(Motorsport News) Monday, 7th January 2013
JAZEMAN JAAFAR STEPS UP TO
FORMULA RENAULT 3.5 WITH CARLIN
 |
| Jazeman moving up a step to Formula Renault 3.5 in 2013 |
Leading young Malaysian driver, Jazeman
Jaafar, will move up to the prestigious Formula Renault 3.5 (FR3.5) championship
for 2013, remaining with Carlin, the team which he has been successfully racing
with for the last three years.
The 20-year-old driver will continue to have the support of PETRONAS when
he makes his debut in the Formula Renault 3.5 series and takes another step
towards his goal of being a Formula One driver. Formula Renault 3.5 is the
headline championship of the World Series by Renault weekends and the category
is recognised as a feeder series on the ladder to F1, the pinnacle of motor
racing.
Jaafar says of today’s announcement, “I’m very excited to be confirming my
plans for 2013 and looking forward to lining up on the grid in the World Series
by Renault. I’ve had a fantastic year in British F3 and to round off 2012 with
this news is amazing. I am so grateful to PETRONAS for their continued support
and believing in me. I am very proud to be racing with them as one of the most
high profile Malaysian brands in global sport today.”
The PETRONAS Talent Programme driver
adds, “I’ve driven the FR3.5 car in the recent tests and really enjoyed the
challenge of this new car. It’s more powerful than the F3 car and more advanced
technically, so there is a lot for me to learn. I also need to be even fitter
and have the right type of fitness for this car as it is quite physical to drive
and the races are longer.”
“Staying with Carlin provides me with stability for the challenges ahead.
The team is like an extended family; I know how they operate, the high standards
that they have and the shared goal of winning that has brought us success and I
hope will continue to do so.”
Carlin has a strong history of
producing future racing stars, with Sebastian Vettel, Jaime Alguersuari and
Jean-Eric Vergne making the step into Formula 1 directly from Carlin’s Formula
Renault 3.5 team.
Jaafar enjoyed a strong, very
successful third season in the British F3 International Series in 2012 and was a
front-runner right from the first race of the championship through to the
finale. Amassing a creditable 306 points, the record books show three wins, 15
podiums and 21 top five finishes for Jaafar from the 29 races which were run in
the British F3 championship in 2012. As the young racer enters the next phase of
his racing career he moves on to new venues with the World Series by Renault,
including the most glamorous, iconic motorsport location – Monaco, where the
series supports the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix.
Trevor Carlin said of Jaafar racing
with the team this year, “We are delighted and very proud that PETRONAS have
chosen to place Jazeman with us again in 2013. We’ve had the pleasure of having
him as part of Carlin for the past three seasons and we’ve seen him mature and
improve with every year. Jazeman is still very young, but now is the right time
for him to make the step up to FR3.5 and based on his performance in testing, I
expect him to improve even further in his rookie season in the series.”
“I’m looking forward to driving on some new tracks like Monaco and Moscow
and returning to some of my favourite European ones, including
Spa-Francorchamps, Hungaroring and Catalunya,” says Jaafar. “Before we get
started with the racing there will be more testing as well, so I’ll be able to
put in some preparation before reaching the opening round in Spain at the end of
April. It’s great to be able to plan well in advance and put in the pre-season
work needed to be ready for that first race”.
For more information on Jaafar’s racing
career and to keep up to date with his new visit www.jazeman.com.
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