DRIVER NEWS:
Season concludes for Antti at Silverstone
DRIVER NEWS 9
OCTOBER 2011: A full throttle season in the Dunlop MSA Formula
Ford Championship of Great Britain has now come to an end for
Finnish racer Antti Buri, after an eventful weekend at
Silverstone.
After 24 races
spread across 8 weekends and 6 different circuits in the UK and
Europe, Antti narrowly missed out on a top three championship
position to finish in a strong fourth place.
The season finale
at Silverstone last weekend (8th-9th October) was a challenging
affair for the youngster, however it was far from short of action.
Drama made an appearance from the very start of the weekend, when
whilst waiting to hit the track for testing a burnt wiring loom
forced Antti to miss the first session.
With one more
session before qualifying and the three races, Antti took to the
track for the second test. New to the Arena circuit layout Antti
was unsure of what to expect on his first lap, and with the added
excitement of damp conditions it was an experimental experience.
A lack of knowledge
around the 3.66 mile circuit left Antti with guess work on setting
up his Mygale SJ11 single-seater. Despite this, Antti launched
into qualifying to secure a fourth place start for race one.
Described by Antti
as "one of the best races this season", race one was
loaded with electrifying battles up and down the field. A fiercely
close performance saw Antti reach second place, until a wide line
into Luffield allowed two of his rivals to muscle their way
through.
An original fourth
place was later changed to third for the Geva-LMS Racing expert,
when third placed Dan De Zille was deemed to have passed under
yellow flags.
A damp track played
host to the second race on Sunday (9th October), and as ever a
ferocious fight awaited Antti. Despite the excitement, Antti found
himself tormented by a lack of testing, as he faced a battle with
his tyres as well as his rivals.
A double fifth
place finish awaited Antti at the chequered flag of both race two
and three, as another season came to a close. A vivacious
performance from the Finnish racer this year has seen him edge
closer to that illusive first win in the British championship.
Looking back Antti
said: "It has been an interesting year. We've had some good
results and some great races, but it was a shame Silverstone was
so frustrating."
Now Antti looks
ahead to the extremely prestigious Formula Ford Festival at Brands
Hatch this coming weekend (15th-16th October). With testing for
the Festival available throughout this week, Antti is eager to get
back behind the wheel on a familiar circuit, as he strives for
Festival honours.
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