Current Formula Ford champion, Scott Pye has been confirmed to drive for the Double R Racing team in this year’s British Formula 3 Internattional Series. The 21-year old Australian recently participated in the first pre-season test with Double R at Rockingham, where his performances in the Dallara-Mercedes earned him the chance to contest a full season of racing.
The announcement was made at Mercedes World in Surrey, where Scott commented on the news. “It's hugely exciting for me,” he said, “and also very daunting because it's a big leap from Formula Ford to a Formula 3 car. But I'm with a great team and I'm enjoying the challenge.”
Pye will be aiming to follow in the tracks of current leading Australian open-wheel drivers such as Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo. Both of whom currently appear to be in a rich vein of form, with Webber scoring multiple wins during the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship for champions Red Bull, while fellow countryman Ricciardo is gathering more F1 experience with every year, currently standing as Toro Rosso‘s leading reserve driver for 2011. More importantly however, both have been champions in Formula Ford and British Formula 3 respectively.
Former F1-driver and Top Gear’s original ‘Stig’, Perry McCarthy has been a mentor for Pye over recent years, bringing him over from Australia to race in the MSA Formula Ford championship, which Pye went on to win. He said: “I am backing Scotty not just because of his undoubted speed in a race car but because he has the attitude and focus of a champion and I believe he is a Formula 1 driver just waiting to happen.”
Pye also has support from his home nation, including the Australian Motor Sport Federation, Australian Business and successful V8 Supercar team Triple Eight Racing, whose team principal, Roland Dane said: “We are very happy to be supporting Scotty again and looking forward to him showing his potential this year. We hope that he will be the latest in the long line of Australian talent to succeed.”
Pye will be in action again for the Double R Racing team at the next British F3 test at Silverstone on 8-9 March ahead of the season’s opening round in mid-April at Monza, Italy.
