Chris Dittmann Racing managed another solid points haul on a weekend [24-25 October] of ups and downs in the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship at Donington Park.
The Tewkesbury-based team arrived at the 1.97-mile Leicestershire circuit keen to build on a return to the podium for Josh Skelton last time out at Snetterton, and with the team’s line-up bolstered by the addition of Max Marzorati for the final two events of 2020.
Another ultra-competitive qualifying session showcased the level of competition in the UK’s premier motorsport category; despite being just 0.3 seconds off pole position, Skelton was 10th, with Marzorati – learning rapidly after two positive days of pre-event testing, 16th.
Marzorati led the team’s charge in the opening race after an unlucky clash at the Old Hairpin on lap one for Skelton, rising through the order on wet tyres to claim a career-best result of eighth at the flag.
Their roles reversed for the second race, with Skelton making solid progress on a drying track to come through from 12th and keep his bid for a top-six finish in the championship on course with 6th, with Marzorati 15th.
Skelton’s achievement was even more impressive, when considered the team only had 90 minutes to repair extensive damage between the two races.
The pair combined for another points-scoring double in the final race, with Skelton 10th and Marzorati 14th – all three of the British rising star’s results in the East Midlands would have been good enough for career-best results, showcasing his development in such a short space of time.
The BRDC British Formula 3 Championship concludes at Silverstone – the ‘Home of British Motorsport – on the GP circuit layout on 07-08 November, 2020.
Chris Dittmann, Team Principal said:
“All things considered, it’s been a positive weekend for the team in British F3 at Donington Park.
“Josh was unlucky not to be higher on the grid, and more so to get caught up in an incident in the opening race, but battled back well to score good points and keep his top-six finish in the standings on track.
“Everybody has been impressed with how Max performed – he’s applied himself brilliantly to the task at hand, and to come away from his first weekend with the team boasting two results good enough for career-bests is a just reward.
“We’re looking forward to seeing how they both build on this at Silverstone – thanks to the team for their efforts, as always.”
Josh Skelton (#43) said:
“A weekend of ups and downs for me, testing went pretty well but it was always going to be difficult heading into qualifying with how close everyone was.
“I managed P10 in qualifying, just 0.3 seconds off pole. Race 1 we had a DNF, Race 2 was a great recovery drive from the back to 6th and we had and issue in Race 3 meaning I started from pit lane ended the race P10 and 2nd quickest on track so the speed was there.
“Onwards to the season finale at Silverstone – it should be fun. Big thanks to the team as always!”
Max Marzorati (#81) said:
“I really didn’t know what to expect coming into this weekend; going into a team with CDR’s resources and experience was always going to be a different challenge, especially in seeing what would translate across from my previous British F3 outings.
“It was very different – I had to learn and adapt, but the team have been amazing in helping, coaching and teaching me throughout the weekend – our progress from the first session on Thursday to the final race on Sunday was very noticeable, especially in how quickly we were reaching optimal lap times in each session.
“Having Josh as a team mate has been great, he’s a good benchmark for me, and helpful to have when working through the data, it makes it easier to see where the difference is being made.
“The car has been brilliant, and I’m just really grateful for the opportunity CDR have given me – hopefully we can show that belief from their side has been justified. I can’t wait for Silverstone!”
