Alex Quinn has been confirmed to replace Toby Sowery at Lanan Racing for the final round of the BRDC British F3 Championship. The 16-year-old has spent the year racing in the F4 British Championship with the move potentially opening doors for 2018.
Quinn has had a rich history in the past couple of years, winning the British F4 Rookie Cup in 2016 and setting himself up for a strong campaign this season, which has included three wins.
He had been signed by TRS Arden for the opening half of the year, with the intention of being replaced when Olli Caldwell turned of age, though with regular driver Yves Baltas unable to complete the season, Quinn has remained with the outfit all year.
“It’s a really exciting opportunity for me to race in the BRDC British F3 Championship at Donington Park this weekend,” commented Quinn. “It’s a huge challenge for me and we’ll basically be going straight into the race weekend. I’m excited but not nervous, there are no expectations as it’s my first time driving the car but I just want to impress the team and the championship and show what I can do.”
As for Sowery, his absence will mean that he misses the chance to battle for second in the title fight, currently lying 2 points ahead of nearest rival James Pull. Instead, he will compete in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo round at Shanghai this weekend.
Sowery said: “I’m gutted not to be racing this weekend due to conflicting racing commitments. This has probably been one of the most difficult decisions of my career but I can only thank Lanan for their belief and support of me and my career. The team has done a fantastic job and I want to wish them luck for the weekend.”
Quinn showed his pace on Thursday testing consistently running towards the front, though finished the day as eighth quickest due to the wet conditions for three of the four sessions.
As a result, the times from the morning proved to be the benchmark as Jordan Cane set the pace with a 1min 25.644. Just like at Brands Hatch, it was Chase Owen who impressed many by going second, though time will tell if this can translate into race pace, while new champion Enaam Ahmed completed minimal running, yet still came home third.
Elsewhere, Pull led two of the wet sessions, with Ben Hingeley topping the equally as damp second test.