- For Immediate Release 26 October 2000
-
- PAUL EDWARDS IMPRESSES IN FORMULA 3 TESTING DEBUT
-
- 22-year-old American racer Paul Edwards shone in his debut
Formula 3
test today at Pembrey. Driving for Alan Docking Racing, Edwards
posted a
fastest time of 49.8 seconds on the way to logging 120 laps of
the 1.45 mile
Welsh circuit. His time compared favorably to the best effort
of British F3
regular Gianmaria Bruni, who posted a lap of 50.5 seconds while
running in
similar conditions on Wednesday.
-
- Edwards was delighted after the experience. "It was
great to be back on
the pace after a tough season and great to be with a team as
professional as
Alan Docking Racing. Everything gelled from the word go. I felt
comfortable
in the car right away and made a lot of progress during the day.
I want to
thank my main sponsor this year, Doug Mockett, for making it
possible for me to
do the test."
-
- Team owner Alan Docking was impressed with the Californian,s
pace and
approach. "Paul,s approach was spot on and a real credit
to his skill and
determination. He has adapted to an F3 car faster than any driver
I have
had for a long-time. His fitness was incredible. He didn't have
a trace of
fatigue after a full day on a very physical circuit." Asked
whether
Edwards has the talent to race at the highest level, the veteran
team owner
responded, "No question."Edwards, time was the team's
quickest at Pembrey
- since 1998 and American chief engineer Paul Antony was equally
enthusiastic.
- "Paul is a fantastic driver and he's got the talent
to reach F1. His approach was
- superior to any rookie I have worked with in several years.
Our goal now is to
- work with Paul next season."
-
- Edwards' readiness should come as no surprise. Only a year
ago, he
convincingly defeated newly-signed Jaguar Formula 1 test driver
Tomas
Scheckter and F3 standout Takuma Sato at Zandvoort in the last-ever
EFDA
Euroseries event. Edwards followed by dominating the FPA Winter
Series,
taking 3 victories from 4 races while flying the flag for the
Valvoline
Team USA Scholarship program.
-
- Edwards reflected on his performance saying, "It was
an important day
for me. Having a strong F3 test will definitely help open doors.
I'm going all
out to make sure I have the opportunity to race with a team like
Docking over
here or a topline team back home in America next season."
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