Kildare driver John O'Hara missed out on the chance of claiming a win in his first ever Asian Formula 3 Championship race on Sunday. He took two second places despite spinning out of control in the first at the Addict Mobile Superprix in Batangas, Phillipines.
Christian Jones, son of 1980 Formula One champion Alan, claimed victory in the first of two championship races at the venue, 110km south of Manilla. But only after 24-year-old O'Hara, who had claimed pole yesterday, spun out of the lead when under pressure from the Australian.
The Irishman allowed Jones, Tyson Sy and Englishman Mark Goddard through as he went off track at the first turn on the second lap, but regrouping well, he managed to overtake Sy and Goddard and run Jones down to a two second difference before the finish.
The second race saw O'Hara and Jones, who look set for a titantic championship battle, go at each other, with the elder Jones taking lead at the first corner. O'Hara's Shell Kinetic car just could not find the range to pass Jones, and it was another second place for O'Hara, who admitted to being "quite disappointed" at the day's end.
Filed by Johnny Proby
