GP3 Series Spa Race 1 Report... Canadian Robert Wickens wins in a monsoon

Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, 28th August 2010 ... WICKENS HANGS ON TO SCORE REMARKABLE MONSOON WIN

Canadian Robert Wickens scored Status Grand Prix's third GP3 Series win of the season in extraordinary
circumstances at Spa-Francorchamps to keep his championship challenge alive.

On a dry track, Wickens converted his pole position into an immediate lead by beating second-place starter
Adrian  Quaife-Hobbs  off  the  line,  but  his  Status  GP-team  mate  Daniel  Morad,  who  had  started  in  fourth
place, fell foul of a first corner accident that caused him to retire and brought out the safety car for two laps.

Wickens re-established his lead at the restart, and after four laps had a 0.7sec advantage over the Manor
Racing driver. But then on lap five it began to rain around the start-finish area, and by the time the lead duo
arrived back there a lap later a downpour had left the track teeming with water. Wickens was helpless as his
slick  tyres  aquaplaned  his  car  on  the  water  and  he  hit  the  inside  retaining  wall,  damaging  his  nose  and
causing him to spin.

As the safety car was rapidly deployed again, Wickens retook the track in second place, which soon became
first when new leader Roberto Merhi followed suit of most other drivers and stopped to fit wet weather tyres.
Wickens and the Status GP engineers then chose a strategy that amazed onlookers but paid dividends. With
the  30-minute  time  limit  of  the  race  approaching,  Wickens  stayed  out  in  the  teeming  rain  on  slicks,  even
though he was struggled to even stay on the track and keep up with safety car.

In  a  nail-biting  climax,  the  safety  car  turned  off  its  lights  to  indicate  it  was  coming  in  and  the  race  would
resume  with  only  30  seconds  of  the  race  remaining,  and  by  the  time  Wickens  crossed  the  finish  line  the
chequered  flag  was  already  out  to  finish  the  race  after  only  nine  of  the  12  scheduled  laps,  giving  the
Canadian a memorable victory. With championship leader Esteban Gutierrez failing to score points, Wickens
is now trailing by 17 points with another opportunity to close the gap further in tomorrow's race.

GMH Motorsport-backed driver Morad was bitterly disappointment to have his race end so quickly after he hit
the rear of the car in front at turn one and was then impacted at the rear as the pack arrived behind him,
causing him to slew across the circuit and into immediate retirement.

Marussia Motors development driver Ivan Lukashevich also failed to finish after falling victim to the torrential
rain conditions. After a great start from 18th, he was in the top 10 over the opening laps and showing good
speed before, on lap six, he hit the same stream of water as Wickens had and also spun. But the luckless
Russian slid into another car which had spun and damaged his rear suspension and retired on the spot.

The Drivers' View...
Robert Wickens (CAN): (Result: 1st. 30m10.463s, 9 laps. Championship position: 2nd, 57pts).
"It's always great to win, but this was certainly an unusual one. In the dry I was strong and comfortable, and
the rain didn't seem too bad until I hit the downpour - and as the leader you get no warning. Luckily the nose
damage was not bad and there was little point in pitting after that - it was just better to calculate that the rain
would keep the safety car out long enough for the race to run down. Even at those slow speeds for three laps
I was fighting to keep the car straight on slicks, so it's a strangely satisfying result."

Ivan Lukashevich (RUS): (Result: Rtd, 6 laps. Championship position: 32nd, 0pts).
"I got a good start to make up eight positions, and then I held my own in the top 10. When the rain came and
I hit this huge river across the track I was a passenger, and it was unfortunate I hit the Carlin car that had just
spun in front of me."

Daniel Morad (LIB): (Result: Rtd, 0 laps. Championship position: 11th, 15pts).
"I'm  very  disappointed  not  to  capitalise  on  a  strong  starting  position.  I was overly aggressive into the first
corner and unfortunately paid the penalty."