CARSINGLE-SEATERF3

Daniel Ricciardo set the fastest time and an unofficial lap record to boot on the opening day of British F3 testing at Oulton Park

The Carlin rookie made an understandably cautious start in the morning on a damp but drying track. An afternoon of bright sunshine was just the sort of weather the Australian was more accustom to however as he dipped below the 1min 28secs threshold to smash the existing track record by nearly 1.5secs.

Fellow Carlin drivers Max Chilton, Oliver Oakes and Henry Arundel were separated by no more than a tenth in third, fourth and fifth respectively but were unable to make it a team clean sweep at the top of the time sheet thanks to Nick Tandy.

The sole JTR runner may have been three tenths shy of Ricciardo’s time but he still produced a best lap of 1min 28.215secs in the Mygale Mercedes in what was a major coup for the team. Even so, team boss and elder brother Joe Tandy was still left feeling a little disappointed.

“It was a shame. The new tyres were not fully up to temperature and there was definitely more time to come,” he said. “But, for a first day, with the wheels having been bolted onto the car for the first time last night, we are very pleased indeed.

“The work that we and Mygale have done over the winter has obviously paid dividends and Nick is on top of his game straightaway.”

Sixth went to T-Sport’s Adriano Buzaid as Volkswagen power occupied five of the first six places. Next up was Walter Grubmüller and Hitech with Snetterton pace setter Riki Christodoulou the first Fortec runner in eighth.

Daniel McKenzie was comfortably the first of the National Class runners in eleventh. Testing continues today (Wednesday).

Catch British F3 highlights throughout 2009 on Motors TV.

British F3 pre-season test: Oulton Park 10.03.09

Daniel Ricciardo  / Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen  / 1m 27.924s
Nick Tandy / JTR Mygale-Mercedes / 1m 28.215s
Max Chilton / Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen /  1m 28.357s
Oliver Oakes / Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen / 1m 28.357s
Henry Arundel / Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen / 1m 28.423s
Adriano Buzaid / T-Sport Dallara-Volkswagen / 1m 28.525s
Walter Grubmüller / Hitech Dallara-Mercedes / 1m 28.872s
Riki Christodoulou / Fortec Dallara-Mercedes / 1m 28.970s
Victor Garcia / Fortec Dallara-Mercedes / 1m 29.509s
Wayne Boyd / T-Sport Dallara-Volkswagen / 1m 29.721s
Daniel McKenzie / Fortec Dallara-Mugen / 1m 29.937s*
Carlos Huertas / RRR Dallara-Mercedes / 1m 29.996s
Hywel Lloyd  /CF Racing Dallara-Mugen / 1m 30.677s
Daisuke Nakajima  /RRR Dallara-Mercedes / 1m 31.124s
Stéphane Richelmi / Barazi-Epsilon Dallara-Mercedes / 1m 31.606s
Victor Correa / Litespeed Litespeed-Mugen / 1m 32.594s*
Max Snegirev / West-Tec Dallara-Mugen / 1m 35.621s*

*Denotes National Class runners.


Tom Hornsby