26 June 2023 – Press release Arthur Rogeon
GB3 Championship, round 4, Snetterton, 16 – 18 June 2023
Four meetings out of the eight on the calendar have been held meaning that Arthur Rogeon is at the half-way mark of his first season in motor sport. While there are many traps on the learning curve in single-seater racing for the driver from Laval, France, he has managed to seize every opportunity to put himself in the limelight! An excellent example is his second place in the final heat of the round on the Snetterton circuit!
Without doubt Arthur was the only one of the 25 drivers in the British GB3 Championship who could justify his absence on Thursday as he was passing his ‘baccalauréat’ (A level) in French. Remember that aged 16 he is the only Frenchman in the field and the only one to come straight from karting. “Right after the end of the exam we got into the car and set off for England. This winter I drove at Snetterton, but because of the temperature the grip level was completely different. I had only two 30-minute sessions to find my marks again before qualifying. Unfortunately, I lost track time because of a technical problem that prevented me from downshifting.”
The result was a disappointing qualifying session and a start in 22nd place for races 1 and 2. In the first one he pulled back six places adding some more points to his total. The second race looked like it would follow the same pattern, but a chaotic restart after the safety car pulled off led to contact and the loss of hard-won places.
Then it was time for race three and its reverse grid start, which gives a change to those who have fluffed their qualifying session. Rogeon was on the outside of the front row and he attacked the pole sitter immediately, but in the end the situation stabilised. Arthur lost a few seconds to the leader at the same time as he pulled away from his pursuers. Thus, he found himself on the second step of the podium, one better than at Silverstone!
“It’s a good result but what sticks in my mind is an overall pace that was much better than at the start of the weekend. This being said we have to find more performance to improve our qualifying results and have a chance of aiming for the podium without the help of the reversed grid.“ On 29-30 July, the Chris Dittman Racing driver will be delighted to find himself back on the Silverstone circuit, which really inspired him on his first visit!
Photo by Jakob Ebrey