The ATS Formula 3 Cup will have its only event outside of Germany in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium this weekend. Twelve Cup and nine Trophy drivers are set to score points at the track located 20 kilometres (12 miles) away from the German border. The track is a favourite of many drivers. Known as the Ardennes rollercoaster, the 7.004-km racetrack offers the famous Eau Rouge combination as well as a total of 19 turns and a height difference of about 100 metres. It will be exciting to see if Marvin Kirchhöfer will be able to extend his lead or if the competitors of the driver from Leipzig will handle the centrifugal forces better.
This will mark the third event of the ATS Formula 3 Cup at Spa-Francorchamps after 2010 and 2011. Danish driver Marco Sörensen set the fastest lap of last year, 2:15.587 minutes, which will be the record to defeat besides championship leader Marvin Kirchhöfer. Scoring top10 places at the previous event, the Trophy drivers have already proved to be a tough competition. Günther Unterreitmeier, GU-Racing’s team principal: “We are really looking forward to Spa. I dare to say that whoever our competition will be, they will have to overtake us.” Three German Trophy drivers will join the Formula 3 family in Belgium: the CR Racing team with Andreas Germann, Christian Zeller and Thomas Warken. “I like Spa. It is a wonderful, flowing and very demanding natural racetrack with many fast turns,” explains the driver from Püttling. The ATS Formula 3 Cup drivers are extremely excited about next weekend’s event. Aston Hare, Thomas Jäger, John Bryant-Meisner, Gustavo Menezes, Sheban Siddiqi, Luca Iannacone and Marvin Kirchhöfer consider it to be the ultimate driver’s track.
Racing at the maximum
Spa-Francorchamps calls itself the most beautiful racetrack in the world and echoes of heroic stories from the 1920s when they drove on dirt roads through the Ardennes at the wheel of insane cars. The first motor race took place in 1922. More than 90 years later, the Formula cars complete their laps at speeds of 250km/h (155mph). Spectacular overtaking manoeuvres are guaranteed due to the push-to-pass system delivering an extra 20hp at the push of a button.
“Meet the drivers”
Fans will be able to get a lot closer to their idols, when Marvin Kirchhöfer, Gustavo Menezes and Sebastian Balthasar will answer their questions at the “Meet the drivers” at the ADAC Hospitality on Saturday at 2.45 p.m. Fans at their computers at home can enjoy the ATS Formula 3 Cup races via live stream and live timing.