2008 Australian Drivers' Championship


The 2008 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title which was contested concurrently with the 2008 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship. The championship winner was awarded the 2008 CAMS Gold Star. The 2008 championship was the 52nd Australian Drivers' Championship and the fourth to be contested with open wheel racing cars constructed in accordance with FIA Formula 3 regulations. The season began on 3 February 2008 at Eastern Creek Raceway and finished on 21 September at Symmons Plains Raceway after eight rounds across four different states with two races per round.
The series was won by a British driver for the second time in three years, with James Winslow victorious after a season long battle with Leanne Tander, who was runner up by only a few points for the second year in a row. Chris Gilmour won the National Class from Irish driver Lee Farrell, while Andrew Mill clinched the Trophy Class with a round in hand.

Class structure

Drivers competed in three classes:
Championship points were awarded on a 20–15–12–10–8–6–4–3–2–1 basis to the top ten classified finishers in the Championship Class in each race. An additional point was awarded to the driver gaining the Championship Class pole position for each race and a further additional point was awarded to the driver setting the fastest lap in the Championship class in each race. To secure the "fastest lap" point the driver must have been declared finisher for that race.
The same point-score system was also used for both the National Class and the Trophy Class.

Teams and drivers

The following teams and drivers competed during the 2008 Australian Formula 3 season. The listing relates to both the 2008 Australian Drivers' Championship and to the non-championship Indy F3 Challenge races.
TeamClassChassisEngineNoDriver
Scud RacingNationalDallara F301Spiess-Opel1 Tim Macrow
Scud RacingTrophyDallara F301Spiess-Opel25 Justin Tate
Roman Krumins
Scud RacingChampionshipDallara F307HWA-Mercedes-Benz35 Stuart Kostera
Scud RacingNationalDallara F304Spiess-Opel89 Mathew Radisich
Team BRMChampionshipDallara F307HWA-Mercedes-Benz1 James Winslow
Team BRMChampionshipDallara F307HWA-Mercedes-Benz3 James Winslow
John Magro
Chris Alajajian
Zahir Ali *
Team BRMChampionshipDallara F307HWA-Mercedes-Benz4 Earl Bamber
Nick Percat
James Winslow
Team BRMChampionshipDallara F307HWA-Mercedes-Benz5 Nathan Caratti
Team BRMNationalDallara F304Spiess-Opel6 Lee Farrell
Team BRMChampionshipDallara F307HWA-Mercedes-Benz9 Ben Clucas
Transwest RacingChampionshipDallara F307Mugen-Honda2 Mat Sofi
Transwest RacingNationalDallara F304Mugen-Honda20 James Crozier
R-Tek Motorsport ServicesNationalDallara F304Spiess-Opel7 Chris Reindler
Karl Reindler
Carlos Huertas *
R-Tek Motorsport ServicesTrophyDallara F301Spiess-Opel59 Jesse Wakeman
Astuti MotorsportChampionshipDallara F307Sodemo-Renault11 James Winslow
Maher Algadrie
Chris Alajajian
Astuti MotorsportChampionshipDallara F304Sodemo-Renault23 Ray Chamberlain
Astuti MotorsportNationalDallara F304Sodemo-Renault24 Daniel Schulz
Ash Samadi
Andrew Mill
JB MotorsportTrophyDallara F301Novamotor-Fiat12 John Boothman
Brian Sampson
Property Solutions GroupTrophyDallara F301Spiess-Opel16 Andrew Mill
Kevin Miller
Property Solutions GroupTrophyDallara F301Sodemo-Renault86 Kevin Miller
Gilmour RacingNationalDallara F304Spiess-Opel17 Chris Gilmour
Morcraft HomesChampionshipDallara F307HWA-Mercedes-Benz18 Steve Morcombe
David ChoonTrophyDallara F396Mugen Honda19 David Choon
GKH PowdercoatingNationalDallara F304Spiess-Opel21 Graeme Holmes
Chris AlajajianChampionshipDallara F304Sodemo-Renault22 Chris Alajajian
Piccola Scuderia CorseNationalDallara F304Spiess-Opel26 Daniel Cotton
Troy Woodger
John Whelan
Justin Tate
Piccola Scuderia CorseChampionshipDallara F307HWA-Mercedes-Benz27 Neil McFadyen
Justin Tate
John Martin *
Piccola Scuderia CorseNationalDallara F304Spiess-Opel28 Ash Bettridge
TandersportNationalDallara F304Spiess-Opel32 Matthew Radisich
TandersportChampionshipDallara F307HWA-Mercedes-Benz42 Leanne Tander
TandersportNationalDallara F304Spiess-Opel52 Chris Reindler
Samantha Reid
Ben Crighton
National SurgicalTrophyDallara F30132 Jon Mills
Hack, Anderson & ThomasTrophyDallara F396Toyota37 Rod Anderson
Ausdeck Patios & RoofingTrophyDallara F30196 Jonathan Grant *

'* - John Martin, Zahir Ali, Carlos Huertas & Jonathan Grant contested the non-championship Indy F3 Challenge races but did not contest rounds of the 2008 Australian Drivers' Championship.

Race Calendar

Results and standings

Drivers championship

Note: Race 2 of Round 1 was abandoned due to torrential rain and no points were awarded.

Indy F3 Challenge

The Indy F3 Challenge was a three race support event for Australian Formula 3 cars at the 2008 Nikon Indy 300 meeting at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit. It was not a round of the 2008 Australian Drivers' Championship.
Pos.DriverQualifyingRace 1Race 2Race 3Points
1 John Martin111259
2 James Winslow222150
3 Leanne Tander543Ret22
4 Chris Alajajian334Ret22
5 Mat Sofi6Ret7316
6 Chris Gilmour888416
7 Nathan Caratti455Ret16
8 Jesse Wakeman111010510
9 Zahir Ali976Ret10
10 Steve Morcombe13111166
11 Carlos Huertas76RetRet6
12 Jonathan Grant12Ret1274
13 Ben Crighton1099Ret4
14 Jon Mills15RetRet83
15 Kevin Miller14Ret13Ret0