Mega Mason takes maiden victory at Donington Park

Fortec Motorsport’s Johnathan Hoggard held off Chris Dittmann Racing’s Ayrton Simmons to claim his third win of the season in race one at Donington Park this afternoon, with Kaylen Frederick completing the podium for Carlin. 

Douglas Motorsport's Kiern Jewiss moved up to fourth from eighth on the grid, ahead of Carlin's championship leader Clement Novalak, with Ulysse De Pauw taking sixth for Douglas Motorsport. Neil Verhagen climbed from ninth to take seventh for Double R, ahead of Fortec's Manuel Maldonado. Hampus Ericsson made up two places on his start position to take ninth ahead of Douglas Motorsport's Benjamin Pedersen who completed the top-10. 

BRDC British F3 Championship, Donnington race one result:

1. Johnathan Hoggard, Fortec Motorsports, 12 laps
2. Ayrton Simmons, Chris Dittmann Racing, +0.618s
3. Kiern Jewiss, Douglas Motorsport, +3.643s
4. Clement Novalak, Carlin, +4.263s
5. Ulysse De Pauw, Douglas Motorsport, +4.994s
6. Neil Verhagen, Double R Racing, +5.759s
7. Manuel Maldonado, Fortec Motorsports, +6.903s
8. Hampus Ericsson, Double R Racing, +8.756s
9. Benjamin Pedersen, Douglas Motorsport, +10.695s
10. Kaylen Frederick, Carlin, +12.345s
11. Sasakorn Chaimongkol, Hillspeed, +12.889s
12. Nazim Azman, Chris Dittmann Racing, +14.072s
13. Josh Mason, Lanan Racing, +16.240s

Lanan Racing's Josh Mason claimed victory in the second race of the weekend at Donington Park, rising from third on the grid to the front after an early safety car period. He finished half a second clear of Double R's pole sitter Pavan Ravishankar, who fended off Fortec's Manuel Maldonado on the line.

Clement Novalak surged from 11th to take fourth ahead of Benjamin Pedersen, with Hampus Ericsson sixth. Ulysse De Pauw, Neil Verhagen, Sasakorn Chaimongkol and Kiern Jewiss completed the top-10.

In a dramatic race for the championship protagonists, it was Novalak who capitalised most after Simmons was involved in a first corner incident that delayed him and was then involved in an incident with Johnathan Hoggard late in the race that forced the Fortec man out of the contest.

At the start, Ravishankar made a good start from pole, but it was Mason who made the better one and moved up to second at Redgate. Further behind a coming together between Jewiss and Frederick wiped Frederick out of the race, damaged Jewiss and forced Simmons through the gravel. Frederick's car was left stranded on the circuit, while Simmons and Jewiss resumed at the tail of the field with the Douglas Motorsport driver needing to pit to repair damage.

The safety car was deployed to recover Frederick's car, and when the race resumed at the start of lap four the drama continued as race leader Ravishankar locked up at Redgate, handing the lead to Mason who sliced up the inside and began to build an advantage. 

As Mason built a lead of almost a second, Ravishankar was forced to fend off the attentions of Chris Dittmann Racing's Nazim Azman, another to make a good start and up to third place. Despite coming under pressure from behind, Ravishankar began to close the gap to the leader, with Mason's advantage falling to just 0.344s at the end of lap five, with Azman remaining in the scrap. 

Mason kept it cool though and stretched his margin back to almost seven tenths by lap seven, though Maldonado found his way past Azman after the Malaysian driver ran wide at the Fogarty Esses to move up to third. There was more drama for Azman moments later, as he ran wide at the Old Hairpin and dropped several places, with the main benefactor being Novalak who was now up to fourth. 

Another talking point followed next time around, as Hoggard and Simmons running in 11th and 12th places respectively, were embroiled in a scrap through the Craner Curves, with Hoggard ending up stranded in the gravel at the exit of the Old Hairpin and out of the race. 

At the front, and despite all the drama, Mason was seemingly the coolest head and despite more pressure from Ravishankar, kept hold of the lead to take the win by just over half a second, one he'll count as his first proper British F3 win after his unique Silverstone triumph last year. Ravishankar held off a challenge across the line from Maldonado to claim second place by 0.135s, with the podium trio separated by less than seven tenths of a second, with Maldonado climbing from eighth to take the final place on the podium. 

BRDC British F3 Championship, Donington Park race three provisional result:

1. Josh Mason, Lanan Racing, 12 laps
2. Pavan Ravishankar, Double R Racing, +0.525s
3. Manuel Maldonado, Fortec Motorsports, +0.660s
4. Clement Novalak, Carlin, +1.237s
5. Benjamin Pedersen, Douglas Motorsport, +3.418s
6. Hampus Ericsson, Double R Racing, +4.108s
7. Ulysse De Pauw, Douglas Motorsport, +4.602s
8. Neil Verhagen, Double R Racing, +6.237s
9. Sasakorn Chaimongkol, Hillspeed, +6.568s
10. Kiern Jewiss, Douglas Motorsport, +7.344s

Fortec Motorsports driver Johnathan Hoggard claimed his second win of the weekend with a superb drive in the final race of the weekend at Donington Park.

Hoggard controlled the race from lights to flag to take the win four seconds clear of Douglas Motorsport's Ulysse De Pauw, with Sasakorn Chaimongkol third for Hillspeed. Championship leader Clement Novalak claimed fourth, half a second behind the podium trio, with Nazim Azman taking an excellent fifth place for Chris Dittmann Racing.

Kiern Jewiss claimed sixth for Douglas Motorsport ahead of Double R's Neil Verhagen, with Hampus Ericsson, Manuel Maldonado and Benjamin Pedersen completing the top-10.

Pavan Ravishankar claimed 11th for Double R, well clear of race two winner Josh Mason in his Lanan machine, with Lucas Petersson's Carlin the final finisher, despite pitting mid race to replace a damaged front wing. 

BRDC British F3 Championship, Donington Park race three provisional result:

1. Johnathan Hoggard, Fortec Motorsports, 12 laps
2. Ulysse De Pauw, Douglas Motorsport, +4.004s
3. Sasakorn Chaimongkol, Hillspeed, +4.856s
4. Clement Novalak, Carlin, +5.447s
5. Nazim Azman, Chris Dittmann Racing, +5.931s
6. Kiern Jewiss, Douglas Motorsport, +6.321s
7. Neil Verhagen, Double R Racing, +6.732s
8. Hampus Ericsson, Double R Racing, +13.164s
9. Manuel Maldonado, Fortec Motorsports, +13.693s
10. Benjamin Pedersen, Douglas Motorsport, +14.224s
11. Pavan Ravishankar, Double R Racing, +16.799s
12. Josh Mason, Lanan Racing, +23.083s