3rd July 2006

Manor Motorsport began its weekend at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit confident of a highly competitive outing during the seventh and eighth rounds of the Formula 3 Euroseries but it turned out to be an unhappy homecoming for the crack British squad.

After locking out the top three positions during Friday’s practice session, the Dinnington team looked set for an impressive run throughout qualifying and both races but all three Manor drivers endured difficulties which put paid to any hope of points-scoring finishes.

Japanese ace Kazuki Nakajima ended the weekend as the best of the trio, the Toyota Driver Development star battling through from 17th position on the grid to 13th place at the chequered flag during Saturday’s seventh round. In Sunday’s race, Nakajima matched his previous day’s result with 13th position again.

Compatriot Kohei Hirate showed good pace in qualifying but didn’t have a chance to convert fifth position on the grid into a good result on Saturday after he was eliminated from the race before it even began, a rival car hitting Hirate and putting him out on the green flag lap.

In round eight, the Toyota-backed sensation crossed the line in 17th position – having been forced to start at the back due to Saturday’s incident – and was one of several front-runners who surprisingly found themselves near the tail of the field.

For Esteban Guerrieri, the weekend proved to be an even bigger disappointment. Facing an uphill battle in the races after having his qualifying time taken away by race officials due to an on-track infringement on Friday afternoon, the Argentinean star ended up losing his championship lead.

Starting round seven from 24th and last on the grid, Guerrieri did drive well to finish in 15th place but the Indy configuration of the Kent circuit makes overtaking in single-seater racing near impossible, so anything higher up the order was just too much to ask. In the eighth round, Guerrieri finished in 12th position, six 10ths of a second ahead of Nakajima.

Even though Manor didn’t score any points, Guerrieri holds second position in the title race now with 30 points while Hirate is fourth overall on 23 points, one place ahead of team-mate Nakajima who is two points further adrift. In the team classification, Manor is now in second position on 66 points.

Speaking on the team’s most difficult race weekend of the 2006 season, Manor boss John Booth commented: “It’s been a very tough weekend and we’re all disappointed to have come away from Brands Hatch with no points. We need to look ahead to the Norisring now though and come back strong to reclaim the championship lead.”

The next two rounds of the intriguing 2006 Formula 3 Euroseries will take place three weeks from now, 22nd/23rd July, at the fast and furious Norisring in Germany.