2008 Australian Drivers' Championship
The 2008 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title which was contested concurrently with the 2008 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship. The championship winner was awarded the 2008 CAMS Gold Star. The 2008 championship was the 52nd Australian Drivers' Championship and the fourth to be contested with open wheel racing cars constructed in accordance with FIA Formula 3 regulations. The season began on 3 February 2008 at Eastern Creek Raceway and finished on 21 September at Symmons Plains Raceway after eight rounds across four different states with two races per round.
The series was won by a British driver for the second time in three years, with James Winslow victorious after a season long battle with Leanne Tander, who was runner up by only a few points for the second year in a row. Chris Gilmour won the National Class from Irish driver Lee Farrell, while Andrew Mill clinched the Trophy Class with a round in hand.
Class structure
Drivers competed in three classes:
- Championship Class – restricted to cars constructed in accordance with the FIA Formula 3 regulations that applied between 1 January 1999 and 31 December 2007
- National Class – restricted to cars constructed in accordance with the FIA Formula 3 regulations that applied between 1 January 1999 and 31 December 2004
- Trophy Class – restricted to cars constructed in accordance with the FIA Formula 3 regulations that applied between 1 January 1995 and 31 December 2001 [1]
Points system
Championship points were awarded on a 20-15-12-10-8-6-4-3-2-1 basis to the top ten classified finishers in the Championship Class in each race. An additional point was awarded to the driver gaining the Championship Class pole position for each race and a further additional point was awarded to the driver setting the fastest lap in the Championship class in each race. To secure the "fastest lap" point the driver must have been declared finisher for that race.[1]
The same point-score system was also used for both the National Class and the Trophy Class.[1]
Teams and drivers
The following teams and drivers competed during the 2008 Australian Formula 3 season. The listing relates to both the 2008 Australian Drivers' Championship and to the non-championship Indy F3 Challenge races.
'* - John Martin, Zahir Ali, Carlos Huertas & Jonathan Grant contested the non-championship Indy F3 Challenge races but did not contest rounds of the 2008 Australian Drivers' Championship.
Race Calendar
Results and standings
Drivers championship
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Note: Race 2 of Round 1 was abandoned due to torrential rain and no points were awarded.[12]
Indy F3 Challenge
The Indy F3 Challenge was a three race support event for Australian Formula 3 cars at the 2008 Nikon Indy 300 meeting at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit. It was not a round of the 2008 Australian Drivers’ Championship.
| Pos. | Driver | Qualifying | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  John Martin
|
1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 59 |
| 2 |  James Winslow
|
2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 50 |
| 3 | Leanne Tander
|
5 | 4 | 3 | Ret | 22 |
| 4 |  Chris Alajajian
|
3 | 3 | 4 | Ret | 22 |
| 5 | Mat Sofi
|
6 | Ret | 7 | 3 | 16 |
| 6 | Chris Gilmour
|
8 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 16 |
| 7 | Nathan Caratti
|
4 | 5 | 5 | Ret | 16 |
| 8 | Jesse Wakeman
|
11 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 10 |
| 9 |  Zahir Ali
|
9 | 7 | 6 | Ret | 10 |
| 10 | Steve Morcombe
|
13 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 6 |
| 11 |  Carlos Huertas
|
7 | 6 | Ret | Ret | 6 |
| 12 | Jonathan Grant
|
12 | Ret | 12 | 7 | 4 |
| 13 |  Ben Crighton
|
10 | 9 | 9 | Ret | 4 |
| 14 | Jon Mills
|
15 | Ret | Ret | 8 | 3 |
| 15 | Kevin Miller
|
14 | Ret | 13 | Ret | 0 |
See also
References
- ^ a b c 2008 Australian Formula 3 Championship Sporting Regs Retrieved from webarchive.org on 9 May 2011
- ^ Results, Round 3 2008, Oran Park Retrieved on 9 May 2011
- ^ "Eastern Creek International Raceway 03/02/2008 2008 A1 GP". National Software. 3 February 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
- ^ "Adelaide Parklands Circuit 24/02/2008 2008 Clipsal 500 Adelaide". National Software. 24 February 2008. Archived from the original on 22 March 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2008.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Oran Park Raceway - South and Grand Prix 27/04/2008 Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championship Round 2". National Software. 27 April 2008. Archived from the original on 1 May 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2008.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Mallala Motorsport Park 18/05/2008 Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships - Round 3". National Software. 18 May 2008. Archived from the original on 18 June 2008. Retrieved 18 May 2008.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit 15/06/2008 Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships 2008 - Round 4". National Software. 15 June 2008. Archived from the original on 18 June 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Eastern Creek International Raceway 13/07/2008 Shannons National Motor Racing Championship - Rnd 5". National Software. 13 July 2008. Archived from the original on 18 June 2008. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit 10/08/2008 Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships 2008 - Round 6". National Software. 10 August 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2008.
- ^ "Symmons Plains International Raceway 19/09/2008 Shannons Nationals Round 8 Symmons Plains Tasmania". National Software. 22 September 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2008.
- ^ "Surfers Paradise Street Circuit 26/10/2008 Nikon Indy 300 - 2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series -Rd 11". National Software. 26 November 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
- ^ Opes Prime Team BRM Dominates F3 season opener Retrieved on 9 May 2011
External links
- Official Australian Formula 3 website
- Results - 2008 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship for the CAMS Gold Star at replay.web.archive.org
- 2008 Race result archive at www.natsoft.com.au
- Image of James Winslow (Team BRM Dallara F307) contesting the Symmons Plains round of the championship
