F3000 championship race hots up

Frenchman Nicolas Minassian has reeled in Bruno Junqueira, at one point runaway leader of the series, to be level with just three races left.

Super Nova driver Minassian took his second win on the trot at the A1-Ring in Austria last weekend, while Petrobras driver Bruno Junqueira failed to score. It leaves the pair on 38 points, with their closest rival Mark Webber 21 behind.

Junqueira had looked a dead cert for the title after scoring a hat trick of wins earlier in the year, but a place at Magny-Cours and a seventh on Saturday has allowed Minassian back in for a shot at the championship.
"It is between me and Minassian," Junqueira said. "I now have to win two more races to be sure of the title. I won at Hockenheim last year, so I can do well there again, and I like the Hungaroring and Spa-Francorchamps too."

But Minassian is also confident of doing well on the three remaining tracks too. "A lot of people were saying that the championship was finished," he said. 'But it never is until the end."

Webber admitted that his hopes of winning the title have gone, but has set himself a points target for what is his rookie year in the series. "If I can finish with 30 points that would be mega," the European Arrows driver said. The Australian is the only other driver to win a race this year - he took the lead of the championship briefly after winning at Silverstone in April.