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Hitech ready for season finale |
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Thursday, 09 October 2008 |
Reigning British Formula 3 International Series champion Hitech Racing
is gearing up for the final round of the championship at
Donington Park next weekend. The team, which clinched the
series last year with Marko Asmer, will be looking for a return to the
podium as it makes its last appearance of 2008 on home soil with both
rapid teenagers Walter Grubmüller and Max Chilton at the wheel.
Both drivers have shown impressive speed during their first year with
the Buckingham-based team with BRDC Superstar Chilton taking a podium
in his first ever race appearance. The 17 year-old broke
all records when he first competed in F3 last season, aged just 16
years and one day, and continued the record-breaking form through into
this year. The Reigate youngster became the youngest ever
pole sitter at Monza and Rockingham, and now bids to become the
youngest ever winner in the UK’s premier single-seater
championship.
Rapid Austrian Grubmüller has produced some remarkable performances in
the races, his pace often putting him amongst the fastest on
track. Unfortunately his qualifying performance has meant he has
sometimes started down the order and left with it all to do in the
races.
Formula 3 is renowned for being a series in which it is hard to
overtake and both Walter and Max will be aiming to redress that
disadvantage at the Leicestershire circuit this weekend when qualifying
gets underway on Saturday 11 October.
Following a season in which the experienced Estonian Asmer dominated
the championship, winning 11 of the 22 races en route to the title, the
team has two relatively inexperienced drivers in Max and Walter, who
are both in only their second season in the top flight series.
For 19 year-old Grubmüller 2008 has had its ups and downs. A consistent
pre-season testing performance put the Buckingham-domiciled
Franks-backed driver firmly at the sharp end of the time sheets.
At the first rounds in April he converted that into two third place
starts and a strong fifth place result. In subsequent tests, he, like
Max, has regularly topped the time sheets in both wet and dry test
sessions and now knows he needs to transfer that pace into the crucial
qualifying sessions.
For Max, unfortunately he will start the event on the back foot having
incurred a ten place penalty from his Bucharest collision with Sergio
Perez. This means that no matter where he qualifies on
Saturday, an additional ten places will be added to that position on
the grid for the opening race.
The event will commence with two 45-minute tests at the track on
Thursday prior to two all-important 30-minute qualifying sessions on
Saturday. Race one will take place at 11.10 on Sunday with the second
race due to start at 14.05 that afternoon
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