The qualifying and race formats will feature a different look for the final round of the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship at Sandown Motor Raceway.
Pending final approval from CAMS, the title-deciding round (to be known as the SuperPrix) will retain the traditional two-race format, with the first race shortened (to 12 laps) and the afternoon’s feature race (the SuperPrix) extended to a full 22-lap duration. Both races will retain full championship points.
Qualifying will also change. A standard 20-minute session will set the grid for Race 1 before a special 35-minute session is conducted for the SuperPrix.
Using the successful format utilised by Formula 1 and the V8 Supercars, the first 15-minutes will see all cars on track to qualify with only the ‘Quick Six’ making it through to the final session to determine the first three rows.
The winner of the Formula 3 SuperPrix will receive the John Bowe Trophy, inaugurated in 2007. The SuperPrix event was held at Symmons Plains Raceway for the first two years of its existence and will return to the Apple Isle next year.
The SuperPrix will also see the 2009 champion crowned. Tim Macrow leads UK driver Joey Foster by four points, making it a ‘winner-take-all’ final round.
Macrow is already a former F3 champion, having won the crown in 2007.
The Formula 3 class will be the headline class at Sandown for the final round of the Shannons Nationals, with other categories including Commodore Cup, Saloon Cars, Manufacturers Championship and the GT3 Cup Challenge. The meeting will be held on November 28-29.
