BRITISH F3 & SUPPORTS
A championship campaign without a single retirement proved to be the key to Clement Novalak clinching the 2019 BRDC British Formula 3 title at the Donington Park finale last weekend.
The Carlin driver came into the meeting with a comfortable 52-point buffer over his nearest challenger Johnathan Hoggard, courtesy of two wins and a further six podiums.
Despite not taking a win since Silverstone in June, consistency meant Novalak had finished every race inside the top 10 and more of the same would guarantee him the title.
Hoggard did all he could to prevent that though, as the Fortec driver qualified on pole for races one and three as Novalak could only manage sixth and ninth respectively.
In the opener, Hoggard romped to a dominant victory from Kiern Jewiss and team-mate Manuel Maldonado as Novalak climbed to fourth.
It meant the 18-year-old only needed to finish ahead of Hoggard in the full-reversed grid second race on Sunday morning to be crowned champion.
“I think P4 was a good result and we just need to focus on doing the same tomorrow,” said Novalak. “We’ll see how it goes but hopefully it goes our way.”
It did go his way, but not before a moment of controversy as he and Hoggard made contact going through Starkey’s Bridge which put them both on the grass.
Hoggard was forced to pit to remove grass from his radiators as Novalak cruised home in 12th to secure the title.
“We put in a protest however it was seen [by the stewards] that there was no further action [needed],” said Hoggard after the race.
“If that’s what they said, that’s what they said. You’ve just got to take it as it is, there’s nothing more I can do.”
Up at the front tension was also running high between the Chris Dittmann Racing drivers of Ayrton Simmons and Nazim Azman.
The former, who had ended up in the Redgate gravel trap on the opening lap of race one after contact with Ulysse de Pauw, had made his way up to second by lap three.
He lunged for the lead into the Melbourne Hairpin on lap nine of 12 and although he couldn’t make the move stick he tried again one tour later in the same spot.
But once more Azman held firm to take his second win of the season from Simmons and Neil Verhagen.
Just as in race one, Hoggard led home Jewiss in the final outing of the season, but had to defend much harder from the Douglas Motorsport driver after a small lock-up at the Melbourne Hairpin put him on the back foot.
Verhagen completed the podium again as Novalak ended his title-winning campaign with sixth.
It wasn’t just the British F3 title that was decided last weekend, as Scott Mckenna clinched the Ginetta GT5 Challenge championship in the opening encounter after just a single lap of racing.
The 17-year-old had made his way up to second behind Geri Nicosia when the safety car was called on lap two for a multi-car crash at Coppice.
“I’ve never been so happy to see a safety car board in my life,” said a relieved Mckenna after the race finished under yellows.
With the title wrapped up he sat out the remaining two races which were tight threeway affairs between Nicosia, Gordie Mutch and Josh Malin.
Nicosia doubled up in the second after withstanding race-long pressure and was on course for a hat-trick mid-way through race three, but Mutch overtook him at Mcleans and took the final win of the year.
Owen Walton claimed the VW Cup title aboard his Audi TT, beating Mark Wakefield and Martin Depper.
Wakefield won race one in his Golf and went into the final race just two points behind Walton, who could only manage sixth in the opener.
But any hopes of Wakefield winning the title disappeared before the race even began, as a technical problem meant he had to come into the pits for a reset.
Forced to start from the pits, he could only climb to sixth with Walton fourth as Ruaridh Clark took the win.
A last-lap collision cost Nathan Harrison the lead of the JCW Mini Challenge championship.
He’d finished second to main rival James Gornall in the opener and was on course for the runner-spot again in the second behind Dan Zelos.
But heading into the Melbourne Hairpin for the final time Rory Cuff first made contact with Gornall then clattered into the rear of Harrison.
It dropped Harrison to last and means Gornall goes to the final round at Snetterton with a 19-point lead.