by admin | Mar 25, 2016 | F3 News, News
From britishf3.com – The BRDC British Formula 3 Championship action heated up at Snetterton this morning, as the drivers in the 2016 field took to the 300 circuit in Norfolk ahead of this weekend’s opening rounds. Australian Thomas Randle went fastest as he held off 2015 MSA Formula Champion Lando Norris, with Double R’s Matheus Leist third quickest.
With a pit lane of 21 new Tatuus-Cosworth cars all prepped ahead of the British F3 season, the sun emerged through the clouds as the green light signalled the start of the day’s official testing. A damp track greeted the drivers but with plenty of running, the 2.99-mile circuit quickly dried and teams were able to begin their work ahead of the weekend.
After a number of initial forays by the majority of drivers, lap times started to drop and it was Douglas Motorsport’s Enaam Ahmed that set the pace after 90 minutes. He was soon knocked off top spot by Lanan Racing’s Toby Sowery, with the 2015 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award nominee edging ahead of last year’s MSA Formula rookie champion.
The order was to change once more however as first Matheus Leist, then Lando Norris, moved ahead of the pair to post the top-two fastest times of the morning session. As the track continued to get faster, last year’s Australian Formula 4 runner-up Thomas Randle posted a 1m43.092s to jump to the top of the pack.
As time ticked down, a number of drivers improved, but Carlin’s Norris could only get to within 0.329s of Randle as the chequered flag flew to end the session. Behind him came Leist, Ahmed and Sowery with Fortec Motorsports Tarun Reddy sixth and of Carlin’s Ameya Vaidyanathan. The top-10 was rounded out by Vaidyanathan’s team-mate Ricky Collard, Lanan’s Akhil Rabindra and Double R’s Finnish racer Aleksanteri Huovinen.
BRDC British Formula 3 – Snetterton – Friday Morning Test
1. Thomas Randle, Douglas Motorsport, 1m43.092s
2. Lando Norris, Carlin, +0.329s
3. Matheus Leist, Double R Racing, +0.484s
4. Enaam Ahmed, Douglas Motorsport, +0.747s
5. Toby Sowery, Lanan Racing, +0.901s
6. Tarun Reddy, Fortec Motorsports, +1.289s
7. Ameya Vaidyanathan, Carlin, +1.380s
8. Ricky Collard, Carlin, +1.466s
9. Akhil Rabindra, Lanan Racing, +1.502s
10. Aleksanteri Huovinen, Double R Racing, +1.668s
11. Quinlan Lall, Chris Dittmann Racing, +1.744s
12. Omar Ismail, HHC Motorsport, +1.950s
13. Al Faisal Al Zubair, Fortec Motorsports, +1.995s
14. Jan Jonck, Sean Walkinshaw Racing, +2.028s
15. Eugene Denyssen, Sean Walkinshaw Racing, +2.203s
16. Sisa Ngebulana, HHC Motorsport, +2.297s
17. Ben Hingeley, HHC Motorsport, +2.406s
18. Enzo Bortoleto, Double R Racing, +2.597s
19. Paul Sieljes, Chris Dittmann Racing, +2.802s
20. Thomas Maxwell, Sean Walkinshaw Racing, +2.863s
21. Jeremy Wahome, Chris Dittmann Racing, +2.951s
Photo: Richard Styles
by admin | Mar 2, 2016 | F3 News, News
The youngest ever World and European Karting Champion, Enaam Ahmed is set to compete in the 2016 BRDC F4 Championship, having just signed with Douglas Motorsport.
The 16 year old London based driver had a season of two halves in 2015 competing in the MSA Formula, and also in selected rounds of the NEZ SMP F4 Championship. Ahmed was crowned Rookie champion in MSA Formula after taking his first overall win at the season finale at Brands Hatch. The multiple Karting Champion also saw huge success in the NEZ F4 championship by taking 5 victories across the selected rounds, along with three poles, and three fastest laps!
Ahmed’s signing for Douglas Motorsport sees the talented young Brit pairing up with 19 year old Australian of Thomas Randle, who finished runner up in the Australian F4 championship in 2015.
Enaam Ahmed, “We have had a couple of tests with different teams, and I really like the way Wayne (Douglas) and his team operate. Im over the moon to have finally signed a deal with such a great team. I have got to thank the Edge Management team as they really have worked hard to make this happen for me. I have to say that the new BRDC F4 car is awesome! Its so fast and has more aero than other existing F4 cars, and it seems to suit my driving style more. We have not done much testing, but the limited running we have done, we have been straight on the pace. I’m really focussed to get the most out of me, and the car, everytime I sET foot in it.”
Wayne Douglas, Team Principal, Douglas Motorsport: “We are delighted to have signed Enaam. We tested him a couple of weeks ago at Donington, and he immediately impressed us. His maturity, professional approach, and outstanding pace shone through. I think the driver pairing we have managed to sign may see a few upsets throughout the season, and I can’t wait to start the racing!”
Edge Sporting Management commented, “To get this deal done is very satisfying, and we have to thank Wayne Douglas for working with us on this. Enaam is a great talent, and he impressed us all with his pace straight out of the box, considering he has hardly driven this fantastic new BRDC F4 car. Testing will be limited but we know that Douglas Motorsport is the right place for Enaam to be this season”.
by admin | Feb 17, 2016 | F3 News, News
Douglas Motorsport have signed Australian driver Thomas Randle to race in the 2016 BRDC Formula 4 Championship, it has been confirmed today. The 19-year-old graduates from the Australian Formula 4 Championship, where he finished as runner-up in 2015, Thomas becomes our first signed F4 driver for the upcoming season.
Randle, who hails from Melbourne, began his karting career aged seven and won his first major event in 2011, before claiming two national titles a year later with success in the Australian National Sprint Kart Championship and Australian Rotax Nationals. He raced numerous times overseas, participating in the Rotax World Finals in Portugal and also making appearances in the British Super One Series.
Randle stepped up to single-seaters in 2013, and finished as runner-up in the national Formula Ford Championship Rookie of the Year standings after contesting six of the seven rounds. The teenager went on to take five race wins, one pole position and had a 100 per cent finishing record in 2014 to claim the overall title.
Early in 2015, Randle contested the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand, claiming two podium finishes, before racing in the inaugural Australian Formula 4 Championship, where he won seven races and finished as vice-champion. He now graduates to BRDC Formula 4 and becomes the first Australian to race in the championship.
Randle said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be teaming up with Douglas Motorsport for the 2016 BRDC Formula 4 Championship. The new Tatuus car with Cosworth engine for 2016 looks very quick and having seen Douglas’ results in the Autumn Trophy, I have the confidence that we can be quite strong in our championship assault.
“I’m looking forward to working with (race engineer) Marcus Koch, who has a lot of experience with World Series by Renault and many other popular one-make formula categories, and I believe we will build a great relationship throughout the year to produce some good results.”
Wayne Douglas, Team Principal of Douglas Motorsport, added: “We are delighted to welcome Thomas to our team for 2016 and we are looking forward to working with him throughout the year. I have been very impressed with his performances back in his native country and I am confident that he can translate that across to racing in Europe. With a strong pre-season testing programme, we are sure he will hit the ground running and hopefully be able to challenge for wins as the season progresses.”
The 2016 BRDC Formula 4 Championship gets underway at Snetterton on the weekend of March 27/28, and takes in races at renowned circuits such as Brands Hatch, Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps.
by admin | Feb 16, 2016 | News
We are pleased to announce that Ginetta Scholarship winner Daniel Harper has signed with Douglas Motorpsort to complete our three pronged attack on the hugely competitive Simpson Race Products Ginetta Junior Championship.
This follows on from the news that Winter series winner Stuart Middleton and Brazilian karting star Enzo Fittipaldi have signed with the team.
Harper wowed judges across the board at the Ginetta Junior Scholarship in October 2015 and beat 59 other drivers to earn himself a fully funded season in the 2016 Simpson Race Products Ginetta Junior Championship.
Although most of his racing experience is in karting, The 15 year old from Hillsborough in Northern Ireland contested the Irish Junior Rally Championship in 2015, winning three of the six rounds, and he’s hoping this natural car control will translate well into his new Ginetta G40.
Daniel Harper, driver: “I feel my versatility and ability to adapt to different conditions and driving techniques will put me in a great position going into this year’s championship. My willingness to put 100% into all aspects of my life from motorsport, school and hobbies, coupled with an insatiable desire to win will drive me forward in 2016.
“The Ginetta Junior Championship is a superb platform for me as a young driver to improve and showcase my ability in a fantastically exciting formula, against top competitors in proper cars at proper tracks in front of thousands of knowledgeable race fans. The fact that it is part of the BTCC support series, is televised by ITV4 and uses appealing evenly matched cars which result in edge of your seat racing should make getting sponsorship easier than many other forms of motorsport. I can’t wait for Brands Hatch.”
Wayne Douglas, Owner, Douglas Motorsport: “I’m really pleased to have Daniel joining the team for 2016. I watched his performance at the Ginetta Junior Scholarship and there’s no denying that he has raw talent. He will also benefit from having Stuart (Middleton)as his teammate so he has someone to work with both on and off track. Along with Enzo Fittipaldi, who shows great promise, this completes what is arguably our strongest ever Junior lineup and we are all really looking forward to the season! I have no doubt that Enzo and Daniel will be immediately capable of challenging for Rookie wins and expect even more as the season progresses”
With more races than ever before, the 2016 Simpson Race Products Ginetta Junior Championship see’s five additional rounds added to the calendar, with three races scheduled at Donington Park, Croft, Knockhill, Rockingham and Silverstone.
Committed to supporting driver development, the Junior prize package is designed to encouraged progression through the formulae. The winner of the Junior series will be loaned a Ginetta G55 GT4 car to be used in the 2017 Michelin Ginetta GT4 SuperCup.
Broadcast live on ITV4, the opening rounds of the Simpson Race Products Ginetta Junior Championship get underway at Brands Hatch on 2/3 April 2016.
by admin | Feb 3, 2016 | Ginetta Junior Championship News, News
Joining Douglas Motorsport and the established Stuart Middleton in the 2016 Ginetta Junior campaign will be 14 year old karting star Enzo Fittipaldi.
14 year old Fittipaldi is the grandson of double Formula 1 World Champion and Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi. whilst his uncle Max Papis and cousin, Christian Fittipaldi have both competed in Formula One. Not only that, but with a Brazilian-American heritage, the Skyline Apts. and Air Commander Aerospace-backed driver now lives in Camberley, Surrey with his racing driver brother Pietro, who was 2014 BARC Formula Renault Champion and now is driving FIA Formula 3. Enzo makes his move to car racing with 34 wins in kart racing already to his name.
The Simpson Race Products Ginetta Junior Series 2016 kicks off at the famous Brands Hatch Indy circuit on the 2nd of April.
Enzo Fittipaldi: “I’m really looking forward to this season. For sure switching from karts into sports cars will be a challenge, but I’m a fast and aggressive driver and I’ll be going for the win in every race! The Ginetta Junior Championship allows young drivers like myself to familiarise myself with all of the UK’s big race tracks, whilst also being a highly competitive and well-televised series; what’s not to love?!”
Wayne Douglas, Team Principal Douglas Motorsport- “We have always run competitive campaigns in the Ginetta Junior Series and this year will be no different. I am honoured to run Enzo in 2016. His heritage and track record are both hugely impressive and I have no doubt he will be a contender for the Rookie Cup this year.”
