Leanne Tander returns to the scene of one her best ever drives this weekend as the fight for the 2008 Australian F3 Championship heads to Mallala Raceway this weekend for the latest round of the season.
Tander was involved in a first lap altercation with championship rival Tim Macrow in last years' first race at Mallala, which was held in challenging wet / dry conditions.
Despite suffering damage to her front wing and dropping to ninth position, the TanderSport driver cut a swathe through the competitive field to jump from ninth on lap five to second position twelve laps later.
It was one of her best ever drives and this weekend she returns to Mallala looking to build on a strong performance at Oran Park where she took her first race win of the 2008 season and leaped into fourth in the championship standings.
She has now scored 48 points after more than doubling her existing score at Oran Park and admitted she would look to 2007 for inspiration as she seeks to add to her winning tally.
"I was pretty happy with the drive," she reflected. "After the first lap altercation nothing was going to stop me. I just wanted to get as far forward as possible. The aim was to win – but second was a great result given the circumstances and overall it was pretty satisfying. I learnt a lot about the track that day, and a lot about racing there. I think that can help me this weekend.
"We tested very well at Mallala before the Clipsal 500, though the temperature then was 45 degrees so it will mean very different conditions this weekend. Overall we're pretty confident. I like the track – it's a great circuit to race on because of the many passing opportunities so if you get into situations like I did last year you have a good shot at coming back from them.
"I was pleased to get my first win of the year at Oran Park – especially after the tough start to the season we had – and I'm looking forward to both this round at Mallala and the next, at Phillip Island, where I have won before."
![Leanne Tander - TanderSport [pic credit: RaceTorque/Klynsmith]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/432647.jpg)
