Silverstone II: Barton Mawer preview

Championship Within Reach for Barton Mawer at Silverstone this

Australian Barton Mawer, enters the final round of the 2005 British Formula 3 International Series this weekend with the chance of taking home the National Class Championship.

The round will be held at the home of British Motorsport, Silverstone, and with 42 points up for grabs, the battle has come down to the two stand-out performers of the season, Barton and Salvador Duran

After dominating much of the start of the season, a run of bad luck has seen Barton drop behind Duran in the Championship battle. Barton was able to bounce back and in the previous round of the Championship at Mondello Park, returning to the winners step on the podium and closing the gap between him and Duran.

Duran returns to British Formula 3 series this weekend after representing Mexico in the opening round of the A1 Grand Prix Series two weeks ago at Brands Hatch. He put in an impressive performance that saw him finish 3rd in the main race.

After a productive test session last week, Barton is confident that he will be able to challenge for the Championship title at Silverstone.

"We tested last week at Pembrey where we were hampered slightly by wet weather, but it was good to spend the whole day testing with the team and we were able to achieve a great deal. We have nothing to lose going into this round. We need to put our heads down, work as hard we can and see what we come away with."

There will be a three hour test session on Friday morning, two qualifying sessions on Saturday and the two races on Sunday to determine who walks away as the 2005 British Formula 3 National Class Champion.

-www.bartonmawer.com