Chris Dittmann Racing travelled to Donington Park at the weekend (October 21/22), for the final round of the GB3 championship 2023 season, where a run of bad luck meant results were unrepresentative of the team’s potential.

After Thursday’s testing, rain plagued the Leicestershire venue on Friday, causing free practice to be called off and meaning Arthur Rogeon would go straight into qualifying on Saturday morning.

The French youngster performed well, running third quickest midway through the 20-minute session, and at the end, he was just 0.6s from pole but finished up 13th, with hundredths and thousandths of a second separating the field.

Arthur moved up one position on the first lap of the opening race, before the Safety Car was called, neutralising the field. When racing resumed, the teenager fell back one place again, crossing the line 13th where he started.

Lining up ninth for race two, it was a rocket start for Arthur who was on the charge quickly. Unfortunately for the young racer, he was caught up in contact towards the end of the opening tour, pitting for damage and ending his race there.

After an initial quick start to the final race of the season, he was up four positions, before having to take evading action through the gravel at the chicane, losing places. After two further Safety Cars added to the weekend tally, he crossed the line 14th.

Despite the challenges faced in the season finale, Arthur and the team leave pleased with the huge improvements the young racer has made during his debut year in single seaters, with a number of podium finishes a testament to Chris Dittmann Racing’s commitment to driver development.

Arthur Rogeon

G1 – 13, R1 – 13
G2 – 9, R2 – DNF
G3 –10, R3 – 14

Championship: 21 (123 points)

“I know I could have done better in qualifying, but it was difficult to piece all of the sectors together and so I lost a bit of time. All of the cars were super close, so I finished 13th.

“In race one, I crossed the line where I started. We were just going in a train and it wasn’t easy to make any progress, especially after the Safety Car.

“I made a really good start in race two, making up a few positions. Just before the first hairpin, I tried to make a move up the inside of another car, and with the track not completely dry, touched some water and made contact. Unfortunately that meant my race was finished there.

“I was struggling a little bit for pace in the final race. We were going three wide through the Foggarty Esses and the car on the inside of me braked late so I had to go off through the gravel which slowed me down.

“Overall, across the season I have made a lot of improvement, especially considering it has been my first season in single seaters. It was a huge step to come straight from Karting into GB3, so it has been positive and we have enjoyed some good results.”