Portimão
A combined Formula Junior and Historic F3 grid of 30 cars gathered in sunny Portugal 
for the Filipe Nogueira Trophy at the Algarve Classic Festival. Not too surprising, Jeremy Timms in his ex Reine Wisell Chevron was quickest overall in the official practice, but by the narrowest of margins possible as he out-qualified Widmer in P2 by a mere 0.001 of a second. The second row went to Formula Junior drivers Ames and Halusa, followed by Derossi and Jamin in row three, Formula Junior drivers Mowle and Buhofer in row four, Sharp in the ex Jim Blockley Chevron was fifth of the screamers, while Tart, Jason Timms, Traber, Messer and Jim Timms rounded out the top 10 in Historic F3. With pole position secured a bit too close for comfort, Jeremy Timms changed to fresh tyres, used just for one race before, and set out in a blistering pace in race one, challenged only briefly by Alex Ames who was clearly the fastest Formula Junior all weekend. After two laps, a parked Envoy FJ with a gearbox issue in turn three brought out the safety car for three laps. However, that didn't prevent Timms from storming away when racing resumed, setting a blistering pace with a best lap of 2:00.8 minutes, 2.5 seconds quicker than in qualifying! Ames had a lonely race as leading Formula Junior while Derossi and Widmer battled for second place in F3, well clear of the rest of the field and quite certain of a place on the podium. Unfortunately, and somewhat foolishly, they entangled at the hairpin on the penultimate lap, resulting in Derossi's Chevron being beached in the gravel with a bent front suspension, while Widmer managed to restart his bruised Brabham after a gaggle of cars slipped through, including Sharp in his immaculate Chevron and Jason Timms who continuously improved session after session. In the end, a delighted Josh Sharp finished second in F3, only to miss out on the podium celebration while Widmer managed to reclaim P3 which he held most of the race anyway. Jason Timms finished fourth while Tart, Traber, an astonishing Jim Timms, Messer, Slotine and Carminati rounded up the top ten. The son of Filipe Nogueira was present for an emotional presentation of the trophy in his father's name. After a flury of repairs in a great team effort, all cars but the stranded Envoy were ready for the second race on Sunday morning. Just as he had done in race one, Jeremy Timms was in a class of his own and lead comfortably only to be realed in once again by the safety car after too many cars tried to squeeze into turn one after six laps. Eventually racing resumed with two laps to go and this time a determined Ames was making sure it wasn't an easy win for Timms. However, the later responded in style, recording an amazing 2:00.0 minutes on his final lap, which not only secured him the grand slam for the weekend, but also crowned him a well-deserved champion for the 2022 season with four wins and four second places in eight races. Derossi and a very happy Jason Timms, who finally managed to sort his fuel starvation issue on the main straight, completed the podium. Sharp managed to surprise a snoozing Widmer at the top of the hill on the last lap to finished fourth while Traber, Jamin, Tart, Jim Timms and series newcomer Burkard in the ex Regazzoni, Jaussaud and Gallo Team Arnold Tecno completed the top ten. As this might possibly have been the last race ever for series elder Jim Timms, a special celebration was organized in the pit garages after the race in order to thank him for his engagement and support of our series. He was presented, in front of a large part of his family, with a commemorative T-shirt signed by all competitors and friends. A very worthy finish to a great weekend and season on this fantastic track. Pictures and results are now online. See you all again in 2023!
Filipe Nogueira Trophy
Our joint race at the Algarve Classic Festival together with the Formula Junior Historic Racing Association will be in honour of J. Filipe Nogueira who successfully competed in both series in period. As was typical at the time, JFN Filipe Nogueira competed in all sorts of categories and cars such as various Ferraris and Porsches against greats like Roy Salvadori, Marquis de Portago and Derek Bell. The first Formula Junior race in Portugal was at Porto on August 23rd 1958, as a support to the Portuguese F1 GP. Filipe Nogueira was entered in a Stanguellini, and indeed was leading the race, until engine trouble forced him to retire. Fast forward to the F3 era of 1964-70, and whilst there was no Portuguese race in ’64, in ’65 the XI GP de Portugal was held at Cascais, and Filipe was 4th in the final in a Lotus 35. The following year, at the 1966 GP de l’A.C. Portugal in Porto, Nogueira was 5th in a Brabham BT16. Being the best of the Portuguese in that race was very honorable and exciting, so JFN acquired - through Frank Williams - a Brabham BT 18, with which he would race during the remainder of the 66 and the 67 seasons. During those years, he took part in several races in Portugal , such as the VI Circuito de Montes Claros 1967 where he placed 2nd, in a race that tragically ended the live of Tim Cash, but mainly in Europe, namely, Barcelona 
, Pau, Dijon 
, Monza 
and Brands Hatch 
. In 1967, JFN and two other Portuguese drivers represented Portugal in the Nations Cup at Brands Hatch where Portugal was placed 5th among more then a dozen participating nations. Please also see our picture gallery courtesy of his son José Filipe Nogueira who will be present at Portimão.
Sensational Dijon
Another truly international grid with competitors from Italy , France , Germany 
, Sweden 
, Switzerland 
, UK and the USA 
assembled for the first HSCC Historic F3 race on the continent in five years. Conditions for qualifying on Friday afternoon were fantastic and it quickly showed that those with previous exposure to this very technical track had an advantage. Not unexpectedly Jeremy Timms took pole but by a narrower margin than usual, just 2/10th ahead of Widmer who lapped 14/1000 quicker than Bankhurst who in turn exclipsed Derossi by yet another 14/1000 - very close performances indeed. Behind it was Jason Timms ahead of series newcomer Jamin, Fischer, Sharp, Muller and Armer rounding out the top ten. A nice apéro in the paddock rounded up a perfect Friday with all cars ready for the first race on Saturday. Widmer had the best start and lead initially in race one, but Timms restored order at the end of the first lap while Bankhurst and Derossi received a drive-through on lap two for being a bit too optimistic as the lights went out. An unfortunate spin into turn one on lap 4 collected an unlucky Delea and brought out the safety car for two laps and thus bunching up everyone once again. After the restart, a good battle between the Timms cousins and Widmer ensued with Jamin, Fischer and Armer in hot pursuit. However, it was clearly Derossi who delivered the drive of the day. Being just in P12 after the safety car and his detour through the pit lane, he started to slice through the field and eventually caught up with Jeremy Timms and Widmer with three laps to go after Jason Timms dropped back after a spin and Fischer's engine started to loose power. In the end Derossi crossed the finish line just half a car length ahead of Timms after 15 laps, however, as the race was red flagged immediately thereafter due to a near identical incident into turn one on lap 14, this time series newcomer Humbert collecting an unfortunate Messer, the final race result was that of a lap before with Timms taking a narrow victory ahead of Derossi and Widmer. Jamin followed in P4 in his first screamer race ever, ahead of Sharp, Armer, Muller and Bosson. As it was such a close call, Jeremy Timms put on a new set of tyres which he had saved for Portimão and never looked back in the second race on Sunday, driving without fault and securing a second victory and the lead in the championship. However behind spectators withnessed a sensational battle for second place in a six car battle over 17 laps from start to finish. Derossi, Jason Timms, Jamin, Armer, Bankhurst and Widmer traded places lap after lap, very close, clean and intense racing and simply a joy to watch - definitely perfect advertising for our series. Any one of the six would have deserved to be on the podium, in the end it was Derossi crossing the finish line narrowly ahead of Jason Timms, but all the others had equally big smiles on their faces as they got out of their cars. The eight top finishers in race two will all meet again in Portimão , so more to come! Results, pictures and video are now all online - enjoy!
Enjoy a compilation of race 2 as Derossi and Widmer trade places with Jason Timms, Bankhurst, Jamin and Armer over 17 laps!
Wet Tyre Regulation Update
The AVON tyres for wet conditions with A37 compound, code numbers front 7714 and rear 7715, are no longer being manufactured. Due to this force majeure, we have updated our regulations to allow once again the AVON tyres with A27 compound, code numbers front 7277 and rear 7278, for wet conditions, effective immediately and also for 2023 and beyond.
Brands Hatch Superprix
An amazing 30 screamers entered the Brands Hatch Superprix on the famous Grand Prix circuit - a truly international grid with competitors from Australia 
, France , Germany , Sweden , Switzerland and the UK , just like in the heydays of F3 racing in the late sixties. The weekend ended prematurely after free practice for French competitors Slotine and Debien with engine and gearbox issue and some pandemic related withdrawals meant that the field was reduced to 26 for qualifying. As in recent events, youngster Samuel Harrison in his Chevron was quickest, one second faster than Jeremy Timms who was well clear of a closely matched group comprising Seaman, Widmer, Armer, Bankhurst, Fischer and Derossi. Just behind was another cluster with Messer, Sharp, Bosson, Linstone, Tart, Nichols, Jason Timms, Penrose, Sergison, Muller and Hamilton - all of them enjoying this fantastic track in glorious sunshine. The start for the first race on Saturday late afternoon was slightly delayed as Messer' Vesey decided to empty its oil at Surtees but the marshals did a fantastic job cleaning this up quickly and making sure the track was save for racing. As expected Harrison stormed away at the start, however, it wasn't easy sailing as a determined Jeremy Timms pursued him relentlessly and in the process posted the fastest lap of the race, crossing the finish line just two seconds behind. Initially it was Seaman in third until he spun on lap 6, giving way for a great dice between Widmer, Derossi and Armer for the remaining spot on the podium. In the end, Derossi edged Widmer ahead of Armer, the three separated by just 1.5 seconds after ten laps. Bankhurst suffered from some misfires and had to fight hard in order to stay ahead of Penrose, Sharp, Linstone, Nichols and Fischer. The starting order for the second race on Sunday was based on fastest lap the day before, so Jeremy Timms was on pole, ahead of Harrison, cousin Jason Timms, Fischer and Derossi. However, it didn't take long for Harrison to restore order and this time, he managed to extend the gap to Jeremy Timms to 5 seconds while improving his best lap time at the same time. The safety car had to come out briefly after Bankhurst went into the gravel at Paddock Hill Bend but things were cleared up quickly as racing could resume after just one lap. Jason Timms had a lonely race but drove very well and was delighted to be on the podium, ahead of Armer, Seaman, Derossi, Widmer and Linstone. Overall, it was fantastic to have such a big grid and close racing on this legendary track - well worth the trip across the channel! Pictures, video and results are now online.
Watch a compilation of a few laps of race 1 onboard Widmer's Brabham.
Donington Park - Screamers are back!
Our season started with a near maximum capacity grid at Donington Park with 28 cars on the entry list. The weather couldn't quite make up its mind - hot and sunny for setting up and scrutineering on Friday, then cold and very wet for qualifying and race 1 on Saturday and finally overcast but dry for race 2 on Sunday. Visibility for qualifying was very poor and the safety car came out after little more than one lap due to too many cars being stranded in the gravel all around the circuit. Once everything was cleared up and the safety car pulled in, there was just time for two quick laps. Youngster Samuel Harrison proved to be in a class of his own, distancing Jeremy Timms nearly five seconds - simply amazing! A further four seconds back was Armer, ahead of Bankhurst, Milicevic, Widmer, Lamplough and Derossi. It was still wet for the race, but not quite as bad as during qualifying. Again, Samuel Harrison put on a dominating performance, crossing the finish line more than a minute ahead of Bankhurst and Timms - the only drivers to finish the race in the same lap as the winner - everyone else was lapped at least once. Armer was best of the rest on fourth, followed by series newcomer Sharp, Lamplough and Haughton. Despite the rain, newly weds Rachel & Ewen Sergison hosted a great BBQ on Saturday evening - a great opportunity to catch up and recount stories current and past. At last conditions were dry for the race on Sunday. Harrison won again, completing a perfect weekend, but this time, the gaps were a lot closer with Timms and Bankhurst completing the podium in reverse order from Saturday. Behind, it was again Armer in fourth, followed by Seaman, Sharp and Haughton. Derossi was best continental driver ahead of Widmer and Bosson. All in all a great weekend with Historic F3 for once presenting the largest grid of the event - quite a comeback from previous years. Pictures and results are now online.
Goodwood 79MM
Five continental drivers joined their British friends for the Derek Bell Cup at the 79th Members' Meeting. The sixth edition of the event saw Andrew Hibberd take pole as expected, ahead of Seaman and Timms, followed by Armer, Diffey, Thompson and Kite. Fastest driver from the continent was Italian Spaggiari, followed by Widmer , Derossi , Bosson and Pircher . The qualifying session was briefly red flagged when Paul Waine's engine failed in a big way - definitely an unfortunate weekend for the kind DeSanctis driver - and the aftermath of the oil spilled on the track also prematurely ended the weekend for Spaggiari and former winner James King from the US . After a fantastic set of demonstrations, followed by a memorable evening party, next morning 21 remaining drivers, including debutante Rachel Lovett racing Sergisons' Merlyn, warmed up their engines in glorious sunshine in preparation for their race just before lunch. Steve Seaman had the best start and lead initially ahead of Timms and pole-sitter Hibberd. However, Timms made one of the top 10 overtakes of the weekend when he passed Seaman around the outside at Woodcote towards the end of the first lap. Hibberd started slightly cautious but restored order on the second lap at Lavant and never looked back, celebrating a well-deserved third win in the Derek Bell Cup ahead of Timms and Thompson, who had an intense race-long battle with Fitz-Simon, the later gaining an impressive eight places in the race. Fifth was Kite, narrowly ahead of Widmer and Armer who's engine started to struggle on the last lap of the race. Unfortunately Derossi's engine seized on lap five, so only three drivers from the continent finished the race, including Bosson from Sweden in tenth place and Pircher from Switzerland in his first race at Goodwood on thirtenth place, but all of them thoroughly enjoyed the special, one-of-a-kind weekend. Pictures and results are now online.
2022 Award Dinner
Now that the other title fight has finally been decided, it is time to look forward to 2022! We are pleased to announce the first event, our post-poned 2020 award dinner. The long-awaited celebration will take place on March 5th 2022 at Delea's winery in Losone, Switzerland and members of the Regazzoni family will be present! The invitation letter and dinner reservation form are now available on our calendar page. Pictures are now online!
2022 UK Award Dinner
Now that the pandemic finally seems to come to an end, here's yet another opportunity for a social gettogether. Our friends from the British 1000cc F3 Historic Racing Association will have their Annual Awards Dinner on Saturday 26th March 2022 at the Chesford Grange Hotel in Kenilworth . Continental competitors are warmly welcome to attend.
2022 Calendar
We are pleased to present our calendar for 2022. Our racing season will be launched in style with the 6th edition of the Derek Bell Cup at the 79th Members' Meeting at Goodwood in April. As it was very difficult to find attractive events, we decided to focus on quality rather than quantity and as a result, our championship will start a bit later than usual with two standalone double-headers at Donington Park in June and, just three weeks later, at Brands Hatch in July, subject to confirmation by HSCC. Members are encouraged to participate in both of these flagship events in order to demonstrate that Historic F3 can put together full grids. For those interested, our British friends will assist in finding options to leave car and equipment on the island in between the two races. The second part of the championship will then take place in October, first with another standalone double-header at the Motors Cup at Dijon-Prenois which will also be the final round of the British Historic F3 championship. And last, but certainly not least, the final round of the European 1000cc Trophy will take place at Portimão in a joint race together with our friends from the Formula Junior Historic Racing Association. The race entry will include 100 minutes of track time as well as 3 nights in a four star hotel, thus representing great value and a perfect vacation opportunity to enjoy some sunshine and good food in the beautiful Algarve area. As the rounds in Dijon and Portimão are just three weeks apart, the plan is to organize a transport option for our continental competitors from Dijon to the Algarve and back - stay tuned for further information. Details can be found on our calendar page - we hope to be seeing you in full force back on track in 2022!