Tim Macrow added a second CAMS Gold Star to his collection by securing the 2013 Formula 3 Australian Drivers’ Championship title at Sandown.
Having finished second to his only title threat John Magro on Saturday, Macrow needed to only finish one of Sunday’s two races to claim the overall spoils.
A solid second behind Magro in Sunday’s morning’s Race 2 therefore took the pressure off for the final, which Macrow subsequently won after a bold late-race pass on his rival.
Macrow’s success came despite a disastrous start to the season at Bathurst that saw his own entry fail to turn a racing lap due to mechanical issues.
The 31-year-old linked with South Australian outfit Team BRM for the remainder of the season.
“After Bathurst, I was pretty down and figured it was all over given how competitive the field was,” explained Macrow, who also won the title in 2007.
“I rang Craig (Rundle) from Team BRM that night and we did the deal to jump in the car in Tasmania.
“I can’t say enough about how great the team has been this season and the work that Trent, Mark and the entire team have put in.
“Every race we have run, we’ve either been first or second and I wanted to make sure that, when the championship was decided, we ended the year with a victory to show that we have been the fastest team this year.”
Magro and Nick Foster ensured that BRM ended the season with a top three sweep of the points standings.
Second in the final race was enough for Magro to take the round victory.
Filling the final step of the overall podium was another BRM driver, debutant Simon Hodge.
The Formula Ford campaigner took two thirds and a fifth from a weekend that saw just five Championship Class and three Nationals Class cars on track.
Jon Collins was the top National runner in each of the Sandown races, while early-season pace-setter Arrie Marree did enough to seal the title.
