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Five time Australian Drivers Championship winning team joins Kumho Tyres Australian F3 Championship |
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Thursday, 17 January 2008 |
One of the most successful
teams in the history of the Australian Drivers Championship for the CAMS Gold
Star has confirmed its participation in the 2008 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula
3 Championship.
Five-time Gold Star winners Ralt Australia will contest
the 2008 running of the Australian Drivers Championship, with a two car
operation, thanks to a new partnership with Sam Sofi of Transwest Insurance
Brokers. The team will be known as Transwest Racing.
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Mat Sofi
shakes down the Transwest Racing Dallara F307 Mugen Honda at Wakefield Park.
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Sydneysider Matt Sofi will steer a new Dallara F307 in the championship class
whilst F3 rookie James Crozier will race the teams’ exiting F304 entry in the
National Class competition. Both cars will be powered by Mugen Honda engines.
Sofi’s car was recently purchased from top British F3 team Carlin
Motorsport, whilst the F304 National Class entry won the 2003 British F3
championship with Nelson Piquet Jr, and has since performed well with Sofi
behind the wheel locally.
The cars are currently being prepared at Ralt
Australia’s workshop at Wyong, on New South Wales’ Central Coast ahead of an
extensive pre-season testing program prior to the first round of the
championship to be held at Eastern Creek, on February 3.
Ralt Australia’s
participation continues the growing strength of the Formula 3 Championship, the
team set to line up against potentially multi-car operations from Team BRM,
TanderSport, Astuti Motorsport, Piccola Scuderia and more in under three weeks
time.
The Ralt team, headed by Graham Watson, lists five Gold Star titles
on its impressive resume’ and has worked with some of the biggest names in world
motorsport - including two drivers named inside the respected Autosport
magazine top ten drivers list of 2007.
The team has gained support
from Total Construction, Transwest Insurance Brokers, Luton Smash Repairs, PFC
Brakes and BMS Motor Sport for the 2008 campaign.
Sydney’s Mat Sofi
finished 6th in the 2007 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship, setting
the fastest race lap on three occasions and finishing fourth on three occasions
– only cruelly denied his first podium in difficult circumstances at Phillip
Island earlier in the season.
James Crozier will make the step into the
National Class in 2008 after contesting Formula Vee and Formula Ford racing for
the past few seasons. His family has a ‘wings and slicks’ open wheel connection,
however, as James’ father Tom raced Formula 2 (The forerunner to F3) in the
1980s.
“Formula 3 in Australia will be one of the most hotly contested
series in the world in 2008,” Ralt Australia boss Graham Watson
said.
“The last 3 races of the 2007 series saw Mat improve markedly, with
the Team using the events as testing to develop the twin shock system of the
Dallara F3 chassis. Mat has shown huge potential to Win the Series in 2008 &
continue on to an overseas career in Motorsport.
”James will carry out an
intense testing program before the series starts. James’ father Tom raced
Formula 2 in the 1980s so he will want to emulate his fathers’
feats.
“Ralt Australia and Transwest Racing has a good relationship with
Neil Brown Engineering and in particular Gavin Harrison. The service he has
provided in the past year has convinced the team that we have a very good
package for the upcoming season.”
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