Last weekend the Fortec team traveled to Donington for the crucial final rounds of the BRDCF3 Championship.
The weekend opened with a series of testing sessions. Manuel Maldonado impressed during the opening session finishing second, whilst British Hoggard was back on form for the following session finishing at the front of the pack. This brilliant driving by Johnathan continued into session three as he finished quickest but also set the fastest time of all four sessions. The final session concluded with Hoggard P1 and Maldonado P3 with the team looking forward to the morning’s qualifying.
The weekend continued with qualifying on the Saturday as the drivers headed out onto the sunny and dry track. The Venezuelan driver Maldonado qualified fifth whilst American Kris Wright qualified thirteenth for both sessions. Hoggard continued to set an unprecedented standard with a double pole which delighted the crowds.
Saturday ended with race one as the drivers lined up onto the 2.4873 mile track, there was palpable anticipation in the air. Hoggard showcased excellent defensive driving skills, avoiding any nearby challenges with ease. This meant Johnathan gained his sixth win as he was able to lead the race from start to finish whilst also setting the fastest lap of the race. Manuel also performed well, moving up 2 places finishing on the podium with a third place result after facing challenges from Novalak. The American driver Kris Wright finished in P15.
Sunday began with race two of the championship under bright and dry conditions. The atmosphere around the paddock was tense as the championship drew nearer to a close. The reverse grid meant that championship contender Johnathan started at the back of the grid, whilst Manuel started P13 with Kris Wright on pole. The race was off to a chaotic start with Johnathan Hoggard unfortunately had contact with Novalak. This unlucky turn of events continued as they entered the Goddards hairpin with drivers facing trouble throughout. This dramatic turn of events meant that Hoggard had to pit due to a need to clear the air intake and radiators. This therefore meant that Johnathan lagged behind those in front, however continued to put in an admirable effort. Maldonado gained six places during the race finishing in a tremendous seventh place whilst Wright finished P11.
The weekend finished with race three. Hoggard was on pole position and had a tremendous start to the race with a gap of 0.638 seconds on the opening lap. This pace continued as Johnathan defended well against Jewiss as they entered the outside of Goggards and gradually increased the gap to 0.677 seconds by the end of lap six. Manuel also showcased excellent skill by maintaining his fifth place start and gaining a place towards the end of the race. American driver Wright finished P14.
Overall this cemented the driver standings for the championship with Hoggard finishing second, Maldonado sixth and Wright sixteenth.
The team would like to congratulate the drivers and thank everyone for their tremendous efforts.
