Macau F3 Grand Prix 2001

MACAU GRAND PRIX 2001: WIN FOR SATO

Japan`s Takuma Sato is the star of international Formula 3 Racing in 2001. After victories in the famous British F3 Championship and the Marlboro Masters held at Zandvoort, next year´s Jordan Grand Prix driver celebrated a superior start to finish win in the 48th Macau Grand Prix, that is considered the unofficial F3 worldchampionship. Starting from pole position, Sato had no real difficulties to control the field from the lead on the very difficult nd also dangerous Guia circuit in the streets of the former Portuguese colony. In contrast to 2000, when he had to retire caused by a crash in the famous Lisboa curve, this time the Japanese made not a single mistake to bring his Carlin Motorsport entered Dallara Mugen Honda home 4.410 seconds ahead of Frenchman Benoit Treluyer, the 2001 Japanese F3 Champion. Third became Swede Bjoern Wirdheim, who competed in the German F3 Championship in 2001.

With nearly all reigning F3 Champions on the grid, race 1 for qualifying for the second heat faced 2 full course yellows with the safety car coming out each time because of heavy shunts. But only French F3 Champion Ryo Fukuda from Japan had been taken to hospital for a check up to leave it very quickly again with only a briuse of his neck.

Results (combined both heats of 15 laps á 6.12 kms each)
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1 Takuma Sato/J, Dallara Honda F301

2 Benoit Treluyer/F, Dallara Honda F301

3 Bjoern Wirdhein/S, Dallara Opel F301

4 Kousuke Matsuura/J, Dallara Opel F301

5 Yuji Ide/J, Dallara Renault F399

6 Matteo Bobbi/I, Dallara Opel F301

7 Peter Hacket/AUS, Dallara Honda F300

8 Heikki Kovalainen/FIN, Dallara Renault F301

9 Micheal Ho/MAC, Dallara Opel F301

10 Lei Kit Meng/MAC Dallara Opel F301

11 Paolo Montin/I, Dallara Toyota F301