WITH SPARKLING FORMULA 3 TESTFormula 3 Euroseries newcomer Alexander Sims concluded a stunning year in fine style at Barcelona in Spain last week by outpacing a number of experienced F3 competitors on his first major test outing since announcing his new race deal with Mücke Motorsport.The 20-year-old F3 graduate, who confirmed his plans for 2009 a fortnight ago when crowned McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner at a special dinner in central London, has taken no time at all to adjust to Formula 3. Taking in three different European circuits over the course of the last couple of weeks, Wansford based Alexander made his first ever appearances at Estoril in Portugal and Valencia in Spain before finishing his pre-Christmas programme with a single day at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona last Thursday, 18th December.Impressively, the MSA British Race Elite driver outpaced new team-mate, and third year Formula 3 competitor, Sam Bird by a 10th of a second at Barcelona having also lapped faster than his fellow Brit at Valencia – an excellent achievement considering Bird’s ability and success in F3 over the last couple of years in Britain and Europe.Heading the timesheets on two occasions, Alexander quickly underlined his front-running potential in the world’s premier Formula 3 championship. “It’s all gone really well over the last couple of weeks”, he commented, “We made a lot of progress each time we went out in the car and I was delighted to be the quickest Mücke driver at all three circuits. We had two days at Estoril and Valencia, tracks I’d never visited before, and then finalised the testing with a trip to Barcelona which I have been to before in a Formula Renault. “We took time to learn Estoril and Valencia on the opening day each time and on the second day I started to get my times down and find the limits as I capitalised on everything. We didn’t have any excursions off the circuit or any problems, it’s been a fantastic few days. We were third fastest at Estoril, similarly strong at Valencia and then quick at Barcelona – I’m very pleased.”Alexander added: “We’re well aware just how competitive and tough F3 Euroseries is but that’s the challenge – we need to compete against, and beat, the best drivers. It’s going to be very difficult next year but our initial preparations have gone as well as we could have hoped. “Mücke is a very professional team, they work incredibly hard and there is a huge amount of effort and attention to detail. I’m really looking forward to getting back in the car in the New Year and continuing our strong preparations for my debut season in Formula 3.”In recent years, Mücke Motorsport has become firmly established as one of the foremost teams in F3 Euroseries and in 2008 the Berlin-based squad finished third overall in the Teams Championship and also took Erik Janis to Rookie Cup honours – something Alexander will be bidding to emulate next year when the championship commences on 16th/17th May at Hockenheim in Germany.Further to the exciting steps Alexander is taking up the motorsport ladder towards his ultimate goal of Formula One, the young British star is also offering the chance for anyone to support him through a unique initiative entitled ‘The Name Car’. Offering the opportunity to have a name featured on his F3 race car throughout 2009 for just £5…that’s right, only a fiver…everyone is invited to visit thenamecar.com to find out more and take advantage of this fantastic idea.While a well deserved break is now on the cards over Christmas and New Year, Alexander will be back in action on Friday, 9th January, when he will return to his karting roots by taking part in the BP Ultimate Celebrity Kart Challenge at Birmingham’s NEC as part of the Autosport International Show. He will compete in the MSA British Race Elite team led by ex-Formula One driver David Brabham.