Korea F3: Pla takes victory

Poleman Pla used the power of his Renault engine to pull away from the line, but secured his lead by firmly pulling over on fellow front-row starter Kousuke Matsuura. Matsuura was forced to back off, allowing Heikki Kovalainen into second place by the first corner.

The French driver led comfortably until he came up to lap backmarker Alan Cho. The Korean blocked the race leader for three laps, the pair eventually interlocking wheels when Pla forced his way down the inside of turn four. This gave Kovalainen an opening, and the Finn edged alongside Pla on the run down to the right hand turn five. The Frenchman squeezed Kovalainen out, with the pair briefly making contact.

The second heat was more straightforward for Pla, not least because Kovalainen's driveshaft snapped as the cars came up to the starting grid. Japanese driver Takashi Kogure found himself with a clear run to the first corner, and was able to outdrag countryman Kousuke Matsuura into second place.

Pla's team-mate, Macau winner Tristan Gommendy, was penalised for a yellow flag infringement, and finished in a distant tenth position. British Formula 3 champion Robbie Kerr failed to start the event after crashing into a crane during practice for the event.




Olivier Pla (Dallara-Renault), 32m14.653
Takashi Kogure (Dallara-Mugen Honda) +0.604s
Kousuke Matsuura (Dallara-Opel) +1.744s
Fabio Carbone (Dallara-Renault) +10.943s
Paolo Montin (Dallara-Toyota) +11.373s
Stefan de Groot (Dallara-Mugen Honda) +18.933s
Richard Antinucci (Dallara-Mugen Honda) +20.783s
Robert Doornbos (Dallara-Mugen Honda) +25.6s
Jamie Green (Dallara-Mugen Honda) +25.714s
Tristan Gommendy (Dallara-Renault) +25.848s