DE: Series EuroSpeedway preview

The young guns on the way up

With 12 of the 18 races of the 2010 ATS Formula 3 season contested, there's only one thing that is clear: nothing is clear. In other words: identifying a favourite is just impossible. The battle for the coveted title in Germany's fastest single-seater series is tougher than ever as the racing is closer than ever.

This fact is underlined by a glance at the leaderboard following the Assen weekend: Six drivers have won one or more races in the season to date. And these winners also demonstrate the internationality on the ATS Formula 3 Cup grid. Tom Dillmann is French, Daniel Abt and Nico Monien are German, Stef Dusseldorp is a Dutchman, Kevin Magnussen a Dane and Felix Rosenqvist Swedish.

This weekend at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz, the 2010 season will enter its final third and each of the leading drivers will once again try to defeat their rivals and make another step on the way to the title. Therefore, the 13th and 14th rounds of the season held in the Niederlausitz region promise to provide particularly thrilling motor racing. The ATS Formula 3 Cup races at the Eastern German circuit will feature a GP-size starting grid. But the popular single-seater series does not only shine with a big grid - it also will be the fastest series of the event.

And the battle for the title features another particularly exciting facet: the fight between the young rookies and the established Formula 3 drivers. Daniel Abt, the son of DTM Team Principal Hans-Jurgen Abt, Kevin Magnussen, the offspring of former Formula 1 ace Jan Magnussen, and young Felix Rosenqvist deliver in amazingly matured style, in their first Formula 3 season. Their respect for the established drivers such as Tom Dillmann or last year's runner-up, Stef Dusseldorp, is not only limited. Apparently, it doesn't exist at all.

The young guns are hungry and on the way up. Daniel Abt and Kevin Magnussen are 17 years old and Felix Rosenqvist is just a year older. Without driving license but extremely skilled and with a lot fighting spirit, the trio delivers amazing performances on the racetrack. Particularly Rosenquist gets going better and better. In the past six races, the young Swede secured two race wins and three runner-up finishes and with 57 points on his tally, he has closed the gap to the leaders, with experienced Tom Dillmann (90 points) still holding the lead. While Daniel Abt (73) lost some ground as he had to leave Assen empty-handed and consequently, he is somewhat annoyed. "I'm really happy that the next two rounds will be held as early as this weekend at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz," he says. "This will help to quickly cope with the disappointment I encountered at Assen." Behind the German, Kevin Magnussen (61) and Stef Dusseldorp (60) are nearly tied for points and follow in third and fourth positions respectively.

So, the rounds held within the framework of the ATS Formula 3 Cup's usual environment, the ADAC Masters Weekends, on 14th and 15th August at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz, promise to also be true thrillers. And who knows if Markus Pommer and Rene Binder who secured their first podiums at Assen won't be able to tie in with these successes, thus giving the championship leaders an even harder time.

-source: formel3.de