Jordan Cane picked up an unexpected win in the second BRDC British F3 race at Donington Park. The reverse grid encounter is usually an opportunity for midfield drivers to show their skill, with two non-race winners taking each other out on the final lap.
Elsewhere, James Pull secured the vice-champion role with one race to go.
It was a clean start from most of the drivers, but it was to be a short-lived affair for Jeremy Wahome as the Chris Dittmann entry was spun by Jamie Chadwick on the opening lap, struggling to make it out of the grass.
Up front, polesitter Nicolai Kjaergaard upset the natural order of the reverse grid race, by breaking away from the field behind. While this was mostly helped by the battling Douglas Motorsport cars, it wasn’t long before Callan O’Keeffe started to reel him in.
Further back, Chase Owen had done a fine effort to maintain fourth, but was almost immediately under pressure from the Carlin’s, forming a queue behind the American. Back up front, Kjaergaard was under real pressure from O’Keeffe and Cane as the race approached half distance.
As the laps counted down, Kjaergaard’s queue grew ever bigger, with Owen and Pull breaking away to become the fourth and fifth drivers in the fight.
The final lap proved to be decisive though as O’Keeffe failed to get past the Dane cleanly, knocking him into the gravel at turn one. O’Keeffe limped back to the start line, but chose to head into the pits instead of crossing the line outright, thus classifying sixth, though will likely pick up a penalty.
This meant that Cane took his third win, with Owen picking up his maiden podium of the year. The result will be promising for Hillspeed by Cliff Dempsey Racing in their first year back in F3.
Rounding out the podium would be Pull after a fortuitous run in the closing laps. He was as surprised as anyone to be collecting silverware, though was more pleased to have secured himself as vice-champion.
Fourth was Cameron Das after another quiet race for the American in which he collected a solid result. He was followed across the line by Ben Hingeley, winner of race one as O’Keeffe’s pit escape saw him classify sixth. Completing the top eight was Enaam Ahmed and Manuel Maldonado.
