After eight rounds of the ten round Cooper Tires British F3 International Series James Cole leads the way in the National Class, with a win and two second place finishes at Silverstone this weekend keeping him ahead of title rival, Menasheh Idafar.
Cole has led the National Class since the opening round of this year’s British F3 International Series, in his first year of the championship. Despite a strong challenge from Idafar each race weekend Cole has stayed ahead, using his ever-improving race skills and putting in a season-long focus on driving to his best ability each weekend, to hold the upper hand after each three-race event.
The battle for National Class honours was as tight and challenging as ever at Silverstone, with Cole pushing hard each and every lap, throughout the practice and qualifying sessions as well as the three race distances.
The typically unpredictable British weather shaped the outcome of Saturday’s opening race. With rain falling just prior to the race Cole, driving his T-Sport Dallara Mugen Honda F3 car, opted to take the start with wet tyres, but on the formation laps decided to pit for slicks, forcing him to start from the pitlane. Three laps after the start rain fell heavily and Cole was back to the pits for wet tyres and he was then able to push on, taking a second place finish.
A dry, warm track greeted the F3 field on Sunday morning for the second of the weekend’s races, an 11 lap sprint distance. Cole led the National Class from the opening lap and held off Idafar to secure his first win of the weekend, his 11th win of the season.
The third of the trio of F3 races, a 40 minutes Feature race, was held in dry, hot weather and although Cole chased Idafar hard, he was unable to take the honours this time, but with another second place finish, he kept ahead in the title battle.
Cole said of the Silverstone weekend, “Consistent strong finishes has been the key to maintaining the lead of the National Class. I’m having to fight tooth and nail in every race to stay at the top, but the pressure is keeping me on my toes and helping me to use my head and ensure I finish each race with the best result possible.
“Saturday’s weather added another dimension to the first race, but with the right strategy and a good call from my engineers on when to pit I was able to turn this to my advantage. Throughout this season it has been the excellent teamwork from my T-Sport crew which has helped me to be top of the league. Just two more rounds remain, but with only eight points between Idafar and myself, the title chase is as hard as ever.”
Cole returns to the track in two weeks time with the ninth round taking place at Snetterton race track in Norfolk.
