for 2009 campaign
The Räikkönen Robertson Racing F3 team are on course for a strong year in the 2009 Cooper Tires British F3 International Series.
Established by former F1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen and his managers Steve and Dave Robertson, the team enter its fifth season of F3 this year. Räikkönen Robertson Racing will continue its theme of bringing on new talent this season, as the team fields two British F3 rookies in the form of Colombian Carlos Huertas and Japanese driver Daisuke Nakajima. 17 year-old Carlos Huertas is one of the youngest racers in the F3 field.
The Colombian spends his third year with the Räikkönen Robertson Racing team this year, having competed with the Woking based outfit in Formula BMW UK in 2007 and the Formula BMW Europe championship in 2008.
Racing on some of the world’s most prestigious tracks, Huertas had a strong season on the F1 support package, with three top five finishes in the last three races of the season, including a podium in Monza. Now moving up to F3, Huertas has been among the front runners in testing and is looking to secure a podium spot early on in the season.
Joining Huertas at the 2006 championship winning team, will be 20 year- old Daisuke Nakajima. Fresh from the 2008 Japanese Formula 3 championship, Nakajima joins Double R as a member of Honda’s Formula Dream Project – an initiative to help young motorsport talent in Japan, made up of just seven drivers.
Despite being new to the UK race tracks, Nakajima has soon adapted to the Mercedes powered Double R Dallara and is aiming to win races from the start of the season.
Team Principal Anthony Hieatt commented, “Last year wasn’t the best season for us in British F3, but I think we’ll see a return to form again this year. Our testing over the winter has gone very well, and Mercedes have once again delivered a great engine for us. Although both drivers are new to the series this year, I think they’ll surprise many people throughout the season.
“I’ve been genuinely impressed with both Carlos and Daisuke in testing. They have really impressed the team with both their pace and their attitude over the winter. Carlos has made a big step up this season moving up from Formula BMW, but he has adapted very well to the F3 car and his progress throughout our test programme has been fantastic. Daisuke has also had a lot to learn, moving to a new country, adjusting to a new team and driving on new tracks. He has settled into the team very quickly and I’m confident that we will see some great racing from him this year.”
For more information on the team,
visit www.raikkonenrobertson.com built by Racecar
