4 April 2024 – Presse release Arthur Rogeon
GB3 Championship, round 1, Oulton Park, 29 March – 1 April 2024
The opening round of the 2024 GB3 Championship at Oulton Park was an eventful one for Arthur Rogeon. The driver from Laval, France clinched a good 7th place in race one before being rear-ended in the second race, and then experiencing bitter disappointment as he was about to cross the finish line in race three as victor. The experience of this domination at the head of the field on British soil is a bearer of great hopes for the rest of the season for the Rodin Motorsport driver.
The start of this highly anticipated first meeting saw Arthur set the 8th fastest time in qualifying, his best place since his debut in motorsport a year ago on the same Oulton Park circuit. Race one gave him the opportunity to demonstrate his skills at the start as he gained a position as soon as the lights went out, and held onto it until the chequered flag.
Because of the deluge which fell on the north-west of England, the officials opted for safety and decided to start race two with the cars circulating in single file behind the safety car, which doesn’t allow to gain places. Once the start was given Arthur in the no. 18 Tatuus quickly moved up from 12th to 10th place until his car was rear-ended at the end of a neutralization. With suspension damage and a bent wing support, a broken diffuser and crash box, Arthur initially lost two places but at the finish he found himself in a somewhat miraculous 10th spot! With race three scheduled to begin a few hours later, the Rodin Motorsport technical team deserves to be congratulated on their great performance as they managed to repair Arthur’s car in less than an hour!
This winter, the decision-makers of the GB3 Championship decided to align themselves more closely with other single-seater series by limiting the inversion of the grid for race three to the first twelve qualifiers. There was still no let-up in the pouring rain as race three got under way. From the outside of the second row, Arthur shot past his opponents and snatched the lead in the first corner. He continued to open up the gap which peaked at 5.2s when the safety car neutralised the race and regrouped the field. But the only Frenchman on the grid didn’t falter. He timed his restart to perfection at the green flag and began to rebuild his lead over his pursuers. At the start of the twelfth and final lap, he had opened up a 1.5s cushion and it looked like nothing could halt his triumphant drive. Suddenly, his car slowed and he was overtaken by one, then two, then five drivers. Sixth place was Arthur’s meagre reward for his flawless performance.
He explains the technical problem that deprived him of his first victory: “Water seeped into the connections of the gear shift paddles. The gearbox started to behave erratically; I found myself stuck in fifth, then second, or else sixth engaged while I was, on the contrary, trying to downshift when braking. But this race allowed me to show that I have the speed to win. I also made good starts. During the weekend, I had very fruitful discussions with my engineer Charly Gould, who helped me identify areas for improvement in tyre management. So over and above this disappointment, I retain many positive points, and a great confidence boost as the next meeting approaches.”
On the Silverstone circuit a year ago, Arthur scored his first podium finish in motorsport. He’ll be hungry for more this coming 27 and 28 April!
Photo by JEP