|
A
case of what could have been for team BRM as rain ruins race.
ALBERT PARK, MELBOURNE (Friday, 4th March, 2005.) Rain washed away
any chances for improvement for team BRM’s four car attack
in the Trading Post Formula 3 races at this weekend’s Australian
Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne.
Torrential
rain pounded the city just seconds before the start of the race,
plunging the field into chaos as cars and drivers struggled to come
to grips with the wet conditions. Racing continued in heavy spray
until an incident involving two competitors that left the track
partially blocked caused the red flag to be shown and the race abandoned.
Team
BRM driver Tim Slade said that he was not surprised there was an
incident due to the shocking weather conditions.
“It
was just appalling out there,” explained Slade, who was in
third position before the race was called. “I couldn’t
see in front of me at all down the straight (Due to the spray).
If someone had been going slow on the track ahead of me there was
no way I could have got out of the way in time.
“The
officials made the right decision to red flag the race, but it would
have been nice to have been able to get some more laps in the car
in wet conditions.”
Formula
3 rookie Marc Williams enjoyed his first taste of wet conditions,
making an excellent start and running inside the top 6 before the
race was flagged. He too said that it was tough on the track.
“It
was crazy,” said the 16-year-old. “It was a totally new
experience for me and it is something I have to learn to do. I just
went out there to make sure I didn’t do anything silly.
“I
got some good times this weekend, got into the top ten today and
gained a heap of experience,” said Williams. “It has been
an awesome experience and I can’t wait for the next round.”
New
South Welshman Barton Mawer ended the weekend with two wins from
two starts, but endured a difficult third race in conditions similar
to what he is experienced in after a season racing in Great Britain.
Mawer jumped the start, and also ran off in turn one on the opening
lap of the race. The non-result declaration of the race, however,
meant that Mawer finished his one-off weekend with the team with
a 100% win ratio.
Nic
Jordan failed to take the start for the third race, giving the 16-year-old
kiwi an early night after what was a frustrating weekend. A slight
engine miss could not be traced before the start of the race, the
team deciding to pull the car rather than risk damaging the engine
at a meeting without any championship points on offer.
The
next time out for team BRM will be at the outfit’s home circuit,
Mallala Raceway in South Australia, late April.
|
