It may be nearly twelve thousand kilometres between his native Yorkshire and Sydney’s Oran Park Raceway but Astuti Motorsport driver Charlie Hollings needed just five kilometres – two laps – today to lock away a pair of pole positions for the second round of the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship.
Hollings will start from the front in both of tomorrow’s two races after narrowly topping today’s two sessions in warm and hazy conditions in Sydney.
Hollings is trading time between Australia and Yorkshire in the UK this season as he has his first taste of racing with the Melbourne-based Astuti team – came under intense pressure from both Leanne Tander and Tim Macrow today and ended up fastest by less than one-tenth in each session.
His best lap of 1m04.1941s in session one was just. 053s faster than Tander, whilst his 1m04.9662s was similarly just. 071 quicker than Macrow in the second session.
”I said coming into the weekend that I wanted two pole positions and two wins, and I’m very pleased with today’s performance, ” said Hollings this afternoon.
”I really want to keep the momentum up because it’s tough and certainly very competitive here.
”A point for pole is good and we’ve had three out of four and that’s what it might come down to at the end of the year. ” He said.
Tander and Macrow both had indifferent days, narrowly being pipped for pole in each session today.
Championship leader Macrow was unable to break the deadlock between himself and Chris Alajajian today but will carry proven form at the circuit into tomorrow’s two, 15-lap races.
”It’s closer, that’s the main thing, ” Macrow said of his Cooltemp Racing Dallara.
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