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Barker Takes P2 in Tasmanian F3 Superprix |
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Britain’s Ben Barker earned his first Formula Three podium, and a haul of valuable points in an action-packed triple-header at Tasmania’s Symmons Plains Raceway, moving up to second overall in the Kumho Tyres Australian F3 Championship.
Coming off the back of three fourth place finishes on his category debut at Wakefield Park in March, Formula Ford graduate Barker went into round two with increased confidence, and he quickly adapted to the short Tasmanian circuit, although top spot on the timesheets remained out of reach as rivals ran lower wing levels and were quicker in a straight line.
Buoyed by his performance, Barker comfortably made it through to the final phase of the series’ new-look knock-out qualifying session, earning a further ten minutes to chase pole position. With the leading quartet all within a couple of tenths, however, it was not an easy task, and the Briton spent most of the session in third spot, before summoning up one last effort.
“I was just a tenth off the best time, so I pushed harder than ever at the end and, on the very last lap, put in a lap of 51.18secs, which was enough to grab pole by 0.07secs,” the 18-year old grinned, “I was very happy with the car’s performance and my determination to make the last lap count - which it did!”
With his first F3 pole in the bag, Barker knew that he needed to make his qualifying effort count but, with the Symmons Plains layout offering little reward to the fastest man, it was no surprise when he came under threat almost as soon as the lights went out in race one of the prestigious Tasmanian F3 Superprix event.
When BRM team-mate Andrew Waite edged ahead off the line, the Briton knew that he needed to keep a cool head through the right and left kinks that open the lap. Running abreast with the Kiwi, Barker got the run out of turn one and pulled to the outside heading into the braking zone at the hairpin. Just as he appeared to have taken back the advantage, however, Waite’s car jinked left under braking, leaving Barker’s #5 machine with little room. Having to brake on the grass, the Briton overshot the corner before coming to a stop.
“Fortunately, the safety car came out and, after spending 50 seconds finding reverse, I got on my way, rapidly catching the safety car into the last corner as the field was preparing to restart,” Barker reflected.
Making a great restart, he passed two cars going into turn one, moving immediately up to seventh, before a series of subsequent passing moves restored his presence in the top three. However, Kristian Lindbom proved a stubborn opponent and, taking advantage of better straight-line speed, was able to retake the final podium spot, leaving Barker to contemplate another fourth-place result.
With the finish determining his starting position for race two, the Briton made a good start from the outside of row two to claim third place into turn one. However, another off several laps later – this time of his own making after a pre-race switch to smaller wings in search of speed – undid his good work and meant another comeback drive.
“I just carried more speed over the tricky hump into turn one and just clipped the grass, sending me straight over the chicane,” he sighed, “I managed to keep going and had good enough pace to get back to fifth, but I am frustrated with myself for making the error. However, mistakes happen and, if anything positive came from the race, I made some good moves to get back through the field, which was great for my race experience.”
Starting fourth on the grid for the main event of the weekend, Barker again made a good getaway, jumping Lindbom for third and almost getting pacesetter Tom Tweedie for second. As early as the first lap, the top four started to break away from those behind, but the battle between them remained intense. Barker was powerless to prevent Lindbom from regaining third, but opted to bide his time in P4, knowing that there was still a long way to go as the leading quartet ran nose-to-tail.
The waiting game paid off as Lindbom then dived up the inside of Tweedie at the hairpin, only to overshoot and spin but, while the incident promoted Barker back to third, it also allowed leader Waite to open a useful gap. Undeterred, the Briton and Tweedie worked together to reduce the margin and, having caught the Kiwi, both managed to find a way through with eight laps remaining, setting up a thrilling finale.
“I had seven laps to catch Tom, and was doing so gradually, but just ran out of time,” the Briton admitted, after crossing the line only three-tenths shy of his maiden F3 win, “I enjoyed this race very much, even though it got tense at some points as we were all so close. I had great pace towards the end of the race, but just ran short of catching – and passing – him by a few laps. I really wanted to go out there and make up for race two, and I think I did that. It was just a shame that it couldn’t have been a win.”
The result boosted the Briton into second place in the championship behind Tweedie, with their next outing scheduled for Phillip Island over 1-2 May. |
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