2010 Formula BMW-Pacific champion, Richard Bradley has secured a race seat with the formidable TOM’S All-Japan Formula 3 team for 2011.
The 19-year old driver won the Formula BMW-Pacific Championship in his debut season, impressing TOM’S (Toyota and Lexus’ racing departments) in the process. S. Koumi, general manager of TOM’S racing, is confident the youngster will be competitive in his debut F3 season.
“We are very happy to have Richard onboard. We followed his progress during the 2010 Formula BMW Pacific series and noticed his outstanding performance. The first time we heard of him though, was back in 2009 at the CIK-FIA World Cup in Suzuka.”
Bradley himself was elated with the news, “Joining TOM'S is a boyhood dream come true for me. I've always admired TOM'S and having the opportunity to drive for them is a real honour. F3 is a crucial step towards Formula 1 and I know I am in good hands. I look forward to a fantastic year of great success with the team.”
Bradley has already been establishing a relationship between himself and team by participating in several tests for TOM’S over the winter, and TOM’S hope that it’s the start of a fruitful partnership.
“It would be good if he could win the championship in his first year in F3 like he did in Formula BMW Pacific, but it is not easy as everyone knows. It is probably best to stay in F3 for two seasons since there is simply so much to learn. It's a long-term relationship we are building here and we'd like to see him as a world-class top racing driver in three to four years realistically,” Koumi added.
The All-Japan Formula 3 Championship is set to start on 16-17 of April at the illustrious Suzuka Circuit in Japan.
