Filip Salaquarda and Sergey Afanasiev to race for HBR Motorsport

31/01/2007

Austrian team HBR Motorsport is going to contest its fourth Formula 3 Euro Series season with Czech driver Filip Salaquarda and Russia’s Sergey Afanasiev. For Salaquarda, it will be the third season on the grid of the planet’s most competitive young-gun series, with his team-mate, Afanasiev, having moved up from Formula Renault to contest his Formula 3 Euro Series rookie season

The 18-year old Muscovite is the first young talent from Russia to meet the tough competition he will have to cope with in the Formula 3 Euro Series. In the past two seasons, he competed in Formula Renault, won a round - at Assen, Netherlands - of the 2006 Northern European Championship (NEC) and finished runner-up in the second round of the same season, held at Oschersleben, Germany. In the end, he secured eighth position in the championship.

The second Dallara-Mercedes entered by Team HBR will be raced by Filip Salaquarda. For the 23-year old from Prague, who contested a Recaro Formula 3 Cup season before moving up to the Formula 3 Euro Series, it will be his fourth F3 season - and the first not contested with the I.S.R Team of his father, Igor Salaquarda.

HBR Motorsport Team Manager Siggi Müller hopes that the squad will be able to tie up to its successful 2006 season, with its new driver line-up. Last year, experienced HBR driver Richard Antinucci succeeded in winning two Formula 3 Euro Series rounds and securing fifth championship position, with his Dallara-Mercedes.