23 July 2024 – Press release Arthur Rogeon
GB3 Championship, round 5, Zandvoort, 13 – 14 July 2024
Three weeks after the Marseillaise which greeted his first single-seater victory at the Hungaroring, Arthur Rogeon hoped to be free of the technical problems which had disrupted his start to the season. Unfortunately, they came back to haunt his Tatuus MSV-022 at Zandvoort with inexorable assiduity. The only French driver in the GB3 Championship field certainly dreamed of a completely different fireworks display on France’s National Day!
It all started to go south in free practice. Arthur had only two trouble-free sessions out of six, the last on Thursday and the first on Friday. The rain arrived during the final session, which would prove crucial in preparing for an equally wet qualifying. Problem for Arthur: “The engine didn’t want to start at first. When I was finally able to leave the pits, I did three laps to get my bearings and then two red flags prevented me from completing any push laps.”
The team concluded that, as in Hungary, it was necessary to change the electronics and the harness on Arthur’s car before the qualifying session scheduled for Saturday morning. It was at this moment that the Laval resident achieved his best performance of the weekend: “The car was working well, I set the ninth-best time which, in view of my problems during practice, was very welcome. I limited the damage!”
Unfortunately, the three races did not live up to Arthur and his team’s hopes. “The track was wet for race 1 but everyone started on slick tyres. On the first lap, another driver clipped my rear tyre puncturing it. I stopped to change the tyre and then the pace was good and I was able to fight my way up to 13th place (with a quickest time faster than the third best, Editor’s note). At the start of race 2, I narrowly avoided the three drivers who collided in front of me causing a red flag. On the second lap after the second start, a driver attempted an optimistic pass and dragged me into the gravel trap in the Tarzan corner, but I got back in the fight and finished 13th.”
But the problems then reoccurred and race 3 with a fifth place on the grid, which could have saved the weekend, quickly turned into an ordeal. “I had no pace especially in the straight and top speed is essential at Zandvoort. It was like I was driving an F4. Although I fought to hold on to my place it was a lost cause and I finished 16th. It’s a shame because the team is doing their best, but for the moment we can’t find a solution.”
However, it’s imperative to find one quickly as the next round is scheduled for this coming weekend of July 27 and 28 at Silverstone!
Photo by JEP / DomGibbonsPhoto