Pinoy drivers resume quest for AF3 honors

Questions that were left hanging in the last two races will be answered when the Asian Formula Three Grand Prix returns to Guangdong, China this weekend for the fifth and sixth legs of the series at the Zhuhai International Circuit.

A total of 17 drivers from around the world, including seven Filipinos, will race for podium spots in the International and Promotions class of the Asian-hopping series that also visited Guangdong last month.

Focus will be on six top drivers who had various tales to tell in the third and fourth legs also held at the Zhuhai International Circuit, a 4.3-kilometer track featuring a 900-meter straightaway built in the late 90s for Formula One racing.

Indonesian Ananda Mikola of Fastron Racing with Three Bond, the series leader with 75 points, ruled the third leg but had to settle for runner-up honors behind Christian Jones, the defending champion from Australia and the lead driver of Christian Jones Motorsport, in the fourth race.

Filipino young guns Dado Peña of Ambi Pur Team Goddard-Minardi Team Asia and Tyson Sy of Speedtech Asia finished second and third, respectively, in the third and fourth legs despite enduring busted engines. Two other foreign drivers–Rodolfo Avila of Macau and John O’Hara of Ireland, the runner-up last year–failed to land podium spots and signed up with new teams immediately after the races in a bid to come up with worthier performances.

Mikola, driving the car that emerged as the best in last year’s Japanese Formula Three series, will be challenged anew by Jones who gave up the car that powered him to victory last year in favor of a faster, newer model. Jones’ old car will now be driven by Avila who is bidding to make up for what he said was a disappointing stint with his previous team, Fujitsu-Ten Toyota Team Tom.

O’Hara also left Toyota Team Tom to hook up with his team last year, Shell Helix Kinetic PCSO, whose lead driver in the last Zhuhai legs, Pepon Marave, graciously gave up his car to accommodate the Irishman and help prop up his bid in the standings.

The biggest question in everybody’s mind now is how the various changes will affect the race and the series leaders, Mikola and Jones, who has 62 points, and O’Hara, who is a distant third with 32 points after four legs. Another question begging to be answered is how Avila, last year’s winner of the Macau Formula Series, would fare with his new team and car.

As far as Peña and Sy are concerned, the question is whether they could finally land a top podium spot against the tough foreign field.

"This promises to be another exciting race, with track hands raring to see how the drivers will react to various changes in team chemistry, car setup and other intangibles," said AF3 Corp. chairman Ed Peña. "It will not be a surprise if our very own local drivers come up big."

Qualifying for grid position will be held tomorrow, with the fifth leg set Sunday morning and the sixth leg in the afternoon.