The British F3 Championship was first run as a single entity in 1979. Before that the BRDC and the BARC each used to run their own championships. Usually the same driver would win both, but not always. In 1978 Nelson Piquet won one and Derek Warwick the other, which is probably what made the clubs realise that it was a rather silly situation, so from then on they ran the single Championship jointly, each holding the MSA permit in alternate years, but sharing the race meetings between them each year.
Simple maths will tell you that 2008 was therefore the 30th year of British Formula 3 and I am hopeful that a separate website may be launched soon, containing all the statistical information from those 30 years. If it comes to fruition, it will be an invaluable source of reference and, proof, in any were needed, of just how important British Formula 3 has been in the overall scheme of motorsport around the world.
Nowadays the commercial rights to British Formula 3 are held by the Stephane Ratel Organisation (SRO) and have been since 2004. Three races in Europe are included in the calendar and for that reason the FIA requires it to be called a Series, not a Championship, so it is now the British F3 International Series and this year it is sponsored by Cooper Tires, the American parent company of Avon Tyres, which has been the control tyre supplier for British F3 since 1981. Avon also had a financial interest in British F3 in previous years, when it was still a Championship.
Regardless of the official title, British Formula 3, whether it be a Championship or a Series, is usually referred to as British F3. I have been connected with it in one way or another for almost all the 30 years I mentioned earlier and in later blogs I hope to share with you some personal insights. I would not have been for a fan for so long unless British F3 was basically a very good formula and one worth preserving. It’s a shame that the efforts of others will make this more difficult in the future, although those involved also need to look within.
From most of the time this will be the front page of the website, but occasionally, as recently with the Joe Tandy story, something else will be given pole position when it’s deserved. Otherwise, this is what you will see first and you simply scroll down to find current stories in reverse chronological order.
You can use the Blogroll on the right-hand side of the page to connect instantly to other F3-relevant sites. They will open in a new window.