Samadi, who had qualified strongly in the #24 Shell Racing Solutions Dallara F304Renault, made hefty contact with the wall exiting the famed Oran Park dogleg during race one, removing the right-front corner suspension and front wing from the car.
In a race against time, the crew worked flat out between races to repair the car to return it to the circuit where Samadi posted an excellent performance to score second in class.
"I'm really happy I didn't think that the guys were going to be able to get it back on the track but they did and it was set up in a way that I could compete and in the end I got a great result, so I am really very pleased," he said.
"These cars are sensational. The difference between these and the GT cars I have been driving are chalk and cheese. There is a lot more for me to learn with the aerodynamics and how the cars behave but there is nothing like them for sheer driving pleasure. I'll be back, I had a great time!"
Ray Chamberlain had a tough weekend as he continued his initiation to F3 racing, but continued to score championship-class points in his #23 Dallara F304-Renault.
Team owner Sam Astuti said that the weekend was a fantastic result for many weeks of dedicated hard work.
"I can't believe it, but I do believe it!" he said. "I talked myself into the fact that our team could do it. We've been working day and night and, once I knew that James Winslow could come across and drive this round with us, I knew it was possible. The team, my guys, have been working around the clock.
"The car, honestly, is not yet 100 per cent. We've only had one test day, so there is a lot more to come. I'm just so happy with the way that the weekend has turned out. I knew it all along but many said that It wouldn't work and that I would fail so I'm happy to have proved them wrong!"
![James Winslow - Astuti Motorsport [Pic credit: RaceTorque/Klynsmith]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/433697.jpg)
