Melbourne racing driver Dylan Young has clinched a sensational win in the opening round of the MRF Challenge Formula 3 season at the Dubai Autodrome last weekend from November 21-23.
Young won the third race of the weekend from 2nd on the grid, powering past current Championship leader Michelangelo Amendola to cross the chequered flag in 1st place after controlling the entire race from the lead. He now sits in third place of the Drivers Championship as the only Australian in the international field.
To top off the win in Race 2, Dylan stood on the podium three times out of the five races, securing 3rd place in Race 1 and Race 5 of the weekend.
Young narrowly missed pole position during qualifying by just over 1/10th of a second, not helped by his tall stature which means he carries more weight than the rest of the field, running at least 15kg over the weight limit. His strong qualifying pace came off the back of effectively one practice session after Dylan unfortunately had a set back in the opening session of the weekend when his car came to a halt on lap 4 with mechanical issues.
Despite this, Young showed his one lap pace in qualifying and then converted that straight away into a podium in Race 1 after a tight fight with Belgium's Michelangelo Amendola and Britain's Josh Mason.
He got another strong start in Race 2 but was punted from behind by another driver at the first corner of the opening lap whilst in 3rd position, causing damage and an instant retirement from the race. Had Dylan gone on to complete a likely top four position in that race, he would be sitting 2nd in the Drivers Championship.
Saturday morning saw Young get off the line with a blitzing start from 2nd on the grid to grab the lead before Turn 1. He then soaked up the pressure and controlled the race, putting in strong laps whenever Amendola got close to his slipstream. The performance demonstrated Young's ability to deliver against competitors with higher budgets from Europe who have been competing all season with much more seat time.
The MRF Challenge heads to Bahrain for the next 4 races from December 12-14 in support of the FIA World Endurance Championship and Young will be aiming to keep up the momentum at the front of the field.
"I'm absolutely over the moon to get the win and also come home with three podiums in total. I said I was confident coming into the round despite having a long lay off compared to the other drivers but you still never underestimate the challenge. I'm just so proud to have fought really hard to showcase my pace and deliver a win for not only myself but for my team of partners & investors who believe in me. This is what it's all about and hopefully this will springboard us into a successful 2020. I'll be doing everything I can to have another strong weekend at the next round in Bahrain. Finally, I can't thank my team including Sam, Les, Surendren and all the MRF crew for working so hard across the weekend."
Dylan Young is proudly supported throughout his MRF Challenge campaign by:
The A Team Property Group, Crystal Creek Rainforest Retreat, IntelliTrac, Bizzow, ORCA, Besser + Co Estate Agents, Forum Group, Designsport, SEEK, UMS, Last Lap Media, Winning Appliances, Pure Scot Whisky, Grip Auto and inurZONE.
ENDS