James Cole took on the challenge of the famed Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium this weekend, with the Cooper Tires British F3 International Series crossing to the continent for the sixth round of the championship. After a torrid start to his weekend, with technical issues sidelining him in practice, Cole showed his fortitude to remain competitive in each race, taking the class win in the final race of the weekend to put the Liverpool driver on a par with title rival Menasheh Idafar. With four rounds remaining of the season, Cole remains determined to fend off team mate Idafar to claim the crown.
Driving the T-Sport Dallara Mugen Honda at one of the top racing circuits in the world, Cole was given his first chance to experience the thrill of Eau Rouge, one of the fastest sections of any race track which favours the brave and pushes drivers to the limit. A drive shaft problem during the practice sessions ahead of the weekend’s racing put Cole on the back foot right from the start and at such a long, technically demanding, track this was always going to make it difficult for him, but as always, Cole’s gritty determination helped him to keep the championship battle raging.
Cole’s race debut at Spa saw him in a fierce battle with arch-rival Idafar, with the two protagonists racing wheel to wheel until Idafar pipped Cole to the lead to take the win. The second race was a similar dog-fight, with Cole pursuing Idafar for much of the race distance, and crossing the line second in class. The final race of the Belgian trio continued to produce a heated battle between the T-Sport team mate, which spilled over on the opening lap. An ambitious move on Cole by Idafar resulted in contact, although with Idafar coming off worse, Cole was able to continue on and sweep through for the win.
Cole said afterwards, “Menasheh made a very ambitious move on me into the Bus Stop chicane, cutting across me which took off my front wing. He paid for this with a puncture, so although my pace was hampered I could continue and take the win.
“Winning that last race of the weekend was critical for me. I’d been hurt badly by missing a session at the start of the weekend, as this track isn’t easy to learn or master and with the changing weather conditions, it was a constant learning curve throughout the weekend. I knew I had to take three strong finishes, and keep as close as I could to Menasheh, so that I collected plenty of points. My strategy proved successful and I think take a win and be tied for the championship lead after this weekend isn’t as bad as it could have been.
“With this run of back to back weekends, there’s no time to reflect and all the opportunity to move ahead in the class battle. Next up are two familiar circuits, with Thruxton and Silverstone hosting the race weekends this month. Thruxton is a very fast track, plenty of overtaking points and the potential for changeable weather conditions, so I’m focusing on this now.”
Cole and Idafar are tied for the British F3 National Class title with 252 points apiece and nine class wins each.
