Australian F3 set for boosted Sydney field

The Australian Formula 3 Championship is set to welcome its biggest grid of the year at the Sydney Motorsport Park Shannons Nationals round this weekend.

A field of 11 cars will do battle at the New South Wales venue which has been boosted by the addition of several new and returning competitors.

The championship’s largest entry of the year comes after CAMS revealed the championship will be demoted to a state based series from 2017.

R-Tek Motorsport’s Roland Legge returns to the series behind the wheel of a former Double R Racing Dallara.

Legge, who missed rounds at Phillip Island and Winton, finished second in the opening meeting at Sandown and is set to join the battle at the front between Jon Collins and Ricky Capo.

The teenager will be supported by long time F3 backer and former V8 Supercars license holder James Rosenberg.

Dennie Rumble will also return to the R-Tek Motorsport having contest the second round at Phillip Island.

Meanwhile, Luke Ellery will pilot an ex-Valtteri Bottas Dallara F311 as he plans to be the first driver to contest the Australian Formula 3 and Formula Ford rounds on the same weekend.

“It’s going to be pretty crazy. I’ll be going straight into Friday practice cold,” said Ellery.

“I’ve only tested a Formula 3 car once several years ago and I’ve never driven this particular car, so it’s going to be a pretty big day on Friday learning the F3 car and swapping between that and the Formula Ford.

“I’ve watched as much of the Formula 3 on board vision as I can and filed that in one part of my brain.

“I know how big this is and I’m not taking it for granted – it’s going to be one of the toughest things I’ve ever done.”

Shane Wilson, Ross McAlpine and Andrew Wlodek will also make their respective national-level F3 debuts this weekend fresh from competition in the NSW state championship.

Australian Formula 3 Championship – Round 4 entry

6 – Dennie Rumble (Dallara F307 – Mercedes Benz)
7 – Nathan Kumar (Dallara F307 – Spiess)
8 – Roland Legge (Dallara F311 – Mercedes Benz)
13 – Shane Wilson (Dallara F304 – Spiess)
14 – Trent Shirvington (Mygale M11 – Mercedes Benz)
17 – Jon Collins (Dallara F311 – Mercedes Benz)
23 – Luke Spalding (Dallara F307 – Mercedes Benz)
81 – Ross McAlpine (Dallara F304 – Renault Sodemo)
85 – Luke Ellery (Dallara F311 – Mercedes Benz)
91 – Andrew Wlodek (Dallara F307 – Mugen Honda)
92 – Ricky Capo (Dallara F311 – Mugen Honda)