Chris Gilmour and Gilmour Racing (#17 Snatchit.com.au) ended the season with their best run of the year, scoring a double podium in the two races, and finishing the season fourth in the standings for the 2006 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship at Oran Park.
“We were so happy with both our results,” Chris Gilmour said, “It has been a long time coming since 2004.”
“But this has still given me a excellent record at Oran Park with six races there during my career, and scoring six podiums,” he said.
“We ended up fourth in the championship, holding out Leanne Tander, so it was a great weekend.”
In the first qualifying session, Gilmour improved his fastest time by 1.9sec, but was only able to capture third position on the grid for Sunday’s first race, and with minimal adjustments to the car for the second qualifying session Chris set the second fastest lap to put him on the front row for race two.
At this stage, the weekend was already looking good for the Gilmour Racing Snatchit.com.au car, but on the warm up lap for the first race it almost came unstuck.
“On the first roll out lap when coming over the dog leg Chris Alajajian hit me in the rear of the car smashing and bending my rear wing,” Gilmour said.
“I radioed dad telling him what happened, but he didn’t have any tools to fix it, so I pulled up on the grid with my rear wing bent forwards and sideways,” he said.
At the start of the first race Tander stalled in front of Chris, moving him up to second position, where he stayed the entire race- askew rear wing and all, holding-off Stuart Kostera towards the end.
“My rear wing didn’t help the cars handling, and towards the end of the race a fast approaching Kostera was catching me, but I withstood the pressure and held on to second. Place,” Gilmour said.
“We also ran the fastest lap of the race, and it was our best race result in two years so we were very happy,” he said.
In race two Chris Gilmour repeated his first race feat, and again finished the race in second position.
“Starting on the front row I knew that I had to get good start and jump Macrow, which is what happened,” Gilmour said.
“I got the jump and went into the lead, and then Macrow tried to get up the inside into turn two, but I got the better run out of the turn,” he said.
“He held me on the inside for turn three, making me get a slow exit out and he shot up the inside into turn four before heading up the bridge.
“I looked in my mirrors and saw Kostera behind me, so I just maintained a gap, and managed again to hold on to second place.”
The pair of second position results meant that Chris Gilmour extended his lead over Tander for fourth position in the point standings, to secure a comfortable position in the points.
Chris Gilmour’s run at Oran Park also meant that he capped off an extremely strong end to the 2006 season.
After having to get acclimatised with the team’s new Snatchit.com.au Dallara F304 at the start of the season, Gilmour finished the last three rounds of the year with four podium positions.
Gilmour Racing now looks to the future, but it will have trouble answering the call in 2007.
“Budget will make us sit out in 2007, but I would still love to compete at the A1 Grand Prix of Nation and the Australian Grand Prix,” Chris Gilmour said.
“I hope we can continue in 2007,” he said.
Gilmour Racing is proud to be associated with each the following sponsors for their tremendous support in 2006:
Snatchit.com.au – ‘The cheapest way to buy online’, Campak Constructions, Stryomax Insulated Fibreglass Truck Bodies, Chris Nessell Spray Painting, Cooltemp Transport Refrigeration, Identity Plus, PM Lubricants, Revolution Racegear, Campac, Gary Sturdy Motorsport, Racing Press Media and CP Ships.
For additional information about the team, please visit the Gilmour Racing website at www.gilmourracing.com.
