This weekend at Thruxton the Formula One stars of the future descend for the next two rounds of the British F3 International Series.
With ten of the 22 championship races completed, Thruxton marks the half way point of the season and after two seasons of runaway winners - Mike Conway in 2006 and Marko Asmer in 2007 - picking a favourite is about as easy as predicting this week's National Lottery numbers. Getting to Formula One is on all of the minds of the 28 drivers taking part and with Asmer and Conway currently F1 test drivers with BMW Sauber and Honda F1 and the 2004 British F3 champion, Nelson Piquet Jnr, racing for Renault F1, British F3 gives race fans the best opportunity to spot the next big name in the world of motorsport.
With 28 of the world's best drivers, representing 16 different countries, and plenty of on track action to keep the fans entertained, the championship battle is still wide open. Of the top ten, seven have won at least once and the top two drivers, Spain's Jaime Alguersuari and Mexico's Sergio Perez, are separated by just one point.
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l The Avon Tyres British GT Championship is the UK's leading sportscar series and race fans can see high powered supercars such as the Ferrari 430, Lamborghini Gallardo, Dodge Viper and Aston Martin DBRS9 battle it out in two 60-minute races. Southampton's Jon Barnes and Peterborough's James Gornall are at the top the British GT Championship table.
A great weekend at Snetterton in Norfolk three weeks ago proved to be a turning point for Barnes and Gornall, with a win and a second place handing them a healthy 16-point lead over their nearest rivals and Southampton based Team Trimite Brookspeed will be hunting for their third victory of the 2008 season on a track that will ideally suit the 8.3 litre, V10 powered Dodge Viper. With a field of 26 of the world's best supercars racing on the UK's fastest road course circuit Thruxton is the place to be this weekend.
The 2008 Volkswagen Racing Cup reaches the half-way mark and Thruxton's long, sweeping curves will be a major test of aerodynamic efficiency and mechanical reliability. After five races and six different winners the series is proving more open this season than at any time in its eight-year history.
Joe Fulbrook leads the battlers thanks to his twin wins at Snetterton earlier this month. The Berkshire-based driver is the only man on the grid to have won more than once this year and Thruxton ought to suit his Warranty Direct Bora Turbo. Thanks to judiciously playing his points-doubling Joker card last time out, Fulbrook currently enjoys an 88-point title lead.
The season's other race winners are 2006 Thruxton podium-topper Steve Wood, Paul Taylor who was fourth at Thruxton in his Golf R32 in 2006 and Rockingham victors James Walker and Jamie Perry.
Also Basingstoke's Martyn Culley will be hoping for some home-circuit luck.
The weekend also features Ginetta G50 Cup and Heritage Touring Car action with qualifying and two races on Saturday and a full day of racing beginning at 9am on Sunday.
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