Asaro wins season finale for Sweeney Racing.

Canada's Billy Asaro rounded off this season's British F3 Championship as he started it, spraying the champagne celebrating a Scholarship Class victory.

Asaro, so often the victim of sheer bad luck this year, captured his third win of the year and Sweeney Racing's 21st victory of 2002 at Donington in Round 26.

The season finale was a mixture of highs and lows for the Sweeney Racing squad with Asaro's win the high and Scholarship Class Champion Adam Carroll's lap 1 exit the low. Pole man Robert Dahlgren was on course for his fourth win in a row until lap 16 when he lost position and the lead.

As the lights went green at the start of the last race of the year, Adam Carroll and Robert Dahlgren flew off the line hoping to lead the class into the first corner. Carroll triumphed only for his race to end abruptly a couple of corners later at the Craner Curves as contact from Championship Class driver Shinya Hosakawa put the Ulster driver in the tyre wall. It was a sad end to a year in which Carroll has dominated the Scholarship Class and earmarked himself to be a favourite for overall honours in 2003.

Carroll's exit allowed Dahlgren to lead the race from team-mate Asaro. A safety car period on lap 4 gave the racers a breather following the frantic opening laps and when the race resumed at the end of lap 8 the Sweeney duo fought to maintain their 1-2 track position. Asaro dropped one place to 13th overall as Ronnie Bremer passed with three cars separating him from Dahlgren up ahead. By lap 14 Dahlgren and Asaro found themselves caught up in a train of cars stretching from 6th place to 14th.

Lap 16 was to prove decisive to the outcome of the race as Dahlgren lost his lead due to a push forcing him wide from Michael Keohane entering the final turn. Billy Asaro emerged in the Scholarship Class lead and 11th overall with Dahlgren back three spots on track and third in class. Dahlgren's misfortune continued as he ran wide exiting the last corner at the end of lap 18 attempting to pass Keohane again and he dropped back to 17th overall and fifth in class. Asaro meanwhile was untroubled at the front and duly claimed his third win for Sweeney Racing, taking the 'rookie' team to a remarkable total of 21 wins from 26 races.

Asaro helped the squad to a debut win back in March at Brands Hatch and it was a fitting end to the season that he should celebrate the season on a similar high.

Adam Carroll looked on the bright side. "Well my warm-up lap was brilliant!," he said. "I didn't make the best of starts but to be honest I think that saved me from some of the pushing and shoving at the first corner. I was behind Shinya but got by into the Craner Curves only for him to pitch me off midway through. It wasn't my fault which is frustrating and I know I could have ended the season with a win!"

Billy Asaro was happy to lead the way in his class. "My car was fast today as I noted the wing configurations on some of the Championship Class cars yesterday and opted for that today. I saw both incidents with Adam and then Robert and I was in the right place to capitalise. It's great to win again, I'm pleased for the team that we've finished the season in style."

Robert Dahlgren didn't have the best of days. "I'm disappointed with Michael Keohane as he's racing in a different class but he got involved and the end result lost me the race. When he hit me at the last corner I spun 180 degrees and flew for a while, it would have looked great as a snowboarding move but unfortunately this was a motor race. I tried to pass him again near the end but ran wide and out of a podium position. The car felt great and it would have been nice to make it two wins from two this weekend."