Sims returns to T-Sport for European F3
Factory McLaren GT racer Alexander Sims is to make another comeback to Formula 3 in the next two rounds of the F3 European Championship
Sims, whose main programme this season is in the Blancpain Endurance Series, will race a ThreeBond Nissan-powered Dallara for T-Sport at the Norisring and the Nurburgring.
He will take over the car raced in the first four rounds of this season by Will Buller, who has since left the team and joined Fortec Motorsport.
Sims raced this very chassis in last season's European round at the Nurburgring and in the Macau Grand Prix. He was fastest in free practice at the German circuit and won the reversed-grid second race of the weekend.
"The way I see it is that it's more racing for me and it will be fun," said Sims, the 2008 McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award winner. "When Russell [Eacott, team principal] called me up I thought, 'Why not?'
"I'm more than happy to go and do it. People aren't always going to be asking me to race F3 cars, so I may as well do it while I still can!"
Sims believes he is unlikely to test the car before the Norisring weekend, on July 12-14, although says that he should get some extra running before the Nurburgring event, which takes place on August 16-18.
"I would hope I'll be fairly close to the pace with my experience," he said. "But I'm in no doubt that the competition this season is exceptionally tough.
"If I hadn't screwed up qualifying at the Nurburgring last year we'd have had an even better weekend, so I'm looking forward to going back again a hell of a lot."
T-Sport, which continues to run Australian Spike Goddard in its other car, is looking for another driver to fill the Buller/Sims car for the final three rounds of the European championship.
It is understood that the team is prepared to take just Goddard to the non-championship Masters of F3 at Zandvoort on July 7.
Participation this season will once again qualify Sims for the Macau GP, although he said his competing there "has not been mentioned at all, at least not in F3..."
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