Michael Devaney has consolidated his eighth place in the British Formula 3 standings after scoring ninth and fifth place finish at the latest
Thruxton round.
Fresh from their double victory at
Snetterton, Ultimate Motorsport were hoping another high-speed circuit would deliver similar results, but tyre problems in qualifying left Devaney down in eighth and tenth for the two races.
Although further rubber woes prevented Devaney from making any progress in the first race, a change for the second event saw him run as high as fourth before being forced to settle for an eventual fifth.
Despite the frustrations, Devaney has at least stayed in touch with the drivers in front of him as the series heads east for the next round at
Brands Hatch.
"It's been a frustrating time. The difference between the two sets of tyres was unbelievable and it's a pain that an inconsistent set of tyres can make such a big difference to the car's performance. Once it was back to normal with the second set on, things were much better. I had a good fight for fourth but just couldn't get the place back after the safety car.
“The weekend could have been a lot better, but there are still positives to take. Our potential pace was very good again. Things look good for the next race, too. We went well at Brands Hatch last year and the car is a lot better now so there's no reason why we shouldn't be back on the podium there."
Meanwhile, team-mates Alistair Jackson and Ricardo Teixeira endured a weekend to forget, with neither driver able to challenge for a spot inside the top ten. Nonetheless, team owner Barry Walsh is confident Jackson, who replaced World Series bound Esteban Guerrieri three rounds ago, has the potential to challenge higher up the grid.
"Considering the inconsistency we had with the tyres, Michael did a good job to keep himself in contention for the championship. It was a trying weekend for us: with no testing on Friday it was difficult because the Mygale is a sensitive car to changes. But the pace was always there, which is encouraging.
