AUSF3: Team BRM Queensland round four preview

Team BRM heads to Queensland as leaders of the Pack

ADELAIDE - Monday, June 27th, 2005 -- FOR The first time in season 2005, Adelaide based Formula 3 outfit team BRM will head to a round of the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship with a clear position at the top of the series points scorecard, team leader Michael Trimble finally shown some clean air at the top of the charts after a successful round at Phillip Island in May.

And after more than a month off, the freezing cold autumn conditions of the Victorian circuit will be traded for the substantially warmer winter wonderland of Queensland Raceway, located in Ipswich an hour outside of Brisbane.

Trimble holds a narrow four point lead at the top of the Gold Star points race, a second place finish and a thrilling race 2 victory in a controversial Phillip Island meeting saw the Victorian take his first overall round win and second race victory, of the season to date. Trimble also became just the second two time race winner this season in his #20 Elf Fuels / Autosport Adelaide / U Drive Performance Cars Dallara F301 Speiss Opel ride.

"Its great to be heading into a round with the championship lead," Trimble said. "Phillip Island was a great meeting for us and we were able to set ourselves up well for this round.

"I'm really looking forward to it, it's been over a month since I've been in the car and I cant wait to get back in it and get on the track. I'm feeling very confident about the meeting as well," he expressed. "Marcus (Koch, Trimble's engineer) has been working really hard on the car and we are very confident that we have got past some of the gremlins we have encountered in the last couple of rounds, so we should be in for a good weekend if everything goes to plan."

The 20 year old Victorian's trip to Queensland Raceway was with the Sonic Racing Formula Ford Squad a year ago for the National Formula Ford round, Trimble showing strong pace despite having a difficult race weekend overall. After missing pole by just two tenths of a second, Trimble missed the first two races before he stormed through the field from 15th to 7th in the finale, proving his pace at the track known as the "Paperclip".

16-year-old Kiwi Marc Williams again fronts in Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Trophy Class competition for team BRM, looking to rebound from a terrible weekend at Phillip Island that saw him miss the second race due to some unforseen electrical dramas. Williams still holds a narrow lead in the Trophy point's chase that has seen three different round winners from the three rounds to date.

And after the difficult third round of the series, Williams said that he would be looking to bounce back with a consistent run in Queensland.

"Phillip Island was really disappointing so it's fortunate that we have been able to hold the lead in the Trophy Class Championship," said the young New Zealander. "We will go into Queensland looking to have a consistent run, keep on track and try and learn as much as possible while still scoring points for the championship."

An expected 15-car field will front for the series' regular two qualifying sessions on Saturday, before the two races that make up the fourth round of the championship on Sunday, July 3.

Team BRM Fast Facts -- Phillip Island

RACING THE RECORDS: So far this year, lap records have been broken at two of the three tracks the circuit has visited to date, being Wakefield Park and Mallala Raceway. If somewhat surprisingly, the two-year-old lap record at Phillip Island was left untouched when the series visited the fast Victorian circuit a month ago. The Queensland Raceway record currently stands at a 1m06.46 set by Peter Hackett in 2003. With car balance the key at QR -- with its combination of high, medium and slow corners -- expect this year's field to make a dent in Hollywood's time.

LAST TIME OUT: The last time the Formula 3 circus visited Ipswich was 2003, and team BRM fronted with a strong three car line up comprised of the experienced Darren Palmer and then Rookies Matt Fitzgerald and Karl Reindler. The trio were close to the pace, Reindler finishing 5th in race one, ahead of Palmer with Fitzgerald in 8th. Race two saw the positions reversed, Fitzgerald leading home Palmer and Reindler -- the three cars finishing line astern in 6th, 7th and 8th positions.

TO FINISH FIRST-- proving that the old motorsport adages are still more than relevant, Michael Trimble's exceptional statistical season continues heading into the half way point of the series, being the only driver so far to finish every race contested this season. To date, Trimble has two wins, two seconds, a third and a fourth place to his name -- the only key stat he is missing when compared to his rivals being a pole position, with his best being a second on the race two grid for Phillip Island. That old motor racing saying "To finish first, first you must finish" just keeps on enduring--

-www.teambrm.com.au