![](https://www.pitlane-news.com/content/images/2021/05/unnamed---2021-05-25T133841.079.jpg)
Multiple Ginetta series champions Elite Motorsport began its maiden foray in the British Formula 3 Championship with four excellent top-10 results – including a podium finish – at Brands Hatch last weekend (22-23 May). The Norfolk team’s three-driver squad were all making their F3 category débuts to add to the impressive achievement – Elite lying sixth in the Teams standings.
Tom Lebbon, who won the Ginetta Junior Championship with Elite last year, posted a ninth place finish in Race 1 on Saturday then seventh on Sunday morning – missing out on sixth-place by less than one second. He rounded off an impressive F3 début weekend with 10th in the final race.
![](https://www.pitlane-news.com/content/images/2021/05/unnamed---2021-05-25T135716.083-1.jpg)
Javier Sagrera Pont, having his first races in England, finished 12th in Races 1 and 2, but lay second early on in Race 3 making the most of a new set of slick tyres – the Spaniard going on to comfortably claim Elite’s maiden BF3 podium in the 12-lap race.
José Garfias was having his first races in Europe and after retiring on lap 2 of Race 1, finished 14th in Race 2 then posted 15th in the final race of the day around the 2.43-mile Kent track. The next rounds of the BF3 are staged at Silverstone (GP) over 26-27 June.
![](https://www.pitlane-news.com/content/images/2021/05/unnamed---2021-05-25T140238.141.jpg)
![José Garfias contesting the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship 2021 with Elite Motorsport](https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/aTZVwLY425Aly6NC3MT2SO9Kz7gq83_aDmOd7L26u7-x9B6bmW-68_1YUlX0Yt_ZTUmfispv2jpjlVaxMPfeEap3QuuUnskcWlh310sRDzUZbXxRQHblWRGbv7n4wfPH07AC_npW_6G2nSXk4kup9FjngkC_nw=s0-d-e1-ft#https://mcusercontent.com/92eeefbaf8b775703db567048/images/e1fd7918-6bdc-4324-0100-534824c46dba.jpg)
José Garfias (MEX)Age: 16
Born/Lives: San Luis Potosí, Mexico
Car No: 99
Qualifying Position: 15th
Race 1 Result: DNF
Start Race 2 Position (based on driver's second fastest qualifying lap): 15th
Race 2 Result: 14th
Start Race 3 Position (reverse of Race 1 finishers): 5th
Race 3 Result: 15th
Latest Championship Position/Points: 18th, (8-points)
![Tom Lebbon contesting the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship 2021 with Elite Motorsport](https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/YniN7jh8O1V_dlpzGyHqDQ0XxUTc9-ZKLJOYeD0znqs6lXFzVJxN5hSgIPSgAEjHN057EJ3HRMThVXZ_54lzBGRcJfADEo6oMKIyYb3ckUWTR27c7_e6CMvpH8RZSVxNHnDyuUq51TKWQeUmsBTp_znug7QP7w=s0-d-e1-ft#https://mcusercontent.com/92eeefbaf8b775703db567048/images/96103ea1-f864-aa07-5e8c-bd2dcf6d2947.jpg)
Tom Lebbon (GB)Age: 16
Born/Lives: Bury St Edmunds, England
Car No: 34
Qualifying Position: 9th
Race 1 Result: 9th
Start Race 2 Position (based on driver's second fastest qualifying lap): 7th
Race 2 Result: 7th
Start Race 3 Position (reverse of Race 1 finishers): 11th
Race 3 Result: 10th
Latest Championship Position/Points: 12th, (34-points)
![Javier Sagrera Pont contesting the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship 2021 with Elite Motorsport](https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/sJo_BmBXJusKIJZ2TLDxD9DKnM02Ab7vpqSQck1JIZGktfGaPMQmN7TyZf1Ebej6F4Z6mO3T8Q4fEf-nAoypQd9fQN7yanA7eJc9wwPe7bmh89YHLEBZ7sUIbh2DUON0lVfwWSQCz-bIn9vVdRrrrm8aNrdYKQ=s0-d-e1-ft#https://mcusercontent.com/92eeefbaf8b775703db567048/images/afbc4434-31a3-786b-4b8e-1790be7d1a5b.jpg)
Javier Sagrera Pont (SP)Age: 17
Born: Girona, Spain
Lives: Torroella de Montgrí, Spain
Car No: 3
Qualifying Position: 16th
Race 1 Result: 12th
Start Race 2 Position (based on driver's second fastest qualifying lap): 16th
Race 2 Result: 12th
Start Race 3 Position (reverse of Race 1 finishers): 4th
Race 3 Result: 2nd
Latest Championship Position/Points: 8th, (37-points)
![]() “I was very happy with the team performance overall. We could have found ourselves massively out-performed in our first-ever BF3 event but we came away with four top-10 finishes and a podium. We’ll find more pace as a team as will the drivers as they too gain experience. “Tom did a really good job in qualifying considering who he’s up against and their experience. It’s really tough to overtake at Brands with the ‘aero-wash’ these cars create running in close convoy so he did a good, mistake-free job to ninth place in the opener. His pace in Race 2 was only a couple of tenths slower than the top-four guys which was encouraging. Once Tom had generated the necessary temperature into his ‘old’ tyres and found a rhythm, his lap times in Race 3 were very impressive. “Javier unfortunately had an off in quali which ruined the good start he’d made in practice so we put him out on older tyres in Races 1 and 2, which made life difficult for him in terms of making any kind of progress up the leaderboard. But that saved him a new tyre set for the reverse grid Race 3. A poor start meant he couldn’t challenge for the victory but nevertheless finished a solid second. “José, contesting his first motorsport event in Europe, let alone in F3, unsurprisingly struggled a little considering his lack of experience in the car on a totally new track and who he is up against. It was a decent start to his BF3 campaign and his lap times kept improving.” |
Issue date: 25/05/2021
For further information, please contact Eddie Ives, Elite Motorsport
Elite Motorsport, Park Grange, Shipdham, Thetford, Norfolk, IP25 7PA
M: (+44) 07590 804865 ~ T: (+44) 01362 821579 ~
E: eddie@elitemotorsporteng.co.uk