A plane load of Sandgropers are going to Macau next week to cheer on Daniel Ricciardo. I'll be there ! The worlds most talented junior single-seater drivers will once again come together to contest the end-of-season Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix, the FIA Formula 3 Intercontinental Cup. A grid of 30 of the finest F3 drivers on the planet will compete for the coveted title, hoping to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard, who all won the worlds most prestigious junior race before progressing into Formula One. No fewer than 19 of this years F1 drivers contested the Macau GP earlier in their careers, and the list of those hoping to continue that tradition makes for impressive reading in 2009. The champions of the worlds three leading F3 series will go head-to-head in Macau, with Japanese champion Marcus Ericsson (Toms), Euro Series champion Jules Bianchi (ART Grand Prix), and British champion Daniel Ricciardo (Carlin Motorsport) the favourites heading into the event. Both Frenchman Bianchi and Swede Ericsson have experience of the Guia following their debuts last season, while Ricciardo will drive the world famous street circuit for the first time this year. Japans Toms team will be on the hunt for their third successive Macau victory, having clinched the coveted title in 2007 with Oliver Jarvis, and last year with Japans Keisuke Kunimoto. Joining Ericsson at Toms this year is Japanese championship runner-up Takuto Iguchi. Keisukes younger brother, Yuji, will make his Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix debut with NOW Motor Sport, having had his first taste of the Guia Circuit in last years Formula BMW Pacific race, where he finished an impressive fifth. The younger Kunimoto placed third in the Japanese championship this year, ahead of Kei Cozzolino of Monaco, the sole entrant from Toda Racing at Macau. Runner up at Macau last year and GP2 debutant this season, Edoardo Mortara of Italy is back, and joins Belgian Laurens Vanthoor and Finn Mika Mäki at Signature. New Zealands Brendon Hartley finished third at Macau last year, and set the fastest F3 lap during the course of the week. He returns with Carlin Motorsport hoping for a strong end to what has been a challenging Euro Series season for the youngster who received his F1 Superlicence in April this year. Another two drivers returning for another shot at Macau Grand Prix glory will be hoping to avenge their heartbreak of last year. Dutchman Carlo van Dam and Briton Sam Bird were first and second quickest in qualifying in 2008, but van Dam crashed in the qualification race while Bird was taken out at the first corner of the main event. Van Dam is back this year with British team Hitech Racing, while Bird has joined champion Euro Series outfit ART Grand Prix. Other Euro Series regulars include ARTs Valtteri Bottas, winner of the Zandvoort F3 Masters earlier this year, Alexander Sims, who has joined City of Dreams/ Räikkönen Robertson from regular team Mücke Motorsport, and Manor Motorsports Roberto Merhi. Manor will also run British F3 regular Colombian Carlos Huertas, Carlin will field its regulars from Britain, Max Chilton and Henry Arundel, while Fortec Motorsport has Jake Rosenzweig of the USA joining regulars Spaniard Victor Garcia and Briton Daniel McKenzie. Closer to home, Macaus Michael Ho will be flying the flag for the SAR as it celebrates its tenth anniversary, with Kevin Chen of Chinese Taipei making his Macau debut with Champ Motorsport/Räikkönen Robertson. An impressive line-up indeed for the 27th running of this prestigious Blue Riband event, the only one of its kind in the world.
^^^^^ I think you cut'n'pasted some of that go Daniel !! this kid's good , be nice to see another Aussie in the big league
Here's a little bit of trivia for ya - when I got a pile of old paperwork from HK for my car, among the receipts was one for "shipping and accompanying mechanic" to Macau around this time of year! :O:
More News!!!!! Go Daniel!!!!! Aussie takes major F1 stepping stone By Robert Grant, AAP November 12, 2009, 4:57 am AAP © Young Australian Daniel Ricciardo has taken another key step on the path to becoming the country's next Formula One driver. The 20-year-old from Perth has topped a major test session in Spain for the series he will enter next year, Formula Renault 3.5. And Ricciardo will test one of Red Bull Racing's Formula One cars in Spain next month. Australia has a strong link to Red Bull with Mark Webber winning two grands prix in one of their cars this year. Ricciardo has dominated Formula One feeder categories, winning 21 open-wheeler races in Europe in the past two years. He has joined France's Tech 1 team for the 17-race series at famous European circuits, including one at the Monaco Grand Prix. Tech 1 has been the top Renault 3.5 team twice in its four years in the series. German sensation Sebastian Vettel, second in this year's F1 world championship and Mark Webber's Red Bull Racing teammate, graduated through Renault 3.5. Another star of the series was Poland's Robert Kubica, winner of last year's Canadian GP. The West Australian beat the 24 drivers, who took part in two days of Renault 3.5 testing in Barcelona ahead of next season, lapping 0.6 seconds faster than second fastest man, Spaniard Albert Costa. Greg Mansell, son of 1992 F1 world champion Nigel Mansell, was seventh quickest and New Zealander Brendon Hartley, who will be Ricciardo's Tech 1 teammate, was 13th and almost 1.5 seconds slower than the Australian. Ricciardo said he could have gone quicker but the testing was cut short as several drivers spun. The cars are Italian-made Dallaras with F1-standard safety features and fitted with 3.5-litre, 24-valve Renault engines running on either SP98 petrol or E85 bioethanol like Australia's V8 Supercars. Ricciardo was a runaway winner in this year's British F3 Championship, scoring seven victories with Carlin Motorsport. Last year he won 14 races in the junior Formula Renault, taking that category's West European Championship and finishing a narrow runner-up in its Eurocup. He is one of eight youngsters in Red Bull's development squad grooming future F1 drivers. Ricciardo will complete his F3 career in two weeks at the Macau GP, hoping to emulate his hero Ayrton Senna's victory there in 1983. Ricciardo lives at Milton Keynes, north of London and on the doorstep of Red Bull Racing's headquarters, and is reported to be close to being given an F1 trial. He has been instructed by Red Bull to remain at Milton Keynes and commute to the Renault 3.5 races.
Macua has a great Kart circuit. Can't wait till my boys start racing. Looking forward to hopefully taking them over there one year to compete. It's a huge box to tick to have a result at that track.
Is there room for the lads' flappers and Speedy's love, pedestal and all, to co-exist in one thread? Maybe we'll pick one appropriate choice from Speedy's threads and shift Hayden there when she pops up in other threads.
Daniel was on Speedweek this week, some hot blonde chick was interviewing him and some other random. He said he was still looking at options for next year.
Who cares? But they stuck about 9 Porkers in the fence in the GT race. Daniel was bumped into the barrier early in the first lap, broke a suspension link, flat tyre, snapped left under brakes at the next corner - 6 cars involved - not pretty but all OK.
