Formula One news
Ho-Pin Tung to drive German F3
18 March 2004 |
| Tung fits his F3 car |
The successful Dutch born Chinese racing driver Ho-Pin Tung will enter the prestigious German F3 Championship this season with the Dutch based VAR Racing Team. A challenging next step in Tung's motor racing career, in which he was very successful last season, when he clinched the Formula BMW Asia title. As a reward for winning this championship, 21-year old Ho-Pin Tung was offered a test with the WilliamsF1 team at the circuit of Jerez in Spain.
When the starting lights turn green on 25 April on the famous Hockenheimring in Germany, Ho-Pin Tung will officially debut in the German F3 Championship. This highly competitive series has marked the breakthrough of many young drivers, such as reigning world champion Michael Schumacher (champion in 1990), but also Jos Verstappen (champion in 1992), Jarno Trulli (champion in 1996), Nick Heidfeld (champion in 1997) and Giorgio Pantano (champion in 2000). They were all stars in German F3 before stepping up to the ultimate class in motor racing - Formula 1.
 |
| Tung in the Williams during his 1st F1 test at Jerez |
Ho-Pin Tung was born in The Netherlands, but nowadays lives in Shanghai. He actually started his car racing career only three years ago, when he was selected by the Dutch motor sport federation (KNAF), after a few successful years in karting. As the KNAF Talent First winner he was awarded with a season in the Formula Ford series with the highly successful team of VAR. In his first season Tung did what was expected: claiming pole positions and fastest race laps, and winning his first ever car race! He definitely showed his talents.
Last year he raced for the Meritus Team in the Formula BMW Asia series, in which he claimed no less than 12 pole-positions and 10 race wins! He won the title and was offered a test with the Formula 1 team of BMW.Williams. His very first introduction to the fastest class in motor racing (at the famous Jerez de la Frontera track in southern Spain), is something Ho-Pin Tung will remember for the rest of his life: "I had high expectations of Formula 1, and it was like a dream come true getting my first miles in such a machine! It is unbelievable what modern technology does: the high speed corners gives you high G-forces all over your body and that is a fantastic feeling… This experience makes my desire even stronger to become the first ever Chinese F1 driver."
 |
|
Ho-Pin Tung is delighted about the plans for this season: "To gain further experience in preparation of Formula 1, I need to drive cars like the high-tech F3 cars in a competitive championship. The German F3 cup is highly competitive and a well organised championship and VAR Racing is an excellent team to further develop my skills. I will have to face tough competition from a lot of young drivers who all have one aim in common: F1!"
more news
- 21 Nov.
- 20 Nov.
- 19 Nov.
- 18 Nov.
- 17 Nov.
- 16 Nov.
- 15 Nov.
- 14 Nov.
- 13 Nov.
- 12 Nov.
Homepage
Mugello
Barcelona