Sam is to return to Motorsport after a 4 year break during which he achieved a First Class degree from Kings College London. "I am delighted to be back in a race seat with Nick Tandy's JTR team. I don't under estimate the challenge of transitioning from Formula Cars to GTs, and I am sure there will be a few cobwebs to blow away. However I am sure that the experience, track record and focus of JTR, and the guidance of Nick, mean that we will be back at the sharp end before long!"
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Sam will contest the 63rd Macau Grand Prix next weekend for Fortec with the goal of building on the good run he had in the event last year, where he ran as high as second in the GP before picking up a puncture. “My principal sponsor Castrol’s funding in 2016 was hit hard by the decline in the oil price and so this year has all been about focussing our resources and energy on a return to Macau, which for me is the greatest single seater race in the world”. Sam and Fortec pr...
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What a race at such a special place! A good start by Sam from P4, and by lap 5 he was running in 2nd place and eyeing a podium, setting the scene for one of the great surprise results of the year to expectations in the Formula 3 paddock. However as the fight with the race leaders continued, on lap 8 Sam had a moment on the challenging mountain section and picked up a puncture that forced him into the pits for a tyre change. Undaunted Sam after going back out set a time of 2m10.2s, faster than...
read more ›Sam moved up another place in a thrilling qualification race today, and will start on the second row in 4th position for tomorrow's 62nd Macau Grand Prix. The start pile up is shown below. Very exciting for Sam to be able to shine at the very top level of world motorsport for young drivers. The Grand Prix starts at 0730 UK time (1530 Macau) tomorrow!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTAUJZgID_s
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Qualifying for the Macau Grand Prix is now over and Sam is the best placed British driver with P5 and a position on the 3rd row of the grid for tomorrow's qualifying race.Well done Team West - Tec! - we are surprising quite a few people with our pace thus far at this iconic race
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Good start to the weekend of the 62nd Macau Grand Prix out in China for Sam - a strong 4th in the first qualifying session (there's another one tomorrow, and the best times count).
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Sam took a strong 4th position finish in the prestigious Masters of F3 race at Zandvoort last weekend. "It is great to have my best result of the season at such an important event. This is the 25th edition of the Masters of F3 race, and anyone who does well here has in the past had plenty of chances to make their way in international motorsport" said Sam. "It is hard to overtake at Zandvoort but I gained places with strong starts in both races" he added. "I was confident coming into the wee...
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Since the Spa round the middle of the season, Sam has gained 78 positions in 11 races - making him the top performer on the grid in terms of passing other drivers! “One positive consequence of the problems we have had in car reliability and qualifying this season is the chance it has given me to hone my overtaking skills” said Edinburgh born Sam. “My pace has been in the top 10, but the issues have meant we have been mid field starting grid positions. That has give...
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If you thought Alonso and Button were having a tough season, spare a thought for Sam MacLeod. So far this year in the FIA F3 Championship, the Toyota Racing Series star has encountered serious technical gremlins in 75% of the rounds he has contested. In the latest round at Zandvoort the car caught fire in free practice! "The F3 season so far has been a master class in developing my resilience skills!" said the Edinburgh born driver. "The good news is that I hold the championship record in nu...
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Sam was fastest VW engined car in race 2 at Monza (the Mercedes engines seem quicker here) and made it into the top 10 before the race was abandoned. Watch the crash video to see how strong the cars are - happily the driver was ok. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtyY50gMEts
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At Monza this weekend for Round 4 of FIA F3 championship. Amazing atmosphere and history - but another circuit both driver and team are visiting for the first time, so lots to learn! Here it is very fast so all about the engine and trying to get in the slipstream of another driver. Sam got into the top 10 in free practice, but in Race 1 was hit from behind so did not make the finish. In fact more than a third of the grid and all of Sam's team mates failed to make the finish ... a bit of a cra...
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Further strong improvement from Sam and Team Motopark at the F3 Grand Prix at Pau. Sam finished in top 10 after an exciting race 2 and despite damage to the car, putting his first championship points on the board at last after all the early season technical issues. Race 3 was set for another strong result until the last lap, when a collision determined by the stewards to have been caused by the the driver of a damaged car which was limping around the track denied Sam a second points scoring f...
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At the very demanding street circuit (where the barriers are never more than a few feet or inches away) of Pau in France for Round 3 of European F3 Championship! Very wet in the morning for practice and qualifying for race 1, but felt like we were building on what we had done in Hockenheim despite the fact that this is another circuit that our team are visiting for the first time in F3 and Sam has not been here before. When it dried up in afternoon for second qualifying things really started ...
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Good progress at Hockenheim! Found around 0.5secs vs. rest of field compared to Silverstone and no further technical issues. Looking forward to more progress at Pau next week!
read more ›Technical problems continue on the morning of the first day of the F3 FIA 2015 Championship at Silverstone! In addition a three race 10 grid place penalty has been imposed by the stewards as required by the championship rules for the need to replace Sam's engine due to its failure in the first three laps of the Valencia test on March 17, so he will be starting all this weekend's 3 races from the back of the grid! Not what we had hoped or planned for after 14 podium finishes, 11 fastest laps a...
read more ›Today is the first day of official testing for the 2015 FIA F3 Championship, at Valencia's Circuit Ricardo Tormo. Unfortunately a technical problem has prevented Sam from running. Hopefully will be sorted out before long!
read more ›Sam was again top points scorer and so overall winner in the last weekend of the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand, with two more podium finishes. A great experience and thank you to everyone at Giles Motorsport for doing such a great job !
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A good weekend at Taupo in the fourth round of the Toyota Racing Series for Sam, Another win and highest point scorer of the weekend.
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Fearless 02 Feb 2015 He has led races, scored pole positions, proven a tough rival at every turn of a race, recorded fastest laps and attacked in bold overtaking moves across the opening three rounds of the 2015 Toyota Racing Series. Now BRDC Rising Stars programme driver Sam MacLeod inscribes his name on the oldest trophy in New Zealand motor racing. He joins Graham Hill, Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren - giants of the sport who have won the NZ Motor Cup in its 83 year history....
read more ›14 podiums, 11 fastest laps, 7 wins and 5 poles. Sam's first year in F3 was a great start!
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In the ATS German Formula 3 Cup, Sam headed to the Hockenheimring in Germany last week-end (4-5 Oct) to battle it out in the final round of the championship title after a superb season of close racing. Sam was immediately on the pace, qualifying on the second row for the first race of the weekend. The Van Amersfoort driver got a good start but was struck heavily from behind by a very late braking Nikita Zlobin on the first lap, which resulted in some bruises and instant retirement for Sam, a...
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Best British Rookie in F3 by far . The statistics : 2014 German and British F3 : season to date overall 29 starts, 13 podiums, 10 fastest laps, 7 wins, 5 poles German ATS Formel 3 Cup 20 starts, 8 podiums, 5 fastest laps, 3 wins, 1 pole Currently 2nd in Rookie Cup, 3rd overall Cooper Tyres British F3 9 starts, 5 podiums, 5 fastest laps, 4 wins, 4 poles 4th overall (3 of 6 rounds entered) Masters of F3 Zandvoort Qualified P2 next to Verstappen
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Castrol supported F3 rookie Sam MacLeod moved up into third place in the German ATS Formel 3 Cup this weekend after battling hard in wet conditions at the 3.645-km Sachsenring. Qualifying went well, with Sam claiming a front row starting position for race 1 and taking pole position for race 3. The first race began under safety car conditions resulting from the heavy rain around the track. Sam pushed a little too hard in the opening laps under the tricky conditions and ran wide. Undeterred h...
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Round 6 of the ATS Formula 3 Cup took place at the Lausitzring in Germany last weekend, and Sam was in action once again with Van Amersfoort Racing. The weekend started well with a strong performance during free practice but come qualifying Sam endured a frustrating session, after the team struggled to find an ideal set up, and Sam endured a puncture. In the end, he had to settle for an overall fifth place starting position on the grid. The weather intervened on Saturday when all track acti...
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BRDC Rising Star Sam returned to the ATS Formula 3 Cup last weekend (30-31 Aug) for Round 5 of the championship, racing on the iconic 3.6km Nurburgring in Germany’s Eifel mountains. Sam closed the gap on the championship leaders with two podium finishes, and the Castrol backed rookie now stands second in the rookie rankings and fourth overall, with three rounds still to go. Sam qualified well under overcast skies on Saturday morning setting the third fastest time. Race 1 was hindere...
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Castrol supported Sam MacLeod is the latest driver to be formally recognised by the British Racing Drivers’ Club as a BRDC Rising Star with immediate effect. Sam's impressive results in German and British F3, German ATS Formel 3 Cup, Cooper Tires British F3 and a strong qualification in the Masters of F3 at Zandvoort identified him as a strong candidate for inclusion onto the Scheme and the BRDC are very optimistic about his future. Sam was invited to an interview at the BRDC Clubhous...
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Sam made his first outing in Historic Racing in a 1956 Lotus XI at the Old Timer Grand Prix at the Nurburgring last weekend. His 1460cc Lotus lived up the giant killer reputation it had in period, qualifying 3rd overall in a field of 49 Ferraris, Mercedes. Porsches, Maseratis and many others with engines ranging up to 5 litres plus. There was more drama at the start of the race as Sam was hit in the second corner by another competitor, and was forced to visit the pits to straighten out...
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It was a mixed weekend for Sam in the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 event around the iconic Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. Sam completed a last minute deal to join the Carlin Formula 3 team in the older spec Dallara-VW for the race weekend, alongside some of the faster FIA Formula 3 contenders who were contesting in the British series for the first time. A tough practice session on Thursday saw Sam’s car struggling for initial pace as the team experimented with setup ideas. Ho...
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“I'm disappointed not only for myself but for my team Van Amersfoort Racing" Sam was in action at the Zandvoort Masters race in Holland this weekend, teaming up with Van Amersfoort Racing for the annual F3 invitational event. Sam put in a stand out qualifying performance setting the second fastest time, to line up on the front row of the grid for the 60-minute race on Sunday alongside pole sitter Max Verstappen. The start of the race saw Sam make a strong challenge off the li...
read more ›Castrol backed Sam MacLeod will contest the Zandvoort Masters race in Holland this weekend (4-6 July) with Van Amersfoort Racing. Sam, fresh from a winning weekend in the Cooper Tyres British Formula 3 is sure to be fighting at the front in the Kumho Tyre event which sees a coming together of the many of the best F3 competitors from around the world. In its 23-year history, the Masters have been won by drivers bound for F1 12 times. 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton and fellow current gran...
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British Formula 3 Snetterton, Norfolk. Race Report 22nd June 2014 “I like Snetterton! It’s fantastic to be back on the podium” Grid 1 1 Race 1 1 18 Laps (Fastest lap) Grid 2 5 Race 2 2 18 Laps (Reverse grid / fastest lap) Grid 3 1 Race 3 1 16 Laps (Fastest lap) Conditions: Dry, Sunny. Sam enjoyed another winning outing in the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 at Snetterton in Norfolk with Fortec Moto...
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Sam MacLeod emulated his race one success in the third and final race of the weekend in the 2014 Cooper Tires Formula 3 Championship. While MacLeod capped a fine weekend for the Fortec Motorsport team, it was a race that almost proved costly for the team as Martin Cao and Matt Rao had a collision that ended Martin Cao's race and hindered Rao's pace. Handbrake release problems gave Sam a poor start, but MacLeod fought back and quickly worked his way back up the field to t...
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MacLeod leads Fortec 1-2-3 in race one at Snetterton BY VALENTIN KHOROUNZHIY – 21 JUNE 2014 Scotsman Sam MacLeod has gotten right back to winning ways on his return to British F3 as he converted pole position into his third victory of the season. MacLeod led a Fortec 1-2-3, which was the team’s second consecutive podium lockout in the series. Championship leader Martin Cao put a lot of pressure on MacLeod over the opening laps before before dropping off in the second half of the...
read more ›Sam secured pole position for race 1 and race 3 at Snetterton in a close fought qualifying session on the Norfolk track setting the fastest time of 1.43.878. A late challenge from Martin Cao with seven minutes remaining saw him drop down into second. However Sam responded by setting an even quicker time of 1.43.475 to regain the lead. Race 1 takes place Today at 15.55pm.
read more ›Sam MacLeod will rejoin the British Formula 3 International Series with Fortec Motorsport at Snetterton in Norfolk this weekend. The Hertford-based racer is fresh from a winning weekend in the ATS Formula 3 Cup in Germany. Sam has had a busy season so far but the chance to return to the British series after taking two dominant wins last time out at Rockingham, is a big factor in his plans to return for another one- off appearance. MacLeod raced in the ATS Formula 3 Cup last weekend (...
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14 June 2014 (ATS Formula 3 press release) Following a disastrous penalty plagued weekend at Red Bull Ring, Sam MacLeod proved himself again in today's second race. Contesting for Van Amersfoort Racing, the Briton moved to the top immediately after the start and won the reversed-grid race at the 4.574-km Hockenheimring in a commanding manner. Santino Ferrucci from Eurointernational secured his first podium finish when he grabbed second place. Indy Dontje, who contests for Team Lotus, took thi...
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When your principal rival for the championship goes on the record to acknowledge your pace as "incredible", as Markus Pommer did of Sam this weekend, you know you are doing something right. However a series of problems and mistakes meant that Sam was not able to translate that pace into the points haul that it deserved, and the weekend was therefore a disappointing one for the Van Amersfoort racing team. Sam was penalised in each race by a drive through penalty for a series of rookie errors i...
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After a very strong performance in qualifying, where he was only 2/100 of a second behind Championship leader Markus Pommer, Sam thought he had made a perfect start from second position on the grid at the sun bathed track in the Austrian mountains, which is preparing for the first visit of Formula 1 in a few weeks time. However race control decreed he had jumped the start and Sam had to serve a drive through penalty, putting him at the back of the pack and with a big hill to climb. He fought ...
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Sam MacLeod’s stand out rookie debut in Formula 3 continued this weekend in round two of the German ATS Formula 3 Cup championship, with Sam securing his first championship win of the year at the 3.4km long Lausitzring near Berlin. During the weekend the Castrol backed Van Amersfoort Racing driver secured three podium positions, taking one race win and two third place finishes. Sam now lies in a comfortable second place in the overall championship standings with six rounds to go, behi...
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Sam moved forward from a 6th place start in the reverse grid race this afternoon to once again finish on the podium. "I had another good start but I had to lift to avoid contact as we approached the first corner and I lost momentum. I managed to recover and move through the field to finish 3rd. If we had a few more laps I think I would have caught Indy! Still good points and looking forward to tomorrow!". Sam is now 3rd in the Championship, 1 point behind the second place driver.
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Sam followed up his double win in British F3 with a victory in the first race of Round 2 of the German F3 championship at Lausitzring near Berlin. Sam commented "I had a good start from P5 and was up to second by the first corner. I could then put pressure on the race leader Nabil. Then he made a mistake and I got past. I built up a big gap and set the fastest lap so I could really control the race from the front. A good start to the weekend for the Castrol car and Van Amersfoort Racing!". Af...
read more ›Sam MacLeod delivered a master class of race craft on his British Formula 3 debut to deliver two victories in the opening round of the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series at Rockingham. Sam converted an impressive pole position in the first race to a win around the Rockingham Motor Speedway, making a perfect start to the weekend. A clean smooth start ensured that he kept the fighting pack behind him to deliver a lights-to-flag victory to head onto the top step of the podium....
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(Rockingham 5 May 2014) Sam won the second race of the Cooper Tyres F3 International Series at Rockingham this morning. The reverse grid format of this race meant that he started 4th on the grid, but after a good start he had moved into first place by the first corner, a position he held until the chequered flag. "Of course I am very happy with the start, and with the performance of the car and the team. I am especially pleased that the Castrol car has had such a good showing on its first app...
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(Rockingham, May 4 2014) Sam was fastest in qualifying for the first round of the Cooper Tyres British Formula 3 International Series, securing pole for both races 1 and 3. Race 2 will be on a reverse grid basis depending on the outcome of Race 1.
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(Hertford, England 1st May) – Formula Renault race winner Sam MacLeod will make his debut in British F3 in the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 Championship this weekend at Rockingham (4/5 May) with Fortec Motorsport. MacLeod’s plan is to use the event to hone his race skills, and complement his campaign in the German ATS Formula 3 Cup with Netherlands based Amersfoort Racing. During the season opener last weekend at Oschersleben, Sam took two podium finishes on his F3 debut and no...
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Formula Renault race winner Sam MacLeod had a great opening round to his German ATS Formula 3 Cup rookie season with two podium finishes at the season opener in Oschersleben. After a strong showing in practice, when qualifying came round Sam took a second row starting position in fourth for the first race of the year around the 2.28 mile motorsport arena circuit in Germany. The first race on Saturday was not very eventful but nonetheless satisfying for Castrol backed MacLeod as he cruised t...
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Sam MacLeod joins Fortec Motorsport for one-off British Formula 3 outing Hertford, England - 2nd April 2014 – Sam MacLeod and Fortec Motorsport have today confirmed that the British driver will join the team for the opening round of the British Formula 3 Championship at Rockingham in Northamptonshire (4/5th May). 2014 will be a busy year for the Edinburgh-born racer. His participation with the Dutch motorsport team, Van Amersfoort Racing in the ATS Formula 3 Cup gets underway th...
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Sam MacLeod signs for 2014 German ATS Formula 3 Cup with Netherlands based Van Amersfoort Racing (Hertford, England 14th April 2014) Renault BARC race winner 19 year old Sam MacLeod has announced plans to contest the 2014 ATS Formula 3 Cup in Germany. MacLeod progressed up the karting ladder from his local track at Rye House to the European KF2 Championship in 2011-12, before making the move into cars in Protyre Formula Renault in 2013. He took double pole and a maiden podium on his Renault...
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At Thruxton, the UK's fastest circuit, Sam tests a Carlin F3 car alongside Red Bull junior Alex Lynn
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British Formula 3 squad Fortec Motorsport could run Formula Renault BARC race winner Sam MacLeod in the series next season.The 19-year-old, who competed with Fortec this year in Renault BARC and selected FRenault NEC rounds, tested one of the team's Dallara-Mercedes for two days at Valencia. It came straight after MacLeod tested with the German Formula 3 Cup arm of Dutch squad Van Amersfoort Racing at Barcelona. Fortec team manager Andi Scott said: "If you look at the times from Valencia, hi...
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