Queensland Raceway
Australian Formula 3 Championship 2003, Round Four

Team BRM on the pace at Queensland Raceway

Team BRM proved this weekend that they have the speed to be challenging for race wins in the near future.

Team BRM's young driver, Karl Reindler, UTS Geophysics Dallara F301 Spiess Opel, was third fastest in the opening race, and was quickest in the final race of the forth round of the 2003 Australian Formula 3 Championship.

After starting in fifth position for the first race, Reindler got made an excellent start and moved up into 3rd position in the opening lap. Despite setting competitive lap times throughout the race, Reindler dropped back two places to finish in fifth position, just three tenths behind forth placed Peter Hackett, Dallara F301 Sodemo Renault.

The second race did not go as well for Reindler after the car stalled on the grid and he fell to the rear of the field. Reindler pushed hard during the race, constantly moving up the order throughout the race, charging up the grid to finish in 8th position. Reindler was on the pace all race, setting the fastest lap of the race, 1:06.6787, on lap 15. This time was only two tenths off the new lap record set by Hackett in the opening race, 1:06.4640, almost one and a half seconds quicker then the previous lap record, also held by Hackett.

In the opening race, Matt Fitzgerald, Inmotion Technologies Dallara F301 Spiess Opel, was pushed wide, off the track early in the race by Kenny Habul, Dallara F301 Alfa Romeo. This cost Fitzgerald time, but he was able to push hard to finish the race in 8th position.

Fitzgerald's second race was better and saw him set his fastest lap time of the weekend. His time was almost half a second quicker than his best qualifying time. Fitzgerald spent much of the race locked in a tight battle with his Team BRM team mate, Darren Palmer, before coming home in 6th position, just ahead of Palmer.

Darren Palmer, T2 Take a Ride Dallara F301 Spiess Opel began the first race in 6th position, but dropped a place on the second lap to a hard charging James Cressey, Dallara F301 Spiess Opel. Palmer was able to get back 6th place in the closing laps of the race when he passed Christian Jones, Dallara F301 Mugen Honda.

Palmer spent the second race fighting hard for position with team mate Fitzgerald. Palmer and Fitzgerald were both able to pass Habul on lap 11, before coming home in 7th and 6th places respectively, separated by just three tenths of a second.

Team BRM are pleased with the pace they were able to set during the two races this round, and are looking forward to turning that speed into podium places in the second half of the 2003 season.

There is now a month long break before the fifth round of the 2003 Australian Formula 3 Championship to be held at Oran Park, in New South Wales on July 11- July 13. Between now and then, you can catch all the Formula 3 action from Wakefield Park on the Seven Network on June 28 from 12 noon - 1pm.

Championship Standings