Ireland’s Carey becomes first ever back to back F3 Cup Champion!

Irish driver Cian Carey made history as the first driver to take back-to-back titles in F3 Cup last weekend

The Meath racer secured three podiums in the season finale at Snetterton, wrapping up the Championship in style with a race to spare. It was no more than the talented driver deserved after eight wins in total for the season – one more than he took during the 2018 campaign.

And while CDR narrowly missed out on a second team title in a row, team principal Chris Dittmann had nothing but praise for his double-title taking champ.

He said: “What can I say about Cian that I haven’t said before? He’s a phenomenal driver and fully deserves to take the title again after another outstanding season.

“To do it once was a great achievement, but to come back and do it again this year – making history as the first driver to take back-to-back titles for good measure – shows he is something special. But this title is about the team as well. We win and lose together and we have a brilliant team working hard behind the scenes. At Brands Hatch, Cian’s engine went and the team prepared Phillip Jeans’ car for Cian and had him fitted for it in under two hours which led to a podium and really valuable points. It all adds up to a title-winning season. It’s a shame we just missed out on the team trophy this year, but we’ve had a lot of drivers away or unavailable this season. We’ll be back to try to take it back next year!”

Cian went into the season finale top of the standings thanks to a win last time out, with team principal Chris also getting behind the wheel to take three second-place finishes.

Qualifying
This time round, Cian was joined by Patrick Jeans and Gino Ussi, with rain interrupting testing which then saw the final session cancelled. The weather made it a difficult choice of tyres for qualifying, with wet and greasy areas on the track and dry patches appearing. Cian was the only driver to go out on slicks, with Gino and Patrick opting for wets. Unfortunately, the gamble didn’t quite pay off with Cian ending in P5, while Gino took P6 and Patrick P8.

Race One
On a dry track, it was an unusually slow start from Cian that saw him drop a few places early on in Race One. But the determined racer refused to give up, slowly fighting his way back into the race and passing rival Shane Kelly on his way to an excellent P3.

Principal Chris Dittmann: “What can I say about Cian that I haven’t said before? He’s a phenomenal driver and fully deserves to take the title again after another outstanding season.”
Race Two
Cian got off to a good start in the second race, although became boxed-in going into turn one. But he then took advantage of some mistakes ahead to get into P3. He started to chase down the drivers in front, but made a few mistakes of his own and decided to ease off and settle for the podium and points that would ultimately see him retain the title.

Race Three
Cian got off to another good start in the final race, moving into P2 from his P3 starting position. After getting boxed-in again, he found some space and speed and then had the chance to go for the lead. But he was unlucky with the timing of a safety car and he settled for P2 in the end.

Cian said: “It would have been nice to finish the season with a win, but overall I’m delighted to take the Championship. Two in a row now and eight wins this season has been an unbelievable effort. The team did an amazing job again, I can’t thank Chris and the lads enough. Shane and Neill have been brilliant on the car ensuring it’s always perfect every time I get into it. Now it’s time to celebrate!”

Chris added: “It was a great way to end another brilliant season. Another title for Cian and CDR.

“We now head straight into testing new drivers for next season’s British F3 – with things already looking extremely positive for both Championships. We are looking forward to building on this really enjoyable and successful season.”