MSV Formula 3 Racing Results : 2011

Brands Hatch | 16th-17th July 2011

Race Report Brands Hatch 16th-21th July 2011

Testing at the circuit on the day before the meeting was held in hot sunny conditions. The team made a lot of progress on the cars settings, which produced some impressive lap times.

Unfortunately, the following day dawned wet and cold, so all the good work of the previous day would be wasted. Heavy rain at the start of qualifying made conditions very challenging. An incident during qualifying brought out the safety car, but Dave chose to stay out to preserve what heat was in his tyres. He finished the session in 6th place.

At the start of race one, Dave beat Louis Hamilton Smith into the first corner. He was coming under pressure from Smith, who then spun off coming out of Druids, and rejoined. The race was held in heavy rain. Karaskas and Impey were having a great battle, with Kat piling on the pressure. Then on lap 15 Robbie Watts engine blew which dumped oil onto the wet track at Paddock Hill Bend and Druids. The following lap, Neil Harrison and Stuart Wiltshire spun into the gravel trap at Paddock and race leader Aaron Steele and Matt Draper went off into the gravel at Druids. This brought out the red flags to stop the race Therefore Chris Needham was declared the winner, with Mark Terry in 2nd and Dave Karaskas 3rd. Dave’s fourth podium in the first seven races of the season.

The second race, held on Sunday was also in wet conditions. The rain had stopped some time before the start. Dave took the risk that the track would dry out and set the suspension stiffer, which would give more grip on a dry surface. Unfortunately the track was still very wet. So as the race started, Karaskas was struggling for grip. Kat Impey was again putting him under great pressure. With his stiff suspension set up Dave was unable to get any traction coming out of the bends. Then on lap 6 Impey got a run on him coming out of Clearways, Dave held the right hand side of the track forcing Kat to go to the left. Under braking for Paddock they were side by side, Karaskas took a tight line into the corner to give her racing room. She tried a gutsy overtake round the outside. After the apex they were still side by side and having taken a tight line into the corner he couldn't hold a tight line on the exit of a wet Paddock. The cars touched which nudged Kat into a spin. Both cars then speared off into the gravel... race over.

Impey immediately apologized, but Karaskas said that wasn’t necessary and that hers would have been a great move, had it come off. He actually admired her for trying it. It the sort of thing he did at her age.