Chris Dittmann Racing expands to a three car line-up for the final round of the 2021 GB3 Championship at Donington Park this weekend (16-17 October).
The Tewkesbury-based team welcomes Alex Fores back to the squad for the first time since the season opener at Brands Hatch in May, with the 2020 F3 Cup runner-up joining Ayrton Simmons and Branden Oxley in the line-up.
CDR heads to Donington for the second time this year, with an outside chance of taking the championship title with Ayrton Simmons. Oxley will aim for maiden podium on his fourth weekend of UK motorsport, while Fores returns to action at a circuit he knows well after appearances in F3 Cup and British F3 last year.
Simmons heads into the event fresh from making his FIA Formula 3 debut in Sochi, and returns to GB3 action in prime form. The 20-year-old is the highest scoring driver across the last two events, following a double win at Silverstone and more front-running performances at Oulton Park. He could win the title at Donington Park, should he win every race in the East Midlands, and championship leader Zak O’Sullivan fails to score.
Oxley meanwhile has also enjoyed plenty of seat-time since the last round of GB3 on 11-12 September. The Spanish-based Anglo-Thai driver has taken part in two rounds of the Spanish F4 Championship, scoring a season’s best result at Valencia. Buoyed by that and a string of extremely impressive results since making his GB3 debut at Snetterton in August, he’s aiming to make an impression at Donington.
Fores returns to the team with which he has a long association. The British driver was runner-up in the F3 Cup Championship last season, while also competing in two BRDC British F3 events. He took part in the first three races of this year’s campaign (when the series was still known as British F3) and was a firm top-10 contender, and returns to action at Donington with a point to prove.
The trio will all be working to secure strong results for CDR, as the teams’ championship fight also concludes at Donington.
Team Principal Chris Dittmann said: “It’s been a long time since we were last in GB3 action at Oulton Park, so after a gap of over four weeks we’re refreshed and ready to go. It’s brilliant to be back up to a full three car line-up and I’m so pleased to have Alex back in the team. He’s determined to right a few wrongs from Brands Hatch, and we know he can be in the mix this weekend.
“We head to the event with a mathematical chance of taking the drivers’ championship with Ayrton, and even though it would take an extraordinary set of circumstances for that to happen, as long as it’s possible, we’ve got to go for it. I’m really proud of how the team and Ayrton have regrouped after a difficult couple of rounds at the start of the season; we’ve top-scored in the last two rounds and a repeat performance this time around would secure us at least second place in the standings.
“With Branden, the target is to end the season in the best possible way. We’re very keen to continue working with him into 2022 when the new car is introduced by the championship, and I think it’s fair to say his performances so far have been brilliant considering his lack of experience. A podium this weekend is certainly a possibility, and would be very well deserved.”
Ayrton Simmons said: “It’s already the last race of the season, and Donington was one of the tracks that we wanted to show the improvements that we’ve made over the season. I’m really looking forward to it, obviously we’ve had a bit of a gap between races. We’re second in the standings and we know that first is quite a while away but never say never! We’ll be trying to score as many points as possible and to keep focused on what we’re doing. It all depends on what happens around us, but I’m looking forward to showing how much we’ve improved this year and compared to the last time we raced there. I’m absolutely buzzing for it!”
Branden Oxley said: “I can’t wait for the race weekend at Donington to begin! It’s the last race of the season unfortunately but I definitely will enjoy every moment of it throughout the weekend. Although I’ve never been to Donington before, I’ve been getting knowledge of the track with the simulator work we’ve been doing, so the goal is to transfer all that on track. I’m sure with the support and knowledge that the team provides me, we can deliver a strong showing. Teamwork does make the dream work!”
Alex Fores said: “It’s fantastic that we’ve managed to get everything in place to be back out in GB3 for the last round. The aim is to end the year on a high and see what we can do over the weekend, which will probably see many condition changes being mid October! I’m enjoying the feeling of the build up to a race weekend again, and can’t wait to get rolling in the opening session.”
