K&N's Michael Lewis Earns His First Formula 3 Euro Series Victory in Valencia, Spain
- 12 Oct 2012
"This win means so much to me," Lewis said. "It is my first in the Euro Series and I hope to capture another one during the final race weekend in Hockenheim. Many big-time racecar drivers got their start and won in the F3 Euro Series, so to be associated with them is just incredible. I must thank Prema Powerteam for all of their hard work." After qualifying 11th for Race 1, or Round 19, of the Formula 3 Euro Series, Lewis set a goal to finish the race in at least 8th position. The top-8 finishers from the first 40-minute race are inverted for the second race, which would put him on the pole for the afternoon's 20-minute Race 2, which he accomplished, despite receiving a drive through penalty on lap 5. "I had come so far, even with the drive-through penalty, so I dug deep and found an opening on the last lap to slip by one more car," said Lewis. "This assured me the opportunity to start up front for Round 20, which is a 14-lap sprint race." After taking the mandatory drive through the pit area, Lewis displayed the sort of driving brilliance he's wholly capable of. Lewis worked his way back to the tail-end of the pack still on the lead lap. Then he started picking off a car every other lap up until the final lap when he was in 9th position. He needed to pass one last car, on the last lap to gain the coveted 8th position, which then positioned him on the pole for the start of Race 2.
Lewis' Prema Powerteam teammate, Sven Müller, shared the front row with him for Race 2, so the anticipation was amped-up as race fans anxiously waited to see which Prema car would come out of turn-1 in the lead. The red starting lights went out and Lewis made another strong launch as he has been doing all season long. He headed to the turn-1 left hander with a two-car advantage. The two Prema cars and drivers were clearly the class of the field, but Lewis was able to maintain the two-car gap for the 14-lap race. He led every lap and crossed the finish line 0.643 seconds ahead of Müller to record his first Formula 3 Euro Series win.
"I am feeling quite strong heading into Hockenheim, it's a good circuit for me," said Lewis. "I am working to tweak a few things on my driving/plan and the rest, we'll see what happens. Too much confidence can hurt, so I am going to keep a level head and do what I know I can do." The final 2012 Formula 3 Euro Series season event will take place on October 19-21, at the world-famous Hockenheimring Circuit in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
