by Russell Atkins
Ben Clucas is aiming to really make his mark on his return to British competition this year – hot on the heels of a sensational campaign in Australian F3, during which he set a new championship record by triumphing in an astonishing 11 out of the 12 races he contested.
The former
McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year finalist and Toyota
F1 Driver Academy member has signed up to race in British F3 in 2007 with all-new outfit Ultimate Motorsport. Having thoroughly dominated proceedings Down Under, the 23-year-old is arriving back in his homeland on the crest of a wave, but equally aware he will likely be in for a far tougher challenge than he was used to last year.
“I've really wanted to do British F3 for probably the past three or four seasons,” the Surrey ace told
Crash.net at the series'
Silverstone media launch, “but have never been able to come up with the right deal to be in the paddock, so to finally get a chance at it is great.
“I think the Australian F3 Championship is competitive, but it's fair to say it's not as competitive as British F3. I think the British and the Euroseries are really the most competitive F3 championships in the world, so if you can get good results here I think it will open doors for you in Europe and the rest of the world as well.”
Ultimate is heading into the campaign having been formed only a matter of months ago, but for such a new team it has grown quickly and has a wealth of experience in its workforce. It will also be running on Mygale chassis', bucking the Dallara trend that has by-and-large ruled the F3 roost in recent years. Clucas is confident it will not take the squad long to get on the pace.
