Nazim Azman took his debut win on a brilliant weekend for Chris Dittmann Racing that saw their first ever one-two in the BRDC British F3 Championship.

The Malaysian driver kept his cool to secure maximum points under constant pressure from teammate Ayrton Simmons in the second race at Brands Hatch.

And Ayrton’s second-place finish ensured he left with an important points-haul that keeps him in the title race with just six races to go.

But it was the way the whole team pulled together that really stood out for Team Principal Chris Dittmann.

He said: “We were competitive in testing and the final practice but it just didn’t come together for us in qualifying this week and we were a little deflated.

“But the pleasing thing for me was that everyone dug deep after the first race and we really deserved to get our first one-two in Race Two for all the hard work we have put in, not only over the weekend, but the whole season.

“We were delighted to see Nazim get his first win in the Championship. He kept his concentration to take the victory under a lot of pressure from Ayrton, especially on the last lap.

“Another excellent podium for Ayrton keeps him third in the overall standings, so all in all, we leave Brands Hatch happy.”

Epping racer Ayrton was in sensational form at Spa last time out in July, with a double pole in qualifying before taking an impressive victory and a second-place finish. The weekend was more difficult for Nazim, who was looking for an improved performance this time round.

Qualifying and Race One

But while the team were competitive during testing and the final practice at Brands Hatch, qualifying didn’t go to plan, with Ayrton finishing in P11 and Nazim P13.

On a track with limited overtaking opportunities, the mood in the camp would not lighten after a difficult Race One that saw Ayrton finish in P11 and Nazim in P14.

Race Two

However, the team worked hard to put things right for the first race on Sunday. The reverse grid saw Nazim start in P3 and Ayrton in P6, with both enjoying good starts. Ayrton moved up a position immediately and both drivers managed to stay clear of a collision between the leaders soon after, with Ayrton using the incident to move up the inside of the driver in front of him and into second place behind Nazim.

The safety car was deployed to recover the two cars, with the race re-starting on lap 5 and Ayrton immediately began putting pressure on his teammate. The pair would be part of an entertaining battle for the remainder of the race, never more than four-tenths apart, with Ayrton looking for an opportunity to take the lead and Nazim ensuring his race stayed mistake-free.

But Nazim managed to hold on for the win by 0.344 seconds – despite admitting to thinking the race was finishing a lap before. It was not only the first one-two in the BRDC British F3 Championship for Chris Dittmann Racing, but the first one-two of any team this season.

Race Three

Ayrton started the final race in P8 and Nazim in P14, with the former making up two places early on. He battled hard to find a gap to overtake Kaylen Frederick in front of him for the remainder of the race, but could not find a way through. Nazim moved up two places to finish in P12.

The results saw Ayrton remain in third in the overall standings on 325 points, 41ponts off second place, with Nazim in P13.

Chris added: “It was a difficult weekend, but we were really pleased with the results in Race Two and how we bounced back.

“It has left Ayrton with a lot to do in the title race and we need some luck on our side, but we will knuckle down and take each race as it comes and see where it leaves us at the end of the season.”

ends