Mystery driver

[vadim]

hello everybody

i’m newcomer here and i’d say your forum is great (including 'throwing bricks').
i’m writing to ask for some help. the picture attached i found in our local autosport magazine without any caption. i believe that the car is European Minardi F3000 but i wonder who the driver is. i've tried to check all regular F3000 drivers but nobody’s helmet matches. maybe the photo was taken at a test session or i’m wrong about the car, but I hope some of forum members will recognize this outstanding helmet.

thanks ahead for any information

[Russfeld]

Oliver Gavin, European Aviation Team, 1999

[vadim]

Originally posted by Russfeld
Oliver Gavin, European Aviation Team, 1999

thanks a lot

Edenbridge is another name of the same team, isn't it?

[Russfeld]

Yeah, they were combined with EA back then.

[Stephen Green]

I don't think that European and Edenbridge are exactly the same team. Edenbridge is run by Mr Briggs and is still in existance in the BTCC running the BMW's in production class.

Oliver Gavin won the British F3 title driving for Edenbridge then went on to Pacific F1 (I think) before it went belly up. Then he went to F3000, or it could be he did F3000 then F1, forgive my memory.

[O'Schumacher]

Here's what happened to Gavin.

He won British F3 in 95. Tested for the Pacific F1 team, was set to make his GP debut in Adelaide in 95, but his sponsor fell through and the drive went to Bertrand Gachot.

In 96 he did the ITC with Opel, as team-mate to champion Manuel Reuter (Oli did nothing all season really).

3 years (on and off) in F3000 with Edenbridge & then EA, again without much success (outperformed by Kevin McGarrity his teammate in 99).

At the start of 2000 he took his life savings to the USA and got a drive in a Dyson R&S at Daytona where he ran competitivley enough to get a call back for Sebring where he put it on pole, before the car was found to be illegal and chucked out.

For the last 2 years he's been doing on and off drives in ALMS & Grand-Am and this year joined the works Chevrolet Team in the GTS class of ALMS, winning his class at Sebring & Le Mans as a 3rd driver in the Fellows/O'Connell car.

There we go. If anyone wants to add to this, feel free.

And by the way Vadim, who's the best prospect in russian racing at the moment, either in single seaters or touring cars (they have to be better than Viktor Maslov)?

[sceptic]

Originally posted by O'Schumacher
Here's what happened to Gavin.

He won British F3 in 95. Tested for the Pacific F1 team, was set to make his GP debut in Adelaide in 95, but his sponsor fell through and the drive went to Bertrand Gachot.

I thought he had problems with his superlicence (or lack of) stopping him racing.

[Ian-S]

Originally posted by sceptic
I thought he had problems with his superlicence (or lack of) stopping him racing.

Olly's height is his biggest problem.

And I think Briggs sold the F3000 part of Edenbridge Racing to Stoddard.

[Stephen Green]

You have forgotten the year (or two?) he spent driving the safety car for Formula 1...

[O'Schumacher]

I have indeed Stephen.

It was 97 and possibly 98, before Bernd Maylander took over.

[vadim]

Originally posted by O'Schumacher
And by the way Vadim, who's the best prospect in russian racing at the moment, either in single seaters or touring cars (they have to be better than Viktor Maslov)?

you can pay attention to Michael Aleshin (i'm not sure in spelling). he's 15, this year he did full season in Russian F3, took 4th pos overall (Belicci and Mediani were the 1st and the 2nd accordingly).he competed in Europe karting as well and had some good results. our best touring driver is, in my opinion, the last year champion Aleksander Lvov, but i'm afraid he's to old to do better in Europe. as for Zlobin, many express fear for Minardi's fortune after they signed a contract.