Gilmour Racing 2005 Season Review Part 2
Australian Formula 3
After a difficult start
to the 2005 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship, Gilmour Racing
significantly improved in the second part of the season.
The Gilmour Racing season review continues…
Round 5:
Eastern Creek - July 22-24
Eastern Creek signified the start of the second half of the season, and also
a rejuvenated Gilmour Racing. From the outset on Friday, Chris Gilmour was
fourth fastest in both the practice sessions. The good form carried through
to Saturday with a pair of fourth-placed qualifying positions for Sunday.
The team was happy with their performance so far in the weekend, but was truly
proud of what followed on Sunday. At the start of race one Gilmour launched
off the line, jumping into second position. Unfortunately Chris Alajajian
passed him when Aaron Caratti blocked him at the second corner, and Michael
Trimble passed Gilmour at turn nine, moving him back to fourth. Trimble spun
at the start of the second lap and Gilmour was back into third. Chris Gilmour
then held on to capture his first podium place of the season.
While Gilmour’s start in race one was good – his start in the
second was brilliant. Gilmour nailed the start and moved from fourth into
first. Chris led the rest of the first lap, however, he made a small error
on the exit of the final corner, and it was more than enough to let the faster
Dallara F304 of Caratti get a run on him into the first turn. The pair went
side-by-side at 240km/hr. Chris was on the outside, which let Caratti through,
and also gave Gilmour a bad exit for the run into the second corner, and Alajajian
slid underneath Gilmour to take away second position. Chris spent the rest
of the race consolidating his third position, and crossed the line to finish
on the podium for the second time in the day – and the year. If the
pair of podium places was not enough, the icing on the cake was jumping from
fifth in the championship standings into fourth.
Round 6:
Phillip Island - August 19-21
The second visit to Philip Island didn’t start of ideally, but by the
time qualifying rolled around the car was set up wonderfully. “The car
hasn’t ever felt this good before,” Chris Gilmour said. Chris
picked up a pair of third place qualifying positions for both races, and was
in a great position to carry on his form from Eastern Creek. In the first
race, Gilmour backed-up his qualifying position, finishing in third position
and scoring his third podium in a row. Race two started off with Gilmour maintaining
his position for the opening lap, but running off the circuit on lap four,
losing two positions. Chris rejoined the race, and quickly passed Tim Macrow
to move into fourth position. However Neil McFadyen was too far away to attack
and Chris Gilmour finished the race in fourth.
Round 7:
Eastern Creek - November 4-6
There was a change of scenery for Gilmour Racing for the second visit to Eastern
Creek in support for the A1 Grand Prix of Nations. With the help of Bevan
Carrick of Cooltemp Racing, Chris Gilmour was able to swap cars and race Cooltemp’s
new Dallara in front of the international teams. Sadly Chris did not have
enough seat time in the new car before the round and struggled with setup
issues throughout the event. Chris Gilmour finished the first race in seventh
position, and dramatically improved in the second race, finishing in third
position. Chris Gilmour continued to lay in fourth position in the championship.
Round 8:
Eastern Creek - December 2-4
The championship visited Eastern Creek again for the final round of the season.
The final round of the season would also be the last time that Gilmour Racing
would run their Dallara F301, before updating for the 2006 season. In Friday
practice Gilmour topped the timesheets, and on Saturday Chris qualified fourth
for both races - once again being the fastest F301 car in the field. At the
start Chris got a magnificent start, jumping up into second position. On the
tenth lap Chris Alajajian passed Gilmour, dropping him to third. Chris then
successfully held off James Cressey to finish the race in third position.
At the start of race two Chris dropped a position into fifth, but re-gained
fourth position by passing Chris Alajajian on lap three. For the rest of the
race Chris was held up behind James Cressey and Leanne Tander. On the final
lap Chris lunged past Cressey at the second turn, moving up into third position.
However, on the exit of the corner, Tander had a very slow exit and Chris
had to jump on the brakes to avoid hitting her. Behind Chris, James Cressey
had nowhere to go and struck the rear of the Gilmour Racing car, sending Chris
into a spin. Chris rejoined the race, but had lost over a dozen seconds, dropping
to fifth position. Nevertheless the old car put up a strong performance with
its final run for the team, and Chris was pleased with his run, despite the
final lap incident.
“Overall the season went ok,” Gilmour said, “I knew it was
going to be a difficult year - but my team and my dad, Errol, did an absolutely
fantastic job all year again.
“2005 was a tough season after having so many wins in 2004; I had high
hopes for 2005, but it didn’t really come together till mid-year.
“My biggest high would have been the podium at the A1 Grand Prix in
the Cooltemp car, but just competing in the series is a highlight for me,”
Gilmour said.
“But I tell you, bring on 2006 using the new car!” exclaimed Gilmour,
“I can’t wait.”
Stay tuned for more news about Gilmour Racing ahead of the 2006 season in
the coming weeks.
For all their support in 2005, Gilmour Racing would like to thank Identity
Plus, PM Lubricants, Revolution Racegear and Gilmour Developments.
For additional information about the team, please visit the Gilmour Racing
website at www.gilmourracing.com.
Contact Information:
Errol Gilmour: 0418 788448, GilmourErrolG@JohnDeere.com
Chris Gilmour: 0438 632459, gilmourracing@optusnet.com.au