F3 News | Douglas Motorsport

Douglas Motorsport Hit Back With Stunning Spa-Francorchamps One-Two

by Simon Paice | May 26, 2020 | F3 News

Douglas Motorsport scored a sensational one-two finish in the British F3 iRacing Championship last night (24th May), with Ulysse De Pauw taking a brilliant victory at home circuit Spa-Francorchamps ahead of team-mate Harrison Scott.

After both drivers suffered double misfortune in the opening rounds at Oulton Park a week prior, they hit back in style at the world-famous Belgian circuit with front-running pace throughout the event against a competitive field.

The Douglas Motorsport duo make a statement of intent during the one-hour free practice session as Scott led De Pauw at the top of the times. In qualifying soon after, third for De Pauw and fifth for Scott put them both in a good position to start race one.

The long, flowing nature of the Spa circuit traditionally produces fantastic slipstreaming racing and that was certainly the case in the opening encounter, with the Kemmel Straight in particular hosting some of the key moments of the race.

Strong starts saw De Pauw and Scott emerge from a frenetic opening corner in second and third respectively, and while Scott briefly got ahead on the first run down Kemmel, by the end of the opening tour his Belgian team-mate had sneaked back ahead.

Scott particularly excelled on that stretch of tarmac though and moves on consecutive laps got him past De Pauw and then the race leader, though on lap four he got a taste of his own medicine as his team-mate slipped past with the key move of the race.

Crucially breaking the tow soon after, De Pauw produced an exemplary drive from there to lead the remainder of the race and take a richly deserved win, while Scott was hot on his heels throughout to make it a top two lockout for the team.

With the whole 25 car grid reversed for the second race, they faced an uphill challenge to enjoy further success and sadly both found themselves caught up in a first lap incident out of their control. After each taking a pitstop, Scott came back to 10th with De Pauw 13th.

Post-race though a number of drivers were disqualified for track limits infringements, which resulted in both Douglas drivers being promoted five places in the final result. That means that following Spa, Douglas Motorsport now sit third in the Teams Championship, while De Pauw and Scott lie fifth and eighth respectively in the Drivers’ standings.

“We’re absolutely over the moon to have picked up a one-two finish in the British F3 iRacing Championship. Both Ulysse and Harrison richly deserve the result after showing great pace throughout the series so far.

“Both drivers wanted to win and they pushed each other hard, showing tremendous respect to each other which is exactly what you want within a team. It’s a brilliant result and we’re determined to enjoy some more success next time out.”

Wayne Douglas

Team Principal

The full broadcast of the British F3 iRacing Championship races at Spa can be watched back on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/u6lqukuZJQE

Photo from Jakob Ebrey Photography

Luck Eludes Douglas Motorsport In British F3 iRacing Opener

by Simon Paice | May 18, 2020 | F3 News

After showing front-running pace in practice, Douglas Motorsport’s single-seater stars suffered an evening of misfortune during the opening round of the British F3 iRacing Championship – the official esports spin-off of the BRDC British F3 Championship.

With motorsport suspended around the world due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, sim racing has enjoyed a surge in popularity as drivers from all disciplines of motorsport use online competition to keep their skills sharp and enjoy some close-fought racing.

Amongst those has been two of Douglas Motorsport’s two 2020 BRDC British F3 Championship contenders, Kiern Jewiss and Ulysse De Pauw, who have been picking in virtual silverware in competitive races throughout the past few months.

They were immediate entrants for the team into the new championship, while with team-mate Manaf Hijjawi not having a sim at home in Jordan, the final slot in Douglas’ entry is allocated to guest drivers. For the opening event, this was taken by former Douglas race-winner Harrison Scott.

Unfortunately a late issue with Jewiss’ sim meant he had to miss out on the first two races of the season at Oulton Park, but Scott and De Pauw were on the grid and immediately showed their front-running pace by both finishing in the top four in pre-event testing.

Scott excelled in qualifying too as he went second fastest, however an unfortunate moment on lap two of the opening race ended his challenge at the front. De Pauw meanwhile impressively fought back after failing to record a lap in qualifying and rose from the rear of the field to 9th at one stage.

Misfortune went his way late on though as he was unable to avoid a spinning car ahead, and the Belgian ace suffered further bad luck in the reverse grid race two as whilst challenging for third place, contact from the other car sent him into the barriers.

It was a similar story for Scott too unfortunately as he received contact on the run to the first corner on the opening lap. Following a tough couple of races, the Douglas Motorsport team are determined to bounce back next Sunday (24th May) during round two at Spa-Francorchamps.

“As a team it was a no brainer to enter the new British F3 iRacing Championship. Our drivers have always used sim racing as a tool to prepare for their racing and this has been as important as ever in recent months.

“It’s a shame that Manaf isn’t able to compete in the series yet, and we’re gutted Kiern missed out on round one but we hope he’ll be back soon. Ulysse and Harrison represented us well though and proved their great raw speed, though sadly there was nothing they could do with the incidents in the races.”

Wayne Douglas

Team Principal

Photos from Jakob Ebrey Photography

Ulysse De Pauw Returns For Second BRDC British F3 Campaign With Douglas Motorsport

by Simon Paice | Feb 17, 2020 | F3 News, News

Douglas Motorsport and Ulysse De Pauw will be continuing their blossoming partnership in 2020, with the Belgian ace returning to the team for a second season in the BRDC British F3 Championship.

After finishing third overall in the French F4 Championship during his maiden season of single-seater racing in 2018, the Belgian racer graduated to British F3 last year and kicked off a competitive campaign with an impressive fourth place finish in the opening race.

Establishing himself as a regular top six contender throughout the season, the 18 year old enjoyed two standout podium results in the second half of the year. A breakthrough second place at Donington Park was followed by a third at Brands Hatch, helping him to seventh in the final points standings.

De Pauw, who races with the support of a loyal group of partners including AutoTrends Magazine and DRM Motorsport, is Douglas Motorsport’s third confirmed driver for the 2020 season, joining Kiern Jewiss and Manaf Hijjawi at the Corby-based squad.

Everyone at Douglas Motorsport is really pleased to be welcoming Ulysse back for a second season in the BRDC British F3 Championship. Alongside Kiern and Manaf, we feel we have a great line-up for the year ahead.

“Ulysse made fantastic progression across the 2019 campaign and richly deserved his two podium finishes. He ended the year in a strong position and with a good pre-season testing programme under his belt, he’ll certainly be one to watch when the season starts.

Wayne Douglas

Team Principal

I’m very happy to be back for a second season with Douglas Motorsport. After signing with the team quite late in 2019, I wasn’t fully ready for the start of the season however I felt I improved a lot during the year thanks to the team and our speed was very good by the end.

“I can’t wait to start 2020. I am confident that the package from Douglas Motorsport will be one to watch closely! I would like to thank everyone involved that’s made it happen, as I wouldn’t be here without the support I’ve got.

Ulysse De Pauw

Douglas Motorsport

Douglas Motorsport Sign Manaf Hijjawi For BRDC British F3 Debut

by Simon Paice | Jan 17, 2020 | F3 News, News

Douglas Motorsport have signed UAE Formula 4 and MRF Challenge front-runner Manaf Hijjawi as their second driver for the 2020 BRDC British Formula 3 Championship, with the teenage talent set to become the first ever Jordanian driver to race in British single-seater competition.

Following a stellar karting career that included winning both the UAE and Jordan championships on two occasions as well as the coveted Dubai O Plate, the 18 year old launched his single-seater career late last year and has already starred with a podium finish in each of his first three race meetings.

Debuting in the MRF Challenge, Hijjawi has picked up silverware in both Dubai and Bahrain, while he has also impressed on the big stage in support of the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, securing a second place finish on his first outing in the Formula 4 UAE Championship.

Hijjawi is Douglas Motorsport’s second confirmed driver for the 2020 BRDC British F3 season alongside the returning Kiern Jewiss. When he makes his debut in April, the Corby-based team will have run drivers of 17 different nationalities since their formation in 2012.

We’re delighted to welcome Manaf to Douglas Motorsport for the 2020 BRDC British F3 Championship. He’s shown in UAE F4 and MRF that he has huge talent and the potential to succeed in his motorsport career.

Racing in a new country whilst learning a new car and a host of new circuits is going to be a huge challenge for him, so as a team we will be working hard to support him this year and give him everything he needs to achieve his goals for the season.

Wayne Douglas

Team Principal

I’ve always looked up to a series like the BRDC British F3 Championship. The anticipation is definitely building now that it’s official and pre-season testing is only a month away. It will be great to meet everyone in the team and drive the car for the first time.

It’s going to be my first full season in formula racing, so I’ll be doing everything possible to make the preparation for it the best it can be. There’s a lot to learn and I’m confident a very strong season is possible with a team such as Douglas Motorsport supporting me.

Manaf Hijjawi

Douglas Motorsport

Douglas Motorsport Retain Kiern Jewiss For 2020 BRDC British F3 Title Challenge

by admin | Jan 9, 2020 | F3 News, News

Douglas Motorsport are delighted to announce Kiern Jewiss as their first driver for the 2020 BRDC British Formula 3 Championship, with the 2019 race-winner aiming to build upon an eye-catching first campaign and mount a championship challenge this year.

As they prepare to head into their fifth consecutive season in the UK’s premier single-seater category, the Corby-based team are continuing a successful partnership with Jewiss that began in 2017 and has already produced over 40 pieces of silverware together.

The Kent-based racer started his racing career with the team in the Ginetta Junior Championship and immediately made his mark, with a sensational run of 17 Rookie Cup wins taking him to a dominant class title victory alongside 12 overall podium finishes.

Jewiss cemented his status as one of the most exciting young talents in British motorsport the following year as he marched to the F4 British Championship title in his first year of single-seater racing, before returning to the Douglas Motorsport squad last year in BRDC British F3.

Establishing himself as a front-runner from the off in the ultra-competitive series, the 17 year old recorded nine podium finishes across the campaign, including a breakthrough race win at Brands Hatch, and was the highest points-scorer across the second half of the campaign.

After finishing fourth in the final championship standings, Jewiss and Douglas Motorsport are now determined to challenge for the overall title this season and have a comprehensive pre-season testing programme planned ahead of the season opener in April.

Kiern has been a valued member of the Douglas Motorsport family over the last few years and we’re delighted to be welcoming him back to the team for a second season in the BRDC British F3 Championship.

Ever since we first ran him in a Ginetta Junior, it’s been clear the immense talent Kiern possesses and he showcased it again last year. In particular, the way he ended the season was hugely impressive and bodes well for 2020.

Kiern is a driver that is capable of winning races on a regular basis and with a strong pre-season programme behind him, we’re confident we can hit the ground running from the opening rounds at Oulton Park. We can’t wait to get the season started!”

Wayne Douglas

Team Principal

I am really excited about taking on the BRDC British F3 Championship once more alongside Douglas Motorsport. Thanks to a lot of their help and support, I learnt so much about the championship last year and I’m convinced we can use that to good effect in 2020.

I have always had a great relationship with the whole team and we got the car into a great place together toward the latter part of last season. The challenge this time round is to pick up where we left off and start the season strong.

As always in BRDC British F3, the competition is going to be incredibly tough, and there’s a few new changes to the car but I’m as motivated as ever to have the best year possible.

Kiern Jewiss

Douglas Motorsport

Double Podiums for Jewiss at Donington, finishes 4th in overall British F3 Championship

by admin | Sep 16, 2019 | F3 News, News

A very strong showing from Douglas Motorsport in the second half of the British F3 championship saw Kiern Jewiss take 4th place overall, missing out on third place by only 12 points.

The final round of races took place at Donington Park at the weekend (September 14th and 15th).

Another impressive performance over the weekend from Jewiss saw him rack up 2 second place finishes and make up a total of 9 places in the reverse grid race. Qualifying in second place for races 1 and 3, Jewiss battled for the win in both races but had to settle for second place. Both races saw a significant gap back to third position, adding to how impressive Jewiss’ performance was.

The reverse grid race saw Jewiss start from 14th on the grid. After lap one he was up to 9th position and by the end of the race after penalties for other cars were take into account he was awarded P5.

Here’s what Kiern Jewiss had to say about races 1 and 3….

Race 1

He was very quick, we were matching each other’s times in the first half of the race. I made a little mistake through the chicane and that’s why the gap stretched out a bit but I managed to come back at him. I was pushing hard enough to try and get some pressure back and try and force him into a mistake, but he drove a perfect race. But I’m happy with some big points.

There’s quite a gap to third, and I think Ayrton would need a DNF but I’ll keep doing what I’m doing and at the end of the day if we finish with two podiums this weekend, from where we started the year to now, we’d be really happy.

Race 3

The second half of the year has been very very strong and I’m happy. We certainly struggled in the first half, with pace but also with luck, I didn’t have much luck and it cost us a lot of points. To come back now on the podium nearly always in race one and three, it shows how much we’ve developed with the car as well. So I’m very happy and hopefully people can see how much we’ve come on throughout the year.

I think I had my nose in front for about a hundred metres but I was on the outside so I couldn’t really hold it. But I gave it a good go while I had the chance but I enjoyed the race. Finishing on the podium is all I could have done in the race so I’m happy.

Kiern Jewiss

Double Podiums

Qualifying in P3 for races 1 and 3, Ulysse De Pauw’s pace further emphasised the continuous improvements made by the Douglas Motorsport team through the championship season.

De Pauw didn’t enjoy the success he probably deserved in the races over the final weekend, finishing 5th in race 1 but falling back a number of places after a 10 second penalty was awarded against him for contact with another car during the race. He finished in 9th in race 2 and recorded his only DNF of the season in race 3 after going wheel to wheel with Ayrton Simmons and coming off worse. Not the best weekend for him after a number of weekends of impressive results but it doesn’t take away from the continuous improvements made throughout the season.