Simon Hodge stamped his name on the Australian Drivers’ Championship honour role in emphatic fashion at Sydney Motorsport Park’s season finale.
The 20-year-old South Australian clinched the title with a victory in the second of three heats.
A subsequent win in Race 3 moved Hodge’s tally to 12 for the season; double that of his closest rival Ben Gersekowski.
The Race 2 win came despite falling as low as third during the early stages.
“It’s amazing. I’m still pinching myself and I can’t believe it yet,” said Hodge of his title victory.
“Even though we came into the round with a lead, we were still nervous and it doesn’t necessarily mean terribly much.
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“To get the job done, and get it locked away is an amazing feeling and I couldn’t think of a better way to wrap the title up than with a race like that.
“The Mygale has been fantastic all year and the team has done an amazing job to bring the best out of it. It’s a case of using where the car is strong and minimising weaknesses and doing the best possible job.”
Although the first Australian F3 title for Mygale, the success marks an eighth F3 success for Team BRM.
The squad has won six of those titles since the championship was bestowed with the CAMS Gold Star in 2005, equalling the success of fellow South Australian outfit Birrana Racing.
Hodge is meanwhile the first South Australian driver to win the Gold Star since John Walker in 1979.
“It hasn’t been straightforward even though we’ve lead since the first round of the year,” Hodge reflected.
“We’ve had our challenges and Ben has been pushing us the whole way. It’s been a tug-of-war between the two of us and come out on top when it counts is just an unbelievable feeling.
“It’s a huge honour to be up on such a prestigious list. It’s something that, coming in through the motorsport ranks, through Karts and Formula Ford, you always look up to the Gold Star winners and the Formula 3 championship, with a lot of prestige.
“To add my name to such an incredible list is fantastic.”
Forpark National Class winner Garnett Patterson took a strong second in Race 2 before his season ended with a battery-induced failure to finish in the final.
Gersekowski scored a third and a second while Chris Anthony recovered from his Saturday crash to record a fourth and a third.
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