It was a very positive weekend for the Ocean Racing Technology team, who added more points to their Championship account after Kevin Ceccon finished the first race of the Hungarian GP3 Series weekend just shy of the podium in fourth place, the Italian driver and Portuguese team once again showing great potential in their rookie season. In the first race, Kevin Ceccon was eighth on the grid, Robert Cregan 22nd and Carmen Jorda, 26th. Ceccon made an excellent start, drove an impressive race and crossed the line in 4th place. Cregan was steady and finished 21st and Jorda 24th.
The second race was more complicated due to the weather conditions. At the start the track was very wet and tyre choice proved critical. Ceccon lined up with wet tyres while Cregan and Jorda both started on slicks. However, the Italian driver had to make a stop to switch to slicks soon after, a move that would have allowed him to reach the podium, but a problem in the pits meant he finished ninth. Cregan had a good race and moved up to 14th while Jorda, despite all his effort, was forced to retire.
Kevin Ceccon was unable to hide his disappointment: “On one hand, I am satisfied with the outcome of the first race. I made an amazing start, made up positions and managed the race as good as possible due to the engine overheating. I was happy and added important points for the Championship. In the second race, the rain tyres soon deteriorated and I lost places. I knew I had to go into the pits and change rubber, this was our first pit stop, and unfortunately it did not go as smoothly as hoped. We lost more than 20 seconds and a lot of positions. After making an excellent recovery with a string of fast laps, there was not enough time to get into the points. It was a shame because our strategy was perfect and if not for this problem we could have won the race. However this experience, although not perfect, was important for me and the team for the future,” explained the Italian.
Robert Cregan was also pleased with his performance, especially in the second race: “It was very hard. Using the slick tyres for the first few laps was very complicated. Once the track started to dry however, I was able to make my way up to 14th place. It was a good result and hopefully we will continue to improve in the next races.”
Carmen Jorda had two difficult races but won by the whole experience: “It was a hard week-end on a very difficult circuit. But I’m glad to continue the learning process,” concluded the Spanish driver.
The Championship is now on a break for the summer holidays and will return on September 2nd at Spa-Francorchamps.