Team West-Tec

Last updated

Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Team West-Tec
Founded1988 [1]
Founder(s)Gavin Wills
Base Corby, Northamptonshire, England
Team principal(s)Gavin Wills
John Miller
Former series Euroformula Open
British Formula 3
FIA Formula 3 European Championship
British LMP3 Cup
ASCAR Racing Series
Teams'
Championships
2011 European F3 Open
Drivers'
Championships
ASCAR Racing Series 2005 (Vergers)
ASCAR Racing Series 2006 (Playle)
2009 European F3 Open Copa Class (MacLeod)
2011 European F3 Open Copa Class (Gamberini)
2013 European F3 Open (Jones)
Website http://www.teamwest-tec.com/

Team West-Tec F3 is a motor racing team owned by Gavin Wills and John Miller based in Corby in the United Kingdom, the most successful team in the history of the European F3 Open Championship, it also won two drivers championships in the ASCAR Racing Series.

Contents

History

Team West-Tec car of Oli Playle competing at Rockingham in 2004. Oli Playle 88 Liberty X Pontiac Rockingham 2004 (cropped).jpg
Team West-Tec car of Oli Playle competing at Rockingham in 2004.

From 2001 to 2006 the team took part in the ASCAR Racing Series which was mainly based locally at the Rockingham Motor Speedway. The team took two consecutive drivers titles in 2005 and 2006 with Michael Vergers and Oli Playle.

In 2007 Team West-Tec F3 became the first British team to compete in the Spanish Formula Three Championship, purchasing assets from leading GP2 team Racing Engineering. In 2009 the series was renamed the European F3 Open. Since 2007 the team has taken 44 wins and 116 podiums and three championship titles – including winning the support race at the 2008 European Grand Prix at Valencia.

In 2009 the team also returned to British Formula 3 International Series completing a full campaign with Max Snegirev as well as part campaigns for Mathieu Maurage, Miky Faccin, Jay Bridger and Ma Qinghua.

In 2010 the team continued in the European F3 Open but primarily used their British F3 cars for testing with drivers from F1, GP2 and GP3 – where young drivers get very little track time to develop and hone their skills. However the team continued to make occasional British F3 race starts and took a national class win with young Mexican, Juan Carlos Sistos on his series debut at Silverstone.

The team also announced a plan to form a new joint venture with China's motorsport team, Champ Racing, to enter an additional car under the banner of "Champ Motorsport with Team West-Tec". This venture started in September 2010 with experienced driver Michael Ho racing at Brands Hatch, Monza, Jerez and Barcelona. In his second race weekend, at Monza, Ho took third place in the Copa class, fifth overall.

The team was successful in the European F3 Open in 2010, challenging at the front in both classes and winning races with more than one driver, eventually finishing as runner-up in both the driver's and teams' championships.

For 2011 the European F3 Open team featured four full-season drivers in Victor Corrêa, Fabio Gamberini, Luca Orlandi and Sam Dejonghe, plus a number of other drivers racing on part programmes during the year such as Fahmi Ilyas, Kotaro Sakurai and Tatiana Calderón.

The 2011 season was also successful. Victor Corrêa won two races and Fahmi Ilyas one in the team's newest Dallara F308s, Ilyas having made a debut at Brands Hatch in the car later used by Tatiana Calderón who scored points at Barcelona after she stepped up from Star Mazda in the USA. Fabio Gamberini also won a race outright at Spa and also won an impressive ten times in the Copa class, where he was champion as well as being third overall. Sam Dejonghe twice featured on the overall podium and took four Copa class wins to finish as Copa runner-up and Luca Orlandi, despite missing two races, secured third in Copa for an unprecedented 1-2-3 for the team. Kotaro Sakurai featured on the Brands Hatch Copa podium in Luca's place on his debut in the series. The team won the overall 2011 Teams' Championship.

For 2012, Sam Dejonghe returned with a single win before being dropped at the end of the year, to be replaced by Ed Jones. Manu Bejarano started the season but stopped with no budget after two rounds, although Roberto La Rocca, from Venezuela, joined the team. Jordan Oon and Luca Orlandi drove the team's Copa F308 entries, with Orlandi replaced by Kiwi Chris Vlok after an injury at Brands Hatch. After a much improved end to 2012, with Dejonghe and new signing Ed Jones taking second place at each of the last three meetings, Team West-Tec F3 remained the most successful team in the history of the series.

Team West-Tec had eight drivers in 2013, with Ed Jones winning the championship and Nelson Mason and finishing third. Two further F312 cars were campaigned by Orlandi and La Rocca. The team also operated four Copa F308 cars for Sean (son of Tom) Walkinshaw, South African Liam Venter, Chinaman Huan Zhu and young British driver Cameron Twynham.

Felix Serralles competing in the 2014 FIA F3 European season at Hockenheim. 2014 F3 HockenheimringII Felix Serralles by 2eight DSC6419.jpg
Félix Serrallés competing in the 2014 FIA F3 European season at Hockenheim.

Team West-Tec F3 also returned with a three-car team to the reorganised British F3 series in 2013. Ed Jones took five wins from the twelve races in the second tier National Class.

In 2014, Yarin Stern, Tanart Sathienthirakul and Wei Fung Thong raced full-time for West-Tec in the renamed Euroformula Open. Nici Pohler did all rounds bar the final at Barcelona due to illness and was replaced by Fabian Schiller. Stern managed to grab the team 5 podiums over the year.

2014 also saw the beginning of West Tec's attack on the incredibly competitive FIA European F3 Championship with Felix Serralles taking on the whole season while Hector Hurst and Macau's Andy Chang split the season between each other.

Former series results

British Formula 3

Class B
YearCarDriversRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPointsD.C.
1991 Reynard 893 Volkswagen Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Thornton Mustard3000114th
British Formula Three Championship
2009 Mygale M-09F3 Mugen-Honda Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jay Bridger 20002815th†
National Class
2009 Dallara F306 Mugen-Honda Flag of Russia.svg Max Snegirev 140001084th
Flag of France.svg Mathieu Maurage2000129th
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Qinghua Ma 20001010th
Flag of Italy.svg Michele Faccin 2000208th
2010 Dallara F306 Mugen-Honda Flag of Brazil.svg Luiz Razia 3000234th
Flag of Mexico.svg Juan Carlos Sistos 6100723rd
Rookie Class
2011 Dallara F306 Mugen-Honda Flag of Italy.svg Luca Orlandi3100453rd
National Class
2013 Dallara F312 Toyota Flag of Venezuela.svg Roberto La Rocca 3000337th
Flag of New Zealand.svg Chris Vlok121001212nd
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Huan Zhu30001910th
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jordan Oon3000455th
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ed Jones 65001033rd
Dallara F308 Toyota Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Cameron Twynham6000824th
Flag of Colombia.svg William Barbosa3000386th
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Sean Walkinshaw 3000209th
Flag of South Africa.svg Liam Venter3000238th

† Shared results with Bridger Motorsport

Spanish Formula 3/European F3 Open/Euroformula Open

Spanish Formula 3 Championship
YearCarDriversRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPointsD.C.T.C.
2007 Dallara F300-FPT Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Andy Merrick [C]00000N/A [C]9th
Flag of Norway.svg Christian Ebbesvik [C]167001181st [C]
Dallara F300-FPT
Dallara F306-FPT
Flag of South Africa.svg Sean Petterson6000219th
2008 Dallara F306-FPT Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Alex Waters [C]40000N/A [C]7th
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Qinghua Ma [C]11000247th [C]
Dallara F306-FPT Flag of Norway.svg Christian Ebbesvik 172103910th
Dallara F308-FPT
Dallara F300-FPT Flag of Portugal (official).svg Francisco Villar [C]160001313th [C]
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jonathan Legris [C]17300763rd [C]
European F3 Open Championship
2009 Dallara F306-FPT Flag of Iceland.svg Kristján Einar [C]12000209th [C]5th
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tom Tweedie [C]2000016th [C]
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Callum MacLeod [C]167001061st [C]
Dallara F308-FPT Flag of Norway.svg Christian Ebbesvik 16111635th
2010 Dallara F308-Toyota Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Callum MacLeod 143111122nd2nd
Dallara F306-Toyota Flag of Spain.svg Ramón Piñeiro [C]2000810th [C]
Flag of Iceland.svg Kristján Einar [C]2000411th [C]
Flag of Macau.svg Michael Ho [C]8000286th [C]
Flag of Brazil.svg Victor Corrêa [C]14200625th [C]
2011 Dallara F308-Toyota Flag of Brazil.svg Victor Corrêa 16200596th1st
Flag of Malaysia.svg Fahmi Ilyas41213012th
Flag of Colombia.svg Tatiana Calderón 6000321st
Dallara F306-Toyota Flag of Italy.svg Luca Orlandi [C]16000623rd [C]
Flag of Japan.svg Kotaro Sakurai [C]200068th [C]
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Sam Dejonghe [C]184001182nd [C]
Flag of Brazil.svg Fabio Gamberini [C]1810001301st [C]
2012 Dallara F312-Toyota Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Sam Dejonghe 141011595th4th
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Ed Jones [G]20000N/A
Flag of Spain.svg Manuel Bejarano40001416th
Flag of Venezuela.svg Roberto La Rocca 120004410th
Dallara F308-Toyota Flag of Italy.svg Luca Orlandi [C]90001010th [C]
Flag of New Zealand.svg Chris Vlok [C]2000313th [C]
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jordan Oon [C]16000505th [C]
2013 Dallara F312-Toyota Flag of Venezuela.svg Roberto La Rocca 60001514th2nd
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Emil Bernstorff 2000620th
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jonathan Legris 2000130th
Flag of the United States.svg Spencer Pigot 20001016th
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Ed Jones 146432561st
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Nelson Mason 163441593rd
Flag of Italy.svg Luca Orlandi8000129th
Flag of Norway.svg Falco Wauer [G]20000N/A
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Hector Hurst [G]20000N/A
Dallara F308-Toyota
Dallara F312-Toyota
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Huan Zhu16000227th
Dallara F308-Toyota Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Sean Walkinshaw [C]16000199th [C]
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Cameron Twynham [C]16200192nd [C]
Flag of South Africa.svg Liam Venter [C]13100316th [C]
Flag of Austria.svg Christopher Höher [C]2000015th [C]
Euroformula Open Championship
2014 Dallara F312-Toyota Flag of Israel.svg Yarin Stern160001255th3rd
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Cameron Twynham8000539th
Flag of Poland.svg Igor Waliłko [G]20000N/A
Flag of Germany.svg Nicolas Pohler140003812th
Flag of Germany.svg Fabian Schiller [G]20000N/A
Flag of Thailand.svg Tanart Sathienthirakul 16000697th
Flag of Hong Kong.svg Wei Fung Thong 160001618th
2015 Dallara F312-Toyota Flag of Israel.svg Yarin Stern160101195th4th
Flag of India.svg Mahaveer Raghunathan [G]20000N/A
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Sam MacLeod [G]20000N/A
Flag of Thailand.svg Tanart Sathienthirakul 160001334th
2016 Dallara F312-Toyota Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Liang Jiatong 4000028th9th

FIA Formula 3 European Championship

FIA Formula 3 European Championship
YearCarDriversRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPointsD.C.T.C.
2014 Dallara F314-Mercedes Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Félix Serrallés [2] 330008212th [3] 6th [3]
Dallara F312-Mercedes Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Hector Hurst [2] 24000324th [3]
Flag of Macau.svg Wing Chung Chang [2] 9000030th
2015 Dallara F312-Mercedes Flag of Germany.svg Fabian Schiller [4] 33000225th [5] 9th [5]
Dallara F314-Mercedes Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman [4] 3300014.521st [5]

References

  1. "History".
  2. 1 2 3 "STARTERLISTE 2014 FIA FORMULA 3 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP" (PDF).
  3. 1 2 3 "FIA Formula 3 European Championship 2014" (PDF).
  4. 1 2 "STARTERLISTE 2015 FIA FORMULA 3 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP" (PDF).
  5. 1 2 3 "FIA Formula 3 European Championship 2015" (PDF).