Billy Monger, the ultimate motorsports feel-good story of 2018, continued his hot streak in Formula 3 by gaining his third pole position of the year at Donington Park on Saturday.
The 19-year-old garnered worldwide attention last year after being involved in a major crash that resulted in the loss of both of his legs. A major crowd-funding effort was supported by the racing community and Monger would go on to raise 323 percent of his original £260,000 goal. He has since undergone physical rehab and performed exceptionally well in F3, a step up the ladder from where he competed in 2017.
“To come back here, with the meaning this circuit has to me and my first race back here, to get pole is an awesome way for me to start the weekend,” said Monger, who also achieved pole at Oulton Park and Spa earlier in the year. “It’s something that I knew was doable, especially after the last few rounds where we’ve come so close and I’ve made mistakes. Today was all about doing the job and we’ve definitely done that.
“With it being so cold here today and potential rain this afternoon, I just wanted to make sure my tires were fully up to temperature before I started to push so during the middle of the session, my laps, although they were still competitive, weren’t fully committed, and it wasn’t until I got to the last few laps I knew everything was up to temperature and I just went for it, had a nice space on the circuit and did two laps good enough for pole.”
Monger bested his Carlin teammate Nicolai Kjaergaard by 0.173 seconds in qualifying.
The young Brit is yet to win a race this season but continues his pursuit in advancing through the ranks of open-wheel competition despite his handicap.
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