MEDIA RELEASE - For immediate Release - Wednesday, October 28th, 2010
	STRONG END TO SUPER SEASON FOR TWEEDIE
	Photo: Tom tackles Sandown in his Team Tom Supporters Club Dallara. Image: Richard Craill Photo - Click to download hi-res for media use         Photo: Tom readies for practice in the Sandown Pit Lane. Image: Richard Craill Photo - Click to download hi-res for media use     TOM TWEEDIE has expressed satisfaction at finishing the 2010 Formula 3 Australian Drivers’ championship as the best placed local after one of the toughest years to date. Tweedie finished third outright in the championship, scoring 208 points to winner Ben Barker’s 220 and Mitch Evans’ 219. Tweedie also won the National Class again (for earlier model F304 cars only) for the second year in a row.   In a career best season, Tweedie finished the year having won three races and finished on the podium a remarkable 17 times from 20 races completed. Tweedie was always on the money at the Sandown decider despite having the disadvantage of having to work with a twelve point deficit in the 3rd and title race. The Team Tom Supporters Club Dallara F304 qualified third but slipped to fifth in race one after gearbox woes hampered his speed.  Race two was red-flagged after five laps due to a massive crash by long-term competitor Graeme Holmes, a result that badly hindered Tweedie’s chances of winning the outright title as he was running third at the time. With Barker out of the race this would have given Tweedie a bundle of points at Barker's expense (who would have forfeited his) and probably a row one or two grid position for race 3. With his excellent starts of late Tweedie might have stolen the race off Evans or even Macrow and won the championship - but this was not to be as no points were awarded for race 2 and Barker's car was repaired in time to start race 3. Still, that did little to slow Tweedie who started fifth on the grid as result of race 1 and finished third in the intense 15-lap finale’ at the end of the weekend, splitting the two title contenders to end the season with another podium all four cars lapping within a couple of tenths of a second of each other.  Tweedie’s remarkable season earned him high praise from not only his direct rivals, but from those watching from afar. “It has been an incredible season where we have achieved more than we thought possible,” Tweedie said at the Formula 3 presentation on Sunday night. “It has been hugely satisfying to fight for the championship against two guys as good as Ben and Mitch. It has always been close between the three of us and we have each pushed each other harder and harder as the year has gone on. “I’m really proud of our little team who have done a great job - thanks to (engineer) Nathan and (mechanic) Thomas for all their hard work and especially Mum and Dad who have given me enormous support." “I am still very satisfied regardless of the race 2 fiasco and I don’t look at this as losing a championship – it’s still like a victory to us regardless. It has been a year of highs and lows and that’s what this sport is all about. Everything we have had thrown at us we have been able to tackle and the result is that we won the National Class again and finished third outright in the Gold Star which I am very pleased with.” Tom Tweedie and the entire team would like to thank the ongoing support of the Team Tom Supporters Club members throughout 2010. Plans for 2011 are well advanced and extremely exciting – with further information to be forthcoming as soon as plans are confirmed. For more information head to www.tomtweedie.com or www.formula3.com.au Action from Eastern Creek can be seen on SBS Speedweek from 12:30pm this Sunday, October 31st. ENDS
For more information, contact Richard Craill - Tom Tweedie Media & PR Manager - on 0408 813 141 or by replying to this email.