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Points finish in final 2005 British Formula 3 Race
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08 October 2005
Tim Bridgman's (Dunmow, Essex) inaugural season in the British Formula 3 International Series has come to a close with a strong performance at the Silverstone International circuit on Sunday.
The Hitech Racing driver put in a great showing in both races, gaining seven positions in each outing and clinching a top-ten place in the final double-header of 2005. Unfortunately for Bridgman though, he was forced to retire in the final lap of the first race.
In Saturday's qualifying, Bridgman, who had not raced in F3 for since his pair of points finishes in Nürbürgring more than a month ago, worked to reacquaint himself with the car and find his form around the punchy 2.2 mile circuit. Despite two lowly qualifying positions, Bridgman used his strong racing skills to move into points contention. "It was a disappointing qualifying for the end of the seaon, but fortunately I was able to make up the places in the races," said the 20-year-old.
In the opening race Bridgman was running in ninth, up from 16th, but, as the drivers backed up under the safety car into Luffield, he clipped the car in front of him and retired on the final lap of the race. "It was a shame to have exited on the verge of finishing in the points. After that it was a matter of refocusing and getting on with the next race," he commented.
In the last race, Bridgman again displayed his competitive abilities by racing into the points from 17th on the grid into 10th. “It was a good race; we started from 17th and moved up into 10th. My race pace was good and it’s a satisfying way to sign off,” he said.
His team manager Bruce Jenkins concurred. "Tim raced exceptionally well; he was the only driver to overtake – something he did exceptionally well in both races. He had the same pace as the leading pack and he couldn't have done more. It's a nice way to finish the year and I'm really happy with his performance."
Last year's Formula BMW champion said he had learnt a lot from his year in the competitive F3 series. "It's been a challenging year and a steep learning curve, but I've taken a lot away from it. There’s been times when things haven’t gone our way and I’ve enjoyed it less, and then times when things have gone well and I have enjoyed it a lot more, ” said the driver who had only entered (and won) two single-seater championships prior to this year. “But I think Formula 3 is an important series to do as a driver. Whether you actually learn any more by having a ‘successful’ season I don’t know. While ‘success’ looks good on paper, in any championship if you are applying yourself doing all the testing and the work I think you are learning the same amount, if not more. It’s character building when you are having a hard time and you tend to learn a great deal.”
Bridgman expressed his heart-felt thanks to his supporters: "I would like to thank Clowes Insurance, Laser Motor Company, Peter Charlton at CF Capital and Alpinestars, as well as the Hitech Racing team, my parents and management," he said, adding he felt fortunate to have been given the opportunity to have had the experienced of competing in the British Formula 3 International Series in 2005.
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