Robert Visoiu took his first GP3 Series win of the season following a dominant performance at the Ricardo Tormo in Valencia.
The Romanian initially headed Aaro Vainio by just over two seconds, until he began pulling away aggressively in the latter tours.
An amalgamation of improved pace from Visoiu and Vainio’s destroyed tyres helped extend the gap between the pair by a further five seconds in the final four laps, ensuring Visoiu had a 7.7s advantage at the end.
For the MW Arden racer, the getaway was the key to victory. “The start was really good for me. I got a little bit of distance on the first lap and because of this I could control the tyre degradation. I wasn’t pushing and at the end of the race, the tyres were just like they were in the beginning and the pace was really good.”
Visoiu also realised how close he came to not winning this race, having only passed Dino Zamparelli for reverse grid pole on the final lap of race one this morning. “I’ve finished ninth in race one twice already this year. It’s the worst feeling in the world, I’d rather crash than finish ninth again!”
Meanwhile, where Vainio could do little about Visoiu, the Finn launched into the defensive as first Tio Ellinas pressed for 2nd place, but when the Cypriot ran wide, Sainz Jr picked up the baton. “The start was not the best and then I saw Carlos coming and I went right, defending my place and after that Carlos went back to the left and he backed off,” revealed Vainio.
Adding to that though, Sainz Jr commented, “If the track was a bit wider, I could maybe have made a move on Aaro and luckily did with Tio [Ellinas].”
The Finn drew away from Sainz as the race aged, but a mid-race lock-up almost unravelled his race. “First, I could keep up with [Visoiu], but at midway, I had one lock up at turn nine and after that it was a big struggle, especially with the rear tyres. In the last five laps, I could see Carlos coming and in the last two laps had to defend pretty hard.”
Sainz Jr closed to within half-a-second, but the Spaniard left his attack just a touch too late to make a move for the 2nd spot. “I saw Aaro struggling on his tyres in the last few laps, at which I though ‘now is the time to go’,” said the MW Arden man.
However, considering his starting position from this morning’s opening event, Sainz Jr was relieved to at least claim a podium. “The team made a massive step forward from Barcelona to here – as you can see with Robert and I on the podium. We had great pace in race one, but were a bit conditioned from a bad qualifying, due to red flags and traffic. I can go home thinking positive.”
After losing out to Sainz Jr in the opening corners, Ellinas kept hold of 4th, despite pressure from Daniil Kvyat (5th). In the distance, the podium winners from this morning’s race finished line astern, with Kevin Korjus leading Facu Regalia and Conor Daly to a 6th, 7th and 8th place result.
A poor start dropped Nick Yelloly to 14th; however the Englishman rose to 9th by the end following moves on Jack Harvey, Alex Fontana and Zamparelli. Melville McKee and Patric Niederhauser encountered problems that dropped them out of the running.
With that Ellinas retakes the points lead from Daly; however both are still some distance ahead of Korjus and Vainio. The third round comes from Silverstone in two weeks at a circuit and conditions that may produce some very different results.
2013 GP3 Series round of Valencia (Rd 2, Race 2; 18 laps)
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Robert Visoiu MW Arden 25:50.517s
2. Aaro Vainio Koiranen + 7.784s
3. Carlos Sainz MW Arden + 7.920s
4. Tio Ellinas Manor + 8.572s
5. Daniil Kyvat MW Arden + 9.017s
6. Kevin Korjus Koiranen +23.961s
7. Facu Regalia ART +24.472s
8. Conor Daly ART +24.768s
9. Nick Yelloly Carlin +25.164s
10. Dino Zamparelli Manor +26.566s
11. Alex Fontana Jenzer +26.719s
12. Jack Harvey ART +27.648s
13. Giovanni Venturini Trident +27.779s
14. Emanuele Zonzini Trident +28.116s
15. Patrick Kujala Koiranen +35.495s
16. Jimmy Eriksson Status +36.183s
17. Lewis Williamson Bamboo +38.816s
18. Josh Webster Status +38.982s
19. Samin Gomez Jenzer +39.244s
20. Ryan Cullen Manor +50.937s
21. Carmen Jorda Bamboo +55.029s
22. Luis Sa Silva Carlin +1 lap
Retirements:
Melville McKee Bamboo +8 laps
Patric Niederhauser Jenzer +9 laps
Eric Lichtenstein Carlin +17 laps
Adderly Fong Status +18 laps
David Fumanelli Trident +18 laps
2013 GP3 Series points standings (Rd 2, Race 2) Drivers' Championship Pos Driver Points 1. Tio Ellinas 55 2. Conor Daly 51 3. Aaro Vainio 43 4. Kevin Korjus 37 5. Patric Niederhauser 28 6. Carlos Sainz Jr 22 7. Robert Visoiu 21 8. Facu Regalia 20 9. Daniil Kvyat 20 10. Jack Harvey 13 Teams' Championship Pos Team Points 1. ART Grand Prix 84 2. Koiranen GP 80 3. MW Arden 63 4. Marussia Manor 57 5. Jenzer Motorsport 29
Conor Daly took the second GP3 race win of his career, with a stellar lights-to-flag victory at the Ricardo Tormo this morning.
The American held ART Grand Prix teammate off for the duration. Koiranen GP’s Kevin Korjus completed the podium.
A good start by Daly ensured a solid advantage on the way into turn one, allowing the 21-year-old to control the pace.
While the gap between the leading pair rarely extended beyond 1.2 seconds, Daly never appeared to be under too much pressure from Regalia. “It was a lot tougher at the start – Facu was really, really fast.” Daly added, “I was pushing hard, but had to think about tyres at the same time and I was hoping he would run his off before I did, so it was tough at the beginning to keep him behind, but when we got to halfway, I established a bit of a gap and held it at that.”
That the pair crossed the line relatively line astern told much of the story from this race.
Following a solid getaway from the front row, Daniil Kvyat succumbed to pressure from Regalia and Korjus on the opening lap, with the Russian running wide in the fourth bend, allowing the chasing pair to pounce. Thereafter Regalia escaped from Korjus, but neither were in a position to further climb the order.
For Regalia, it was his first GP3 podium. “I feel happy, but I wanted to win today, because I think I had the pace. I was trying to put pressure on Daly to force a mistake, but he didn’t, so congratulations to him. I could have made a move in turn eight, but wasn’t close enough.”
Kvyat could do little from 4th. The Russian pressed Korjus for much of the race, but like Regalia ahead, he could do nothing to unseat the 3rd placed man. Carlos Sainz Jr remained on Kvyat’s tail for the most part – a solid result having started 8th.
It was an unspectacular race for Tio Ellinas who ran 6th throughout, after being blocked by Kvyat’s off on the first lap. From thereon, the Cypriot maintained a solid pace in order to preserve tyre life; however the relative small tyre degredation was under estimated and Ellinas could catch the from runner.
There was a similar story for Aaro Vainio who assumed an anonymous 7th after a poor first lap saw him fall three places.
Robert Visoiu took 8th and the reverse grid pole from Dino Zamaparelli four laps from the end. The Romanian pressured Zamaparelli for much of the running, only passing the Anglo-Italian following a mistake. Jack Harvey, on the tail of both, attempted to follow through, only to have the door roughly slammed in the face.
The race was hampered by some silly mistakes on the opening lap. Carmen Jorda spun into retirement all by herself on the final corner of the opening tour.
In a more questionable incident, Adderly Fong rammed Eric Lichtenstein a few corners into the first lap. The Status racer attempted to dive down the inside of the field, only to outbreak himself and most of the midfield runners, before slamming into the side of his Carlin opponent.
Unlike in Barcelona, tyre degradation was rather more civilised, with laptimes around the front the field coming in around the late-1:24’s, before losing approximately two-three seconds by race end. “Our tyres held up really well, so I was happy about that,” noted Daly. He continued, “We struggled in Barcelona [with tyres], but the test in Hungary really helped us a lot. At the beginning I was pushing too hard, but at the end, the tyres were still there. We’ve been working at it and that’s what it takes and we have been rewarded today, so it was good.”
His victory gives Daly the points lead going into this afternoon’s race; however with Daly consigned to 8th on the grid and Ellinas starting 3rd, that may change again.
2013 GP3 Series round of Valencia (Rd 2, Race 1; 18 laps)
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Conor Daly ART 25m54.812s
2. Facu Regalia ART + 1.210s
3. Kevin Korjus Koiranen + 3.401s
4. Daniil Kvyat MW Arden + 3.773s
5. Carlos Sainz MW Arden + 4.413s
6. Tio Ellinas Manor + 6.196s
7. Aaro Vainio Koiranen + 9.084s
8. Robert Visoiu MW Arden + 13.504s
9. Dino Zamparelli Manor + 14.145s
10. Jack Harvey ART + 14.547s
11. Melville McKee Bamboo + 20.883s
12. Nick Yelloly Carlin + 20.965s
13. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer + 21.342s
14. Alex Fontana Jenzer + 21.626s
15. Giovanni Venturini Trident + 21.927s
16. Emanuele Zonzini Trident + 22.070s
17. Josh Webster Status + 26.458s
18. Jimmy Eriksson Status + 26.978s
19. Lewis Williamson Bamboo + 27.387s
20. Ryan Cullen Manor + 36.843s
21. Patrick Kujala Koiranen + 46.218s
Retirements:
Luis Sa Silva Carlin +16 laps
Samin Gomez Jenzer +17 laps
Carmen Jorda Bamboo +18 laps
David Fumanelli Trident +18 laps
Adderly Fong Status +18 laps
Eric Lichtenstein Carlin +18 laps
2013 GP3 Series points standings (Rd 2, Race 1) Drivers' Championship Pos Driver Points 1. Conor Daly 50 2. Tio Ellinas 47 3. Kevin Korjus 33 4. Aaro Vainio 31 5. Patric Niederhauser 28 6. Facu Regalia 18 7. Jack Harvey 13 8. Nick Yelloly 12 9. Daniil Kvyat 12 10. Carlos Sainz Jr 12 Teams' Championship Pos Team Points 1. ART Grand Prix 81 2. Koiranen GP 64 3. Marussia Manor 49 4. MW Arden 30 5. Jenzer Motorsport 29
It is hot. Very hot today in Valencia, yet unlike yesterday there precious little wind to break it up.
At approximately 31°C, tyre degradation is on the minds of many and while the Ricardo Tormo Circuit is not known for its overtaking, the faltering Pirelli’s may yet force changes of position.
Not that Conor Daly is letting that get too him. Starting from pole position, the American appears content with his situation and is keen just to “get in and drive.”
All smiles and still on a buzz from his recent exploits at Indianapolis, the ART Grand Prix man is looking in top form so far this weekend.
Daly’s ART GP teammate, Jack Harvey, is on the other hand somewhat more pensive. A 10th place starting position is not the most defiant way to start the weekend, yet an underlying confidence remains in his demeanour.
Like his American counterpart, tyres may prove to be key.
Carlos Sainz Jr is looking quite pensive as the build up to his second home race in succession hots up. The Spaniard suffered from an interrupted session yesterday, when his final stint was broken by a red flag. Indeed, Sainz Jr showed great irritation that on a circuit with so much run off area, the qualifying session ended being red flagged twice by stranded machinery…
Toward the back was the unfortunate Nick Yelloly. The Carlin man had qualified 3rd, but a floor that breached regulations meant his time was deleted – Yelloly will be starting 26th.
The Englishman believes that rather than a fitting error, the deformation came when he ran over rough kerbing. Alas, the result is the same – his eyes too are now on race two.
But that heat…
Marussia Manor and Trident mechanics catch some drifting during a short break between GP3 practice and qualifying in Valencia.
Utilising part of the circuit car park, the sole support category saw several competitors stepping out and burning rubber as they danced in between cones and border tape.
After running non-championship Grand Prix under sportscar rules for six years at Mosport Park, the Canadian Grand Prix had its bid to become a World Championship event in 1967 accepted.
The race, measuring in at 90 laps, remained at the fast and sweeping Mosport Park; its 2.46 mile length bent and skewered out of shape by hills, dips and crests to test the brave, courageous and mad. But then again, that was the nature of Formula One at the time…
Following the previous round at the Nordschleife, Danny Hulme led the standings with 37 points; 12 clear of reigning champion and team boss Jack Brabham, with Scottish maestro Jim Clark an additional six points adrift.
Almost as per usual Clark secured pole position with a best of 1:22.4s in his Ford Cosworth-powered Lotus 49 and while it was clear the 49 was super quick – it won on its Grand Prix debut at Zandvoort at the hands of Clark – the unreliability of the DFV power unit rendered Clark’s championship challenge inert at the two-thirds mark of the season.
Clark’s Lotus teammate Graham Hill reminded the assembled of the 49’s prowess by taking 2nd on the grid, ahead of Hulme (Brabham-Repco), Chris Amon (Ferrari) and Dan Gurney (Eagle-Weslake). McLaren and Brabham were next up in their own respective cars, while relative new boys Jochen Rindt (Cooper) and Jackie Stewart (BRM) assumed 8th and 9th respectively.
Mike Spence made it two BRM’s in the top ten, although the British squad – now one year into a dip in form – would not present too much of a threat to the frontrunners. T=Meanwhile the much talented Jo Siffert, driving a Maserati-powered Cooper, failed to qualify.
The host nation was represented by two of its own on the grid – Eppie Wietzes and Al Pease; both of whom were making the Formula One debuts.
Although neither would enjoy large scale international success by any stretch of the imagination, the pair became relatively big names in Canadian motorsport, with Wietzes especially having success in Formula 5000 and Trans-Am.
Beyond the occasional blip in its history, the Canadian Grand Prix remains a permanent fixture on the Grand Prix calendar and today boasts some of the most enthusiastic and knowledgeable fans in Formula One.
1967 Canadian Grand Prix (Rd 6, Qualifying, August 26th)
Pos Driver Team Time
1. Jim Clark Lotus 1:22.4
2. Graham Hill Lotus 1:22.7
3. Denny Hulme Brabham 1:23.2
4. Chris Amon Ferrari 1:23.3
5. Dan Gurney Eagle 1:23.4
6. Bruce McLaren McLaren 1:23.5
7. Jack Brabham Brabham 1:24.7
8. Jochen Rindt Cooper 1:24.9
9. Jackie Stewart BRM 1:25.4
10. Mike Spence BRM 1:25.8
11. Chris Irwin BRM 1:26.0
12. David Hobbs BRM 1:26.2
13. Richard Attwood Cooper 1:27.1
14. Jo Bonnier Cooper 1:27.3
15. Alan Pease Eagle 1:30.1
16. Eppie Wietzes Lotus 1:30.8
17. Mike Fisher Lotus 1:31.9
Did Not Qualify
18. Jo Siffert Cooper 1:26.6
19. Tom Jones Cooper 1:51.9
1967 Canadian Grand Prix (Rd 6, August 27th; 90 laps)
Pos Driver Team Time / Gap
1. Jack Brabham Brabham-Repco 2:40:40.0s
2. Denny Hulme Brabham-Repco +01:01.9s
3. Dan Gurney Eagle-Weslake +1 lap
4. Graham Hill Lotus-Ford +2 laps
5. Mike Spence B.R.M. +3 laps
6. Chris Amon Ferrari +3 laps
7. Bruce McLaren McLaren-B.R.M. +4 laps
8. Jo Bonnier Cooper-Maserati +5 laps
9. David Hobbs B.R.M. +5 laps
10. Richard Attwood Cooper-Maserati +6 laps
11. Mike Fisher Lotus-B.R.M. +9 laps
Not Classified:
Alan Pease Eagle-Climax +43 laps
Disqualified:
Eppie Wietzes Lotus-Ford +21 laps (Disqualified)
Retirements:
Jim Clark Lotus-Ford +21 laps (Ignition)
Jackie Stewart B.R.M. +25 laps (Throttle)
Chris Irwin B.R.M. +72 laps (Spun Out)
Jochen Rindt Cooper-Maserati +86 laps (Ignition)
Fastest Lap:
Jim Clark Lotus 1:23.1 (lap 54)
World Drivers’ Championship points standings (Rd 8) Pos Driver Points 1. Denny Hulme 43 2. Jack Brabham 34 3. Chris Amon 20 4. Jim Clark 19 5. Pedro Rodríguez 14 Constructors’ Championship points standings (Rd 8) Pos Team Points 1. Brabham 51 2. Lotus 22 3. Cooper 21 4. Ferrari 20 5. Eagle 13
Invitational entrants from the ATS Formel 3 Cup are to be denied entrance for the remaining British F3 rounds should they be running the German series’ boosted Volkswagen engines.
Following the success of John Bryant-Meisner at the opening weekend at Silverstone last month, British F3 team association, FOTA, and promoter SRO declared the Volkswagen engine package too dominant a package.
With the British F3 Series still in a state of relative ill health, it was felt that such domination could potentially hamper recovery efforts.
Running an evolution Dallara F310 with Volkswagen’s Power Engine model, Bryant-Meisner powered his way to two poles and victories {note 1}, although the Swede could do no better than 9th in the reverse grid race.
Noting the hugely superior performance during free practice, attempts were made to restrict the power output of Bryant-Meisner’s machine in order to better balance performance.
However even with boost reduction and extra weight, the Performance Racing Dallara proved too much for the opposition, registering a top speed some 6mph faster on the Hangar Straight than his nearest rival.
Peter Briggs, head of FOTA, commented, “The older car has got too much power and too much aero. You can’t penalise it enough to make it a viable thing.”
While one sympathises with the position the British series found itself in at Silverstone, it did come as some surprise that this issue was not considered a possibility prior to the May bank holiday meeting.
Dallara’s F308 chassis – and the various updates that came until it was replaced at the end of 2011 – is a well-known quantity to the International Class teams present. Less tangible for the British F3 squads are the regulations governing the ATS Formel 3 Cup engine package, although one wonders if enough information was available to make a thorough assessment of its potential output.
Meanwhile, it appears Alexander Sims will be returning to Formula 3, albeit temporarily next month. The Blancpain racer is set to race with T-Sport at the Norisring and Nurburgring when the FIA European F3 Championship returns from its summer sojourn.
This follows on from the departure from T-Sport of Will Buller, who joined Fortec following the fourth round at Brands Hatch in May. Toyota Racing Series champion Nick Cassidy also tested with T-Sport earlier this month; however the Kiwi racer’s lack of funds prevented him from joining the team.
It was also reported in Autosport last week {note 2} that Paul Ricard may be dropped from the European F3 calendar due to a fallout with the FFSA regarding track time for the F3 round.
A decision as to what may replace Paul Ricard may be announced at the FIA World Motorsport Council meeting on June 28th.
{note 1}
Bryant-Meisner took pole positions by 0.934s (race one) and 0.837s (race three) over Carlin’s Jordan King at Silverstone. With race two a reverse grid event, no qualifying session was run.
{note 2}
“European F3 set to drop Paul Ricard from calendar” {Autosport.com, June 7th; Jamie O’Leary}
Williams Advanced Engineering this week announced a new partnership with Spark Racing Technology to design and build batteries to power the new-for-2014 FIA Formula E Championship.
With the dawn of this new series fast approaching, Williams are to produce battery units for 42 Formula E machines, as built by Spark, allowing the Grove company to secure their first series-wide hybrid project.
This deal sees the legendary company join the likes of McLaren, Renault, Michelin and Dallara in delivering products and expertise for the new category.
As part of the company’s growing portfolio, Williams Advanced Engineering have been developing a number of battery and hybrid units for both motorsport and non-motorsport applications, with Williams’ success in this arena reached new heights in 2012, when the Audi R18 E-tron Quattro won the coveted Le Mans 24 Hour Race, while using the company’s much lauded flywheel system.
Outside of motor racing, Williams also supply flywheel systems for London’s bus network as well as a battery hybrid system for the Jaguar C-X75 supercar.
“We are delighted to be partnering with Spark Racing Technology to introduce our battery technology into their cars for next year’s FIA Formula E Championship,” noted Williams founder and Team Principal Sir Frank Williams. He continued, “This is an exciting new racing series that will play a key role in highlighting the growing relevance of technologies originally developed for motorsport to the wider world.”
Kirsty Andrew, Head of Communications at Williams Advanced Engineering added, “Energy efficiency is an important issue for Williams and whilst our work in this field is now spanning a number of market sectors beyond racing, motorsport will always be the ultimate proving ground for our technologies. Electric vehicles are becoming an increasingly important part of the automotive industry and Formula E is the perfect opportunity for Williams to validate the latest developments in battery technology.”
Frédéric Vasseur President of Spark Racing Technology also believes this is to be an incredibly positive step for the burgeoning series. “Spark Racing Technology is extremely proud to bring together some of the biggest names in motorsport and expects no less from Williams as they accompany us in the highest level of the first championship for electric cars. The vast experience from Williams and especially from Williams Advanced Engineering in the field of hybrid systems and electric engine power, guarantees quality.”
It is with great sadness that Jeremy Lord, affectionately known as “The F3 Guru”, passed away on Sunday following a brief battle with cancer. He was 74.
A key member of the British Formula 3 teams association (FOTA) for many years, Lord was a solicitor by profession, yet he had also developed a taste for club racing, proving himself to be a dab hand in GTs in the early-70s.
Following his racing exploits, Lord was asked to become chairman of FOTA by team owner Dave Price, helping to guide British F3 through some difficult periods during the 1980s, while also overseeing the category at its height in the mid-to-late 90s.
He eventually stepped down at the end of 2008.
Jeremy was lovely chap; a gentleman who cared deeply about motorsport and the people therein and while I only knew him in his later years, his passion for the sport was infectious and clear to see. Always delighted to offer a helping hand and advice, Jeremy possessed an intelligent, quiet charm and cheerful nature that will be greatly missed.
My deepest condolences to his family and friends.





