Brit F3: Manor returns with CF Racing link-up

Former British F3 champions, Manor Motorsport, will return to the series in 2010 after linking up with CF Racing.

Manor, which graduated to F1 under the Virgin Racing banner this season, will run cars for CF Racing regular, Hywel Lloyd, and Formula BMW Pacific champion, Rio Haryanto. The team’s Dallara-Mercedes machines will carry similar livery to those sported by Virgin Racing during the team’s F1 debut in Bahrain last weekend.

"CF Racing and Manor have had a good working relationship for a long time," said CF Racing team founder Harry Lloyd. "When Manor decided to end its involvement with the F3 Euroseries it made sense for us to amalgamate, pool our resources, personnel and know-how, because we both have much to gain from it."

Marc Hynes and Antonio Pizzonia won consecutive British F3 titles in 1999 and 2000 while driving for Manor and the team made an impressive return to the series in testing last week, helping Lloyd to the eighth-best time at Oulton Park.

Lloyd was a race winner in the National Class in 2008 after clinching the Formula Renault BARC title the previous year. He managed three top-six finishes in his first year in the main British F3 International class in 2009.

17-year-old Malaysian driver, Haryanto, won six times in 15 races on his way to the FBMW Pacific title last year and will dovetail his British F3 campaign with his commitments in the new GP3 Series.

Watch 1-hour highlights of the British F3 season-opener at Oulton Park on Motors TV (Sky Channel 413, Virgin Media 545) on Sunday 11 April at 8.45pm (BST).


Andy Wilkinson

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