Spa-Francorchamps, 20th July 2013 - After his strong performance in the latest FIA Formula 3 European Championship round at the Norisring, Indonesian Sean Gelael heads to the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium where he will bid to improve on his fifth position in the British Formula 3 International Series over the 25th-27th July race weekend.
Sixteen-year-old Sean scored two fantastic third positions in the opening British F3 round at Silverstone, and lies just two points away from second place in the championship as he looks forward to Spa.
Spa is rated as one of the most awe-inspiring challenges in the racing world. First laid out around public roads in Belgium’s Ardennes hills in the 1920s, it has created many myths and legends of motorsport and is still the host venue for the Belgian Grand Prix.
The British F3 round supports the Spa 24 Hours, one of the world’s top races for GT supercars. That means a host of fans from around Europe will arrive to watch some of the world’s top professional drivers fighting it out at the wheel of desirable Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren, BMW, Audi, Lamborghini, Mercedes, Aston Martin and Nissan racecars.
They will also get to see the stars of tomorrow from F3 battling it out. Despite the fact that Gelael’s Double R Racing Dallara-Mercedes racer has 300bhp less than the thundering GT cars, Sean and his rivals use their lightweight chassis and intense cornering speeds to lap several seconds per lap faster than the main event!
And Spa is also a vital track for the youngsters to learn, as it is a circuit that is included on the race calendars of nearly all the major international championships.
Sean’s manager Piers Hunnisett, who was one of Great Britain’s most promising up-and-coming talents of the early 1990s, says: “For any driver, for their future they have to do as many miles as possible at Spa in a junior formula like F3. And after they have driven there, they always rate it as one of the best circuits they have ever been on!
“It is a real challenge. It has a very long lap of seven kilometres, so you have to put everything together for a quick time. And the first time you arrive at Eau Rouge it is incredible – this is a flat-out downhill left-hander followed by a right-hander and another left that suddenly climb into the sky. You have to commit without even seeing the exit, and any mistake can mean a big accident.”
Spa has been revamped many times over the years to bring it up to modern safety standards, but still remains far removed from many of the new circuits on the international racing calendar.
“It is a traditional circuit,” says Hunnisett. “It is fast and flowing rather than stop-and-go with many chicanes. If you do a quick lap there you feel really satisfied. You always think: ‘Wow, that was a lap!’”
Once again, it is Gelael’s first time on a circuit, so any good results will be well deserved. Two races will be battled out on the Friday (26th July) before the final race on Saturday (27th July). (ms/arl)
