Richard Bradley Motorsport

In the final three rounds of the 2011 Japanese Formula 3 Championship, Richard Bradley scored his second podium finish of the season and would have achieved more had he not made a mistake.

Held at the Sportsland Sugo Circuit in Japan, Richard was the only driver who had not raced at the narrow and technical track before. He still managed to learn the track quickly and qualified in 3rd and 4th in the two qualifying sessions.

In Race 1, he worked his way to 2nd in the first lap and remained there until the last four laps of the race when he made a small mistake. He put a wheel wrong onto the grass and that mistake caused him to drop back to 7th place, which was where he finished eventually.

In Race 2 which was a longer race, Richard again worked his way up to second and this time, stayed there to the end to take his second podium finish of the season.

The third race was not so lucky as Richard had to use a set of used tyres for the race, as his new set was damaged during qualifying. This affected the car’s handling and having started in 5th, Richard only managed to retain that position.

Under Team TOM’S Petronas, Richard has made massive progress this year with two podium finishes and many near-misses at the podium.

This weekend concludes the end of the Japanese F3 season and Richard is now testing for his next race in Macau!

Rounds 12 and 13 of the 2011 Japanese Formula 3 championship was a complete washout and both races over the weekend were cancelled.

Richard Bradley of Team TOM’S Petronas was doing very well, coming in P2 in the first practice session on Friday, despite being on old tyres.

The weather steadily worsened with an impending typhoon and Saturday’s qualifying and race were cancelled first.

Keeping fingers crossed for Sunday’s race, it was eventually cancelled along with timed qualifying as the weather was simply too horrible for any driving.

It was frustrating as Richard was very fast in practice and it would have been exciting to see how the weekend would have turned out!

The next round will be held the same weekend as the Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, what a shame Richard would have to miss F1 right here in Singapore where he lives…

The Okayama International Circuit holds fond memories for Richard Bradley as it was where he won the 2010 Formula BMW Pacific championship last year, before the season wrapped up.

Returning this season for Rounds 10 and 11 of the Japanese Formula 3 championship, Richard was happy to be back at Okayama despite not having had any F3 testing there.

During the testing session on Friday, both Richard and his Team TOM’S Petronas team-mate were about a second off the race leaders’ pace.

Making some major set-up changes overnight, the car was much better on Saturday and Richard qualified in fourth for the first race.

Unfortunately, the initially damp track started to dry up. Running the car on slicks, Richard went off on the first lap and that was the end of his race.

The second race on Sunday was held in dry conditions and Richard finished 4th. It looks like podium finishes are not far off now!

Richard is looking forward to the next race in Suzuka – which also marks the season finale – and will be missing the 2011 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix as both race events fall on the same weekend!

Richard Bradley was once again appointed as the national ambassador for F1 in Schools Singapore.

Invited to the F1 in Schools Singapore Technology Challenge on 27 July 2011 at NP Convention Centre, Richard shared his experience being in Formula 3 and also presented his insights on motorsports and what it entails.

Richard also had a little challenge against Raymond Cheong, general manager of the Singapore Motor Sports Association.

Richard is grateful for this opportunity to share his expertise and experience in motorsports to the participating students of F1 in Schools. Congratulations to all winners and keep the passion up!

Proud to be wearing his Team TOM’S Petronas suit, Richard was happy for a chance to meet young fans.

At Rounds 8 and 9 of the 2011 Japanese Formula 3 championship, Richard Bradley of Team TOM’S Petronas showed greater progress and missed a podium finish by a hair.

Consistently one of the fastest on the grid, Richard qualified in fourth place but Race 1 turned out to be a nightmare for everyone. Shortly after the start of the race, the skies opened and poured hard on the drivers.

The lightning storm made it almost impossible to even drive in a straight line but Richard managed to get up to third place. Then the race was red-flagged due to the horrible weather conditions.

The race was restarted behind the safety car and only ran for a few laps before the end of the race. Richard unfortunately dropped to fourth place just after the safety car start and did not have enough time left to gain back third place, finishing just 0.3 seconds behind the third-placed finisher.

The weather for Race 2 on Sunday was a complete change from the day before, with the scorching sun beating down on the drivers. Confident of a podium finish, Richard was ready for a long race in the significantly hotter weather.

A decision was made to lower the tyre pressure and instead of helping, the car’s handling was affected. As a result, Richard had to struggle with the car for most of the race before making a mistake and spinning out of fifth position just before the end.

At the end of the weekend, Richard returned home with the consolation that his performance is improving steadily as he gets more time in the car. Till the next race!

It was a weekend of near-misses for Richard Bradley of  Team TOM’S as he almost finished third place in both races of Rounds 6 and 7 of the Japanese Formula 3 championship held at Fuji Speedway.

Qualifying was a pity as Richard probably went out too early and the track got faster as the session wore on, with later  timings getting faster. Richard eventually qualified in fifth and fourth for the two races respectively.

In Race One on Saturday, the gearbox return spring on Richard’s car unfortunately broke on the out lap. Not able to fix it on the grid, Richard had to go on with the race plagued by gear selection issues.

Expecting the problem to cause a huge disadvantage to his race, Richard instead surprised the team with his performance as he coped with the problem very well.

Finishing in fourth place, Richard was consistently one of the quickest cars of the race. At one point he was up to third place but his gears got stuck in fourth and he lost the place.

Back into Race Two on Sunday, Richard and the team were confident of a good result. Indeed, Richard had a fantastic start and overtook his team-mate for third place. Then a huge incident occurred on the track and another driver crashed into Richard, bringing a premature end to his race.

Nonetheless, Richard was fast all weekend, making great progress and keeping the general mood positive even after the race. Pleased with his progress, the team is now focused on the next race.

Last weekend Super GT came down to Sepang International Circuit and Richard Bradley was there to catch the action as well as support his fellow TOM’S team-mates.

with Kazuki Nakajima and 2011 Le Mans 24 Hour winner with Audi, Andre Lotterer

At the second round of the new FIA International Formula 3 Trophy at Pau last weekend, Japanese Formula 3 rookie and podium finisher Richard Bradley achieved what he set out to do. Driving for Carlin at the 70th Grand Prix de Pau, the objective was for Richard to get some practice on a street circuit alongside very good company such as F3 Euro Series front-runner Marco Wittmann and former British F3 champion Marko Asmer.

F3 last ran on the streets of the city in 2008 as a support race to the World Touring Car Championship. With the creation of the FIA International F3 Trophy, Pau was given the chance to revive the event. Earlier, the first round of the International F3 Trophy was held at Hockenheim with the F3 Euro Series.

As part of his preparation for the Macau Grand Prix F3 race in November, Richard headed to Pau to gain experience on a difficult street circuit, racing some of the best F3 drivers in the world. Everything went according to plan and he managed to clock valuable track time without getting involved in incidents, taking away with him some very invaluable experience.

Eventually finishing in 10th place, between his two Carlin team-mates, Richard is now back in Fuji for the official test for the Japanese F3 Championship which will run on 26 and 27 May.

To view more photos of this event, kindly visit Richard’s Facebook album here.

After a delay of the season opening and a cancellation of the first round, 2010 Formula BMW Pacific champion Richard Bradley was eager to start his first ever Japanese Formula 3 championship.

Kicking off last weekend at Suzuka, Richard qualified 4th for both races. He finished 3rd in Race 1 and a dramatic start at Race 2 saw him stall at the start and having to chase from dead last, before finally finishing in 4th.

New to F3 and never been on Suzuka circuit (very technical track) before, TOM’S is pleased with his performance on his debut.

Richard shares his thought on his first F3 race weekend:

1. How did you feel before the race weekend? It’s your first ever official F3 race.
I felt very excited going into the race. It is my first race in F3 and at one of the hardest tracks in the world. It was obviously difficult but I was determined to deliver a good performance and also learn a lot, so I can be in a competitive position.

2. The first round was cancelled due to the earthquakes in Japan; how were you affected? 
I was affected as all of my pre-season testing and preparations were cancelled, where I would have been to two of the tracks I would be racing on this year. Thankfully everybody in the team was alright – that’s most important. In the end I had to go over to England and do some testing, but it was nowhere near as much as what it would have been. I think I made good progress though.

3. What other races are you doing this year besides F3?
This year I will be competing in the Japanese F3 championship, the Macau Grand Prix, and next week the famous Pau street race in Southern France. There are other potential races I could do as part of the FIA Intercontinental F3 Cup at Spa or Zandvoort, but these depend on sponsorship.

4. What are your expectations for this season?
Obviously I would like to win and believe I am in a good position to do so. This first round will be my weakest race of the year as it is the first one on a track I have never been to and I have had very restricted preparation. But it is my first year in F3 and so the target is to give a good performance and learn as much as possible. I think as long as I do that then the results should come.

5. How different is F3 from driving Formula BMW?
F3 is massively different to Formula BMW because of open regulations. The engine development is very open, as is aerodynamics. This means the driver has to develop the car with the engineers. They are very advanced and have a higher power to weight ratio than a Ferrari Enzo and at top speed can generate two tonnes of downforce.

6. What did you think of your performance at your first race?
Racing in Japan is very different in a special way compared to any other place in the world. The fans are very passionate and are very supportive. They never fail to surprise and always have pictures of me in go karts asking for autographs! They are very welcoming and very supportive and there are big crowds. There is obviously a slight language barrier, but most people in TOM’S speak English.

Richard will be heading over to France for the famous Pau street race next, stay tuned for an update on that! Meanwhile, Richard would like to thank each and every one for their support and encouragement!

Richard Bradley is proud to be wearing his TOM’s suit in the official Petronas colours as he heads to Japan for the first round of the Japanese Formula 3 championship next weekend.

Due to the earthquake tragedy in Japan, the first round of the 2011 Japanese Formula 3 championship has been cancelled.

The season will start in mid-May at the Suzuka circuit. Please see the revised calendar below or at www.richardbradleymotorsport.com/calendar:

At the first ever Ladies’ Night @Kartright – an all-female karting course – Richard Bradley was engaged to be a coach, giving both basic theory and practical principles.

Buckling up his helmet

Taking the fastest lady of the night for a ride in the two-seater

Signing autographs in 9tro magazine where he was featured

Held on two nights – 25th and 26th February 2011 – Richard charmed the ladies with his vibrantly interesting experiences as they hung onto his words of wisdom.

Despite the damp track conditions, the ladies enjoyed themselves tremendously and Richard was glad to see such enthusiasm from females – who are generally not predominantly active in the world of motorsports.

Taking this chance to get his autograph as well as a photo with him, the ladies had a fruitful experience both on- and off-track.

During the off-peak racing season, Richard Bradley was in Valencia for Formula 3 testing with Team Raikkonen Robertson.

Richard Bradley completed the weekend with a perfect finish as he swept the top spots for Qualifying, all three Heats, Pre-Final and the Final in the Formula 125 Senior Open category at this weekend’s Asian Karting Open Championship opening round in The Philippines.

Watch this space for Richard’s thoughts and feelings from the weekend…

Richard Bradley’s weekend got off to a fabulous start with pole position for the timed qualifying, followed by three successive wins in the heats at the Asian Karting Open Championship (AKOC) in The Philippines.

Of the field of 25 drivers, Bradley proved competitive as he topped the timesheets.

Thank you everyone for the support and best wishes, stay tuned for results of tmr’s races!