The British GT and BRDC Formula 3 pave the way
Following on from a rather wet and windy visit to Brand’s Hatch at the end of May, Paul and Joseph once again loaded up the Bremsen Technik Motorsport van and drove south down the M1. This time however, the destination was a slightly less damp race circuit – the birthplace of the British Grand Prix and former Royal Airforce Base, Silverstone. And although preparations were in place for the upcoming F1 spectacle later this month, we were trackside once again for the second round of the British GT Championship and the accompanying BRDC Formula 3 series.
Unfortunately, due to the on-going Covid restrictions, attendance at the event was limited to just 4,000 spectators; a far cry short of the 20,000+ people that would normally make their way into the stands for what is regarded as the centrepiece of the British GT season – the Silverstone 500 Cup.
The Silverstone 500 is a special race in the calendar, with many teams flying in just to compete in this prestigious event
Now in its 10th year, the Silverstone 500 is a special race in the calendar, with many teams flying in just to compete in this prestigious event – all with the hopes of lifting the much-coveted RAC Trophy at the end of this grueling three-hour race.
One team that had its eye on the prize was The Anglo-Bahraini team ‘2 Seas Motorsport’, a relatively new contender in the world of GT motorsports. 2 Seas Motorsport, backed by owners Isa Al Khalifa and Nicholas Cristofaro made the decision to move into GT Racing in 2019 – utilising their combined 27-years of motorsport experience. The team looked to make their competitive debut as a Mercedes-AMG customer, using the German manufacturer’s AMG GT3 EVO which came equipped with Brembo Racing pads and discs – supplied directly by the Bremsen Technik Motorsport team.
The Pro-Am (one professional driver and one amateur driver) line-up of Hunter Abbott and Martin Kodric secured pole position in dominant fashion, and faultless performances on track and on the pit wall over 3-hours of hard racing saw the team take a hard-fought victory with a 7.2-second winning margin.
This race victory followed an impressive qualifying session where both Hunter and Martin proved to be the class of the field, despite a lack of track time in the new car – a fantastic effort for their return to the world of British GT.
The official Pagid RS control pad used in the BRDC Formula 3 Championship created especially for MSV
Despite being the headliner event, the British GT wasn’t the only motorsport action taking place at Silverstone last weekend – the 2021 BRDC F3 Championship’s teams were also proving their worth on the iconic Grand Prix circuit.
However, the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship is a very different beast to the world of GT racing – with a mix of professional motor racing teams and privately funded drivers competing in this open wheel series. Each team uses the same type of vehicle– a single seater car with a carbon-fibre chassis and bespoke 2-litre 230bhp Mountune engine at its heart. With regards to the stopping power – every F3 car must use the same control brake pad that has been chosen by the series organisers. This year, the pad of choice is a bespoke Pagid RS pad that is supplied by Bremsen Technik. The pad has been created especially for the BRDC F3 Championship and provides the teams with a cost-effective, high performance braking compound that is perfectly suited to the stopping requirements of the cars – which can hit speeds in excess of 260 kmh (160 mph)!
On the relationship with MSV, the BRDC F3 organisers, Paul Wilkinson, Bremsen Technik Motorsport’s Product Manager had this to say:
“We are very proud of our long standing relationship with the MSV group, supplying brake pad solutions for not only BRDC British F3 Series, but also Palmersport Driving Experience, and Track Experience cars running at all MSV circuits around the UK. We have demonstrated that the PAGID Racing products we supply provide a unique combination of consistent, reliable performance, as well as long pad and disc life. The user friendliness in particular is a very important consideration with the Driver Experience customers often having a very wide spectrum of ability. The pads we supply allow them to safely enjoy pushing the cars to the limit while staying in full control.”
Images courtesy of the British GT website.
..Some of motorsport’s finest up and coming talent has filtered through the BRDC British F3 Championship, with many graduates going on to secure roles in F1 teams, as well as racing, and winning in some of the highest echelons of the junior motorsport ladder and establishing careers in top GT championships. Some noteworthy competitors you may have heard of include George Russell, the current series 2021 Williams F1 driver, Lando Norris, McLaren’s primary F1 driver, and Daniel Ricciardo, Lando’s McLaren F1 teammate.
The racing certainly didn’t disappoint, with three highly entertaining encounters taking place over the course of the weekend. Across the three races, there were two winners, six drivers on the podium, and lots of additional drama thrown in for good measure.
Coming out on top was Hitech GP’s Reece Ushijima who stormed to a double pole position in qualifying, with his fastest time in the session giving him pole for the first race of the weekend, and his second best time securing him a front of the grid start for Sunday morning’s race two. With flawless starts in both Race 1 and 2, it was just a matter of holding the lead, which he did from start to finish in both races.
Next, we’ll be heading to Donington Circuit for the third round of the British GT, where we’ll be supporting teams and capturing the on and off track action!
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