Motorsport News (Monday, 2nd July 2012)
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| Jazeman Jaafar at Norisring Circuit |
LUCKLESS WEEKEND FOR JAZEMAN JAAFAR AT NORISRING BRITISH F3 ROUND
Jazeman Jaafar endured a weekend of luckless racing at Norisring in Germany
this weekend, the sixth round of the British F3 International Series. Salvaging
two seventh place finishes in the first two races was scant reward for the young
Malaysian, and a retirement from the final race, Jaafar’s first non-finish of
the season in British F3, was a lowpoint for him. Title rival Jack Harvey moved
ahead of Jaafar in the Drivers championship, but with only four points between
them, Jaafar is still very much in contention.
Jaafar was an innocent victim of a first lap incident in the first race
when Harvey outbraked himself and collided with the rear of Jaafar’s car,
spinning the young Malaysian around and into the path of the cars behind. The
incident forced Jaafar to pit for a new front wing, with the PETRONAS Talent
Programme recovering well to finish in seventh place.
The second race produced similarly chaotic racing and Jaafar was
unfortunate to be in the thick of the action, and after jostling for position in
the early stages of the race, the frenetic wheel-to-wheel action left the
Malaysian driver with damage to his car, hampering his pace. Crossing the finish
line in seventh place in the British F3 standings netted him a few more points,
but not the haul that the 19-year-old has been taking in previous
weekends.
The third and final race of the weekend took place in a thunderstorm, which
added to the challenges of the Norisring street circuit. The race started under
the safety car, with the green flag waving after seven laps, but chaos ensued
again, with numerous incidents in the next few laps and Jaafar caught up in one
of them. He was unlucky to run over the discarded front wing of Will Buller
after he had crashed, which resulted in damaged suspension on the
PETRONAS-liveried car.
“That was a rollercoaster weekend,” said Jaafar. “I was really unlucky this
weekend, just being in the wrong place at the wrong time in all three races.
The first lap incident in the first race was annoying as I’d made a good start
and saw the opportunity to make up ground in the first few corners, but after a
mistake by my team mate running behind me who had outbraked himself, I found
myself facing the wrong way down the track, and having damage to my car which
forced me to pit. With the short lap of Norisring, this meant that I’d gone a
lap down by the time the repairs had been made. The Carlin guys did a really
good job to get me back out and at least I salvaged some points by the end of
the race.”
Jazeman continues, “Things didn’t get
much better in the second race and in the scrabble through the tight corners
with the close barriers, I was squeezed over and brushed the wall, then banged
wheels which damaged my car and slowed my pace. It was another case of hanging
on in there and taking the points, but a bit frustrating.
“Bad luck must come in threes,”
concluded Jaafar. “The third race began in horrendous weather and I was really
struggling to see much in front of me. I kept out of trouble in the opening lap,
but then ended up tripping over front wing debris which damaged my car so badly
I had to retire.
“The only consolation of the weekend
was that Jack (Harvey) didn’t score too many points. Although he scored a few
more than me which put him above me in the points standing, we’re only four
points apart, so there’s still plenty of opportunity to get back on top and
return to the form I’ve been able to show at every other round. I’ll put this
one behind me and hope that I’ve had my dose of bad luck for the season."
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