Three winners in F3 finale, as Ahmed caps his season with lucky number 13
“I wanted to end on a win so badly.”
The 2017 BRDC British Formula 3 champion Enaam Ahmed did just that in the season finale at Donington Park, taking his 13th win of the year and rounding out an almost perfect season.
The Carlin driver had to wait until the third and final race to take his win, but came within touching distance of victory in Saturday’s first encounter.
Fortec’s Ben Hingeley put in a flawless lightstoflag drive to victory to hold Ahmed at bay, the gap between the two never exceeding more than one second in a tense affair.
“I got a good start but he [Ahmed] got a really good start, he tried to go around the outside but I followed him in and kept the position,” said Hingeley after taking his fourth win of the season.
There was drama in the partly reversed grid second race, as Fortec’s Nicolai Kjaergaard lost the chance for a debut win on the final lap after being knocked into the Redgate gravel by Douglas Motorsport’s Callan O’keeffe, who’d been looking for a way past.
O’keeffe’s teammate, teenager Jordan Cane, had been sitting behind the pair and took the lead as a result, as well as an unlikely race victory.
“I knew that it was going to get aggressive in the last few laps,” said Cane, who’d struggled with understeer in race one and only managed fifth. “I feel sorry for Callan, you never like to see your teammate in that position [following the collision].”
Hillspeed’s Chase Owen took second while Pull, who’d damaged his car after taking to the grass at Old Hairpin, finished third but sealed second place in the standings at the expense of Toby Sowery, who was absent from the weekend ( see Racing News).
Cameron Das lined up on pole for the season finale courtesy of setting the fastest lap from the previous two races with teammate Ahmed alongside.
The current champion snatched the lead with a late lunge into the Melbourne Hairpin with only four laps remaining before romping to his 13th win of the year and stamping his dominance on the championship.
“When he [Das] was ahead on the first lap I was disappointed because I knew it was so hard to overtake around here,” said Ahmed.
“I chased him down and when the opportunity arose I threw it up the inside and I didn’t make any contact.”
Das dropped down the field and was forced into the pits following Ahmed’s laterace pass after sustaining front wing damage.
“I’m not really sure [where the contact came from], I’ll have to wait until I see the video,” said Das, who missed out on third place in the championship after finishing 13th.
Cane – who’d stayed with the front duo all race – inherited second place with a pass around the outside of the ailing Das into the Old Hairpin and finished just behind Ahmed.
Das’s demise also promoted Lanan Racing’s Alex Quinn to third place, the 16yearold who normally races in British F4 was making his debut in the series this weekend in place of the absent Sowery.
“I’ve been struggling with starts as I did no practice starts until the races, but I got a good one and had to keep it planted and I just made it stick,” said Quinn, who’d started fifth on the grid.
Fortec’s Ben Hingeley wrapped up his season by finishing fourth, and with it claimed third place in the final championship standings.