Croft: Robbie Kerr race summary

It never rains.....
.... But it pours

Robbie Kerr and his Alan Docking Racing team-mates suffered a disaster in the latest round of the British Formula 3 Championship at Croft, when the entire team was wiped out in three separate incidents at the same corner during a soaking wet race.

All three of the ADR Dallara-Mugen Hondas could have made amends in the second race, only for a torrential thunderstorm - combined with an oil slick from the preceding support race - to cause its cancellation.

Kerr had looked in fairly good shape for race day. His fifth place on the grid for race one was disappointing, but he improved later on to go second, just 0.039 seconds behind championship leader James Courtney's pole position time.

"We had a problem in the first session with the brakes," he explained. "We sorted that out but it's still not quite right, otherwise I could have had pole later on. The rear brakes were fine, but the fronts just weren't gripping properly."

The first race started in very wet conditions. Kerr lost a place to the fast starting Michael Keohane at the start, and then lost control at Tower Bend midway round the first lap. His car spun broadside across the track, leaving the chasing Mark Taylor with nowhere to go. Taylor clobbered Kerr's machine, putting them both out of the race.

"I must have just caught a puddle," explained Robbie. "That spun the car around and I was stranded on the track. There was no way Mark could avoid me. These things happen."

With the cancellation of the second race, there is luckily only one week before the next round at Silverstone, where hopefully the events of Croft will be forgotten.

Summary:
Race 1: 1st James Courtney (Australia); 2nd Richard Antinucci (USA); 3rd Michael Keohane (Ireland); 4th Heikki Kovalainen (Finland); 5th Fabio Carbone (Brazil); 6th Rob Austin (Britain); 7th Tom Sisley (Britain); 8th Bruce Jouanny (France); 9th Stefano Fabi (Italy); no other finishers; DNF Tor Graves (Britain); DNF Mark Mayall (Britain); DNF Robbie Kerr (Britain).

Race 2: Cancelled.

-rkr/sd-