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Team
Loctite is fortunate to have secured the services
of 2007 Formula BMW team driver Jordan Williams
for their very fist F3 visit to the Snetterton Circuit.
Snetterton
is one of the fastest circuits in the UK and is
a firm favourite with F3 teams who have all carried
out extensive testing there during the winter of
2007 and spring 2008.
Being our first visit to the Norfolk circuit we
were a little apprehensive, being Jordan's first
ever drive in an F3 car he was understandably a
little apprehensive, however we needn't have worried
as after just 3 laps we witnessed Jordan's natural
skill and car control and he never looked back.
The
weather was dreadful, but we have begun to expect
this in F3 this season, it rained all day for the
test on Friday and the last session in the afternoon
was quite appalling, with dangerous rivers of water
crossing the circuit, leaving the cars struggling
for grip even along the start and finish straight.
Jordan kept the car on the track and recorded the
4th fastest lap of the day in his class, which delighted
team owner Trevor Powell, 'Jordan has justified
our decision to give him his F3 debut, I never doubted
for a single moment that he would be quick'.
Qualifying
on Saturday was also very wet and once again Jordan's
skill and a well set up car gave him an excellent
grid position of 7th for the first race. In the
second qualifying session he did even better with
his experience from the morning putting him ahead
of the current Championship leader finishing in
5th place on the grid for race 2. His speed was
outstanding and he was 8th fastest overall in sector
1, well ahead of all the other National class drivers
and exactly equal to or ahead of 12 International
class drivers including the overall championship
leader Sergio Perez. This was a truly amazing result
for his first ever experience in an F3 car. Powell
commented, 'He looked so good out on the track in
those awful conditions, and his results are incredible
given the circumstances'.
Sunday's
race day dawned fine, sunny and dry, presenting
the team with a novel problem never having run the
car in dry warm conditions, setup was a bit of a
gamble. Powell stated, 'It seems amazing but apart
from a single lap at Croft before Niall Quinn crashed
we have never tested, qualified or raced the car
in the warm and dry so we really do not have any
experience at all of these conditions'.
Race
1 was always going to be difficult and it was, Jordan
made up several places in Riches corner only to
be forced wide by the more experienced drivers losing
all the gains in the process. He went on to drive
superbly until the car let him down, a spacer plate
in the clutch disintegrated leaving him without
any gears and he was forced to retire after 16 laps.
With
the car repaired just in time, Race 2 was an opportunity
for Jordan to record his first F3 race finish and
this he did in some style, with aching muscles from
the G forces and the sheer physical effort needed
to keep this type of car on the track, combined
with a less than ideal setup borne out of our lack
of experience in these conditions he did a magnificent
job bringing the car home in 7th place, scoring
his first F3 points and finishing ahead of several
really excellent drivers including the Class leader
Andy Meyrick and his former team mate and International
class star, Australian Sam Abay.
'Jordan is a naturally talented driver and has acquitted
himself well in his Formula 3 debut, he has to revisit
his fitness regimen for the demands of F3 and we
as a team need to do some dry testing to give him
the car he deserves. The Team LOCTITE crew did a
magnificent job this weekend and special thanks
go the Crew Chief Rich, No.1 mechanic Joe, Data
engineer Ed and No. 2 mechanic Alex, it was tough
but they came through with flying colours', said
a delighted Trevor Powell.
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