallara F301 |
Spiess |
| 42 |
C |
Leanne TANDER |
VIC |
Fleetcare TanderSport |
Dallara F304 |
Spiess |
| 84 |
C |
Ben CLUCAS |
UK |
Team BRM/Gawler Farm Machinery |
Dallara F304 |
Spiess |
| 87 |
T |
Lauren GRAY |
VIC |
Scud Racing |
Dallara F396 |
Toyota |
| 88 |
T |
Bill MADDOCKS |
VIC |
Scud Racing |
Dallara F396 |
Toyota |
Championship Positions - after 5 of 8 rounds
| Pos. |
Driver |
State |
Team |
Car |
Engine |
Points |
| Championship Class/Gold Star Points |
| 1 |
Ben Clucas |
UK |
John Deere/Gawler Farm Machinery Team BRM |
Dallara F304 |
Spiess |
206 |
| 2 |
Michael Trimble |
VIC |
King Springs/Astuti Motorsport |
Dallara F304 |
Renault |
146 |
| 3 |
Tim Macrow |
VIC |
Dodo/Scud Racing |
Dallara F301 |
Spiess |
118 |
| 4 |
Chris Gilmour |
QLD |
StatchIT.com.au/Gilmour Racing |
Dallara F304 |
Spiess |
77 |
| 5 |
Leanne Tander |
VIC |
Fleetcare Tandersport |
Dallara F304 |
Spiess |
74 |
| National Class |
| 1 |
Ricky Occhipinti |
VIC |
Formula-Uno-Racing |
Dallara F301 |
Spiess |
157 |
| 2 |
Tim Berryman |
NSW |
Delta Agribusiness |
Dallara F301 |
Spiess |
106 |
| 3 |
Chris Barry |
NSW |
Data #3 |
Dallara F301 |
Spiess |
66 |
| Trophy Class |
| 1 |
Lauren Gray |
VIC |
Scud Racing |
Dallara F396 |
Toyota |
138 |
| 2 |
Graeme Holmes |
NSW |
GKH Powdecoating |
Dallara F398 |
Toyota |
112 |
| 3 |
Bill Maddocks |
VIC |
Scud Racing |
Dallara F396 |
Toyota |
111 |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 January 2007 )
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