Courtney says Macau-style Formula 3 can rev up SuperGP   
| Story By: James Courtney Media Release  Date: 4/11/2009 at 5:50:10 PM |

Former Macau Grand Prix race winner James Courtney believes a similar-style Formula 3 event is the best way to fill the international open-wheeler void and join V8 Supercars at the Gold Coast's SuperGP.

The Jim Beam Racing V8 Supercar driver won a Formula 3 race at Macau in 2003, beating an invitation-only field which also included future Formula One stars Lewis Hamilton, Robert Kubica, Nico Rosberg, and Nelson Piquet Jnr.

"Macau brings together the best young drivers from national Formula 3 championships around the world, and I'm sure it would work just as well on the Gold Coast to replace the Indy Cars," said Courtney, who this weekend races in the V8 Supercar Championship at Phillip Island.

The list of past Macau Formula 3 winners includes Formula One legends Ayrton Senna (1983) and Michael Schumacher (1990).

"I raced Formula 3 overseas for three years and these cars put on a good show," said Courtney. "They are fun to drive and very quick through corners because they are light and purpose-built for racing."

"A Formula 3 double-header involving Macau and Surfers (Paradise) could be something to consider because the two events are only a few weeks apart - it's being talked about so we will see what happens."

The 56th Macau Grand Prix will be held from November 19-22, and features Formula 3 races, and a round of the World Touring Car Championship.

"If we ran something similar in Surfers, with Formula 3 and V8 Supercars on the same bill, it would bring back international racing to help tourism, and also provide fans with the traditional Ford-Holden battles," said the 29-year-old Gold Coast-based driver.

The international open-wheel category at the Gold Coast event from the inaugural race in 1991 until 2008 was a mix of Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), then Champ Cars, and the Indy Car Series.

This year the A1 Grand Prix category was scheduled to replace the Indy Car Series, but withdrew a week before the October 22-25 event, and crowd numbers reportedly dropped from 297,000 in 2008 to 205,000.

Formula 3 cars are powered by two-litre, four-cylinder engines which develop approximately 210-horsepower. The weight limit in the British championship is 550kg, which includes the driver.

Courtney competed at Macau in 2003 after winning the Japanese Formula 3 Championship for the factory Tom's Toyota team. After winning the first race, he led the second race until being forced out by a puncture. He clocked the fastest lap in both races.

Courtney also raced at Macau in 2002 for Carlin Motorsport after finishing runner-up in the second of two successive seasons in the British Formula 3 Championship.

"Macau is regarded as an important stepping stone for young drivers, and many who raced there have gone on to Formula One," he said.

"The potential is there to develop the SuperGP the same way. I think Formula 3 teams could be keen to come to the Gold Coast because it's a big event, regardless of what happened this year."

"The wheelbase of Formula 3 cars (2000mm) is narrower than Indy Cars so it would be easier for them to make a pass on the Gold Coast street circuit."

"Surfers is a 'concrete canyon', but those guys (Formula 3 drivers) aren't going to be scared because there are plenty of walls at Macau - that place is like Bathurst on steroids!"

This year's Macau GP field includes Australia's Daniel Ricciardo, the newly-crowned British Formula 3 champion.
"Several Australians have raced Formula 3 at Macau over the years, so if these cars come to Surfers it helps to have a 'local' driver on the grid, as we saw with Ryan Briscoe and Will Power with the Indy Cars," said Courtney.

Courtney's next racing assignment is the 12th event of the V8 Supercar Championship at Phillip Island on November 7-8. He is ninth in the series, with a race win and four other top-three podium finishes his best results this year.

"I can't win the championship, but I can still win some races," said Courtney. "Phillip Island has some fast and flowing corners, plus a couple of tight sections, and the layout rewards aggressive driving."

Image: James Courtney racing at Macau in 2003. Photo Supplied.


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