Wednesday July 25, 2012
Jazeman eyes podium finish at Belgium race
By LIM TEIK HUAT
PETALING JAYA: It has been three weeks since Jazeman Jaafar was out on track racing and the young Malaysian is keen to get back behind the wheel for the seventh round of the British Formula 3 International Series at Spa Francorchamps this weekend.
Belgium is the next stop for the 19-year-old Carlin driver, with the challenge of the historic Spa Francorchamps circuit ahead of him.
Spa is a track which Jaafar has visited a number of times, having first raced there in the Formula BMW.
A podium finish in last year’s British F3 weekend at the track has given him fond memories and he is hoping for a repeat this weekend.
“It’s a great track. I’ve always had good results there, despite it being one of the more challenging circuits on the schedule,” said Jazeman, who is currently second in the championship standings.
“We’re sharing this year’s event with the Formula 3 Euro Series, so there will be a grid of 29 cars, which is the biggest of the season and will make practice and qualifying very busy sessions. Key to a good qualifying will be finding a clear bit of track to put in the hot laps needed to be up front and I’ll certainly be focusing on getting in the first few rows for the first and third races.”
He added that the biggest challenge at Spa is the weather.
“It is always difficult to predict ... different parts of the track can have different weather. So, having the right tyres at the right time is another factor which we’ll need to include in our strategy.
“A race retirement and a couple of seventh-placed finishes dropped me from the lead and this shows just how close the fight is for the championship. It also highlights the need for consistent strong points finishes and that will be my focus in Spa.”
The race weekend starts tomorrow with free practice sessions and qualifying. The first two races take place on Friday, with the final race of the weekend on Saturday morning.
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