Sunday, 31st August 2008

Signature-Plus star Franck Mailleux storms to his first victory of the 2008 F3 Euroseries campaign in the second outing at Brands Hatch - but it is Nico Hülkenberg who leaves the UK with a handy championship lead.

Franck Mailleux proved unstoppable on his way to his maiden F3 Euroseries triumph of the 2008 campaign in race two at Brands Hatch, but it was Nico Hülkenberg who left the Kent circuit having opened up a 13-point comfortable championship lead as the season races towards its conclusion.

With the race shortened to 48 laps and overtaking famously at a premium around the short Brands Hatch Indy Circuit, there was drama at the start when Sam Bird narrowly averted disaster by just managing to jink around a stalled Christian Vietoris, whilst up at the front Mailleux got the jump on countryman and pole-sitting Signature-Plus team-mate Jean-Karl Vernay to lead the field into Paddock Hill Bend.

Mailleux had already pulled out an advantage of a second by the time the opening lap was out, with Renger van der Zande third ahead of erstwhile championship leader Edoardo Mortara, Yann Clairay and Nico Hülkenberg, who had an eventful opening lap.

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Further back, meanwhile, there were cars running four-abreast along the Cooper Straight, and the luckless Stefano Coletti was the biggest loser, being spun onto the grass and down to plum last, with Richard Philippe likewise going for a spin at Druids shortly afterwards.

There was better news, though, for home favourite Jon Lancaster, who had gained two spots to seventh place by the end of lap two, whilst a handful of tours later Mailleux had eked his lead out to 1.7 seconds, as the Frenchman looked to stamp his authority on proceedings.

Further back, Niall Breen found a way past Martin Plowman for 19th place all the way around the outside, with the RC Motorsport ace's subsequent lap of momentum allowing Jules Bianchi and Kazuya Oshima to sneak by into the bargain.

Vietoris would receive a black flag for having started his engine whilst being pushed off the starting grid by the marshals, as the gap at the front of the pack remained static at 1.7 seconds a third of the way through.

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