Winslow doubles up with Oz F3 campaign.

Reigning Asian F3 champion James Winslow is in for a busy year after confirming plans to contest the Kumho Tyres Australian F3 Championship alongside his proposed Japanese campaign.

The Briton, who came from behind to snatch the Asian title last season, will join Piccola Scuderia Corse, which returns to the Australian series after taking a year out in 2006. Winner of the 2001 Australian title with Peter Hackett, the team will run Winslow in a single-car Dallara-Mugen line-up, beginning with the A1GP support event at Eastern Creek on 2-4 February.

Piccola and Winslow are no strangers to each other, having paired up for the team's last F3 appearance, at the 2006 Australian Grand Prix support races, before the British driver headed off to contest the Asian championship, which he won driving for the ThreeBond Racing squad that now proposes to run him in the competitive All-Japan series.

Piccola Scuderia has not been idle since the Australian GP last year, and has maintained a busy schedule by preparing a number of Ferraris for the Australian GT Championship. Despite the lack of racing miles in the last year, the team remains one of the most successful in the F3 championship's history, having helped the careers of Hackett, Alan Gurr, Michael Caruso and Leanne Tander, who made her F3 debut with the team in early 2006.

"We are very pleased to have James signed up for the year," Piccola Scuderia's Rudolf Masi admitted, "The car is an ex-Mansell car from Fortec Racing, an F304 with a Neil Brown Mugen Honda engine, so it should be a good package. James will be living in Australia for the year and will also be helping us with driver training throughout the year as we expand the Piccola Scuderia business."

Winslow's Piccola Scuderia entry will be supported by Opes Prime Stock broking, Acer, Qantas, Bob Jane T-Marts Tempe, Flying Lizard and Industrie Clothing.