Ben Clucas, the dominant winner of the 2006 Australian Drivers Championship, is to return to the Kumho Tyres Australian F3 Championship for the next round of the series in Adelaide.
The Briton, who won eleven races from twelve starts en-route to his title, will rejoin Opes Prime Team BRM for the Clipsal 500 event as he lines up alongside countryman James Winslow, current points leader Nathan Caratti, Earl Bamber and National Class runner Lee Farrell.
Having seen a drive in British Formula 3 fall through last season, Clucas' last racing activity came in the Spanish GT Championship but he admitted he was looking forward to returning to single-seater action.
"I'm really looking forward to getting back in a single-seater," he said. "The Porsche was great fun but the thought of taking an F3 car around the Adelaide street circuit is just brilliant, and something I'm very excited about. It's great to be back with the team. Obviously we had a great season together in 2006 and I have a lot of good memories. It's nice to go back to a team where you are already friends with everyone – I'll be able to relax and enjoy the weekend.
"Having raced on the Adelaide streets in the past gives me a bit of an advantage because I know the track – but I don't think it's a big deal. At the end of the day it's a piece of tarmac with corners so I'm sure everyone will have learnt it by the end of the two practice sessions.
"As a driver it's always better to race against the most competitive field possible. Against better competition you learn more and improve yourself further when you are being pushed to find extra time. It will be great to have such a big grid and one of such depth of good drivers - There are a lot of good drivers out there who have been doing a fair few miles in a Formula 3 car recently – so I'm going to have to work hard to compete."
Opes Prime Team BRM Manager Mark Rundle said he was pleased to welcome the former champion back into the fold.
"Ben holds a special place in our teams' history thanks to his driving in winning our third Formula 3 championship, so naturally we're very pleased to welcome him back to the fold," he said. "After the performances at Eastern Creek we are feeling confident that the team now has the driving talent to have four cars capable of winning at any time. Lee is also looking very strong in the National Class so naturally there is a very confident air about the team at the moment.
