Sports / Motor Racing |
Davidson to race for Super Aguri(Reuters)Updated: 2006-11-16 10:28
Briton Anthony Davidson's long wait for a Formula One race drive ended on Wednesday when the Super Aguri team confirmed he would partner Japan's Takuma Sato next season. The Honda-backed team's announcement meant there will be three Britons on the starting grid in Melbourne next March -- four if McLaren confirm 21-year-old Lewis Hamilton as world champion Fernando Alonso's team mate. Davidson, 27, first tested for BAR Honda in 2001 and has been an official Honda reserve driver for the past three seasons. He joins Japan's Takuma Sato, his former team mate in British Formula Three, in the Super Aguri lineup in place of Japan's Sakon Yamamoto. "This is a great opportunity for me and I'm really excited about my first full season as a race driver in Formula One," Davidson said in a team statement. "I've been impressed with the improvements the team has made through the 2006 season, and I can already see from my first visits to the factory that the team is very hard-working and highly motivated. I can't wait to get started." Super Aguri made their Formula One debut this year as the sport's 11th team, starting the season with a revamped version of a four-year-old Arrows. However they ended the year looking far more competitive, with Sato finishing a surprising 10th in Brazil and ahead of both the Spyker MF1 and Toro Rosso cars. "Takuma performed outstandingly in our first year and I hope that he will be able to build on this with us next year," said team boss Aguri Suzuki. "Anthony has been with Honda as a test driver for a while now and he brings to us a wealth of experience in Formula One. I believe that he will make a positive impact on the team and that he will fit into the family atmosphere that we have at Super Aguri perfectly," he added. Davidson, a contemporary of Honda race winner and compatriot Jenson Button, has started three grands prix -- two as a stand-in at Minardi in 2002 and one for BAR Honda last year when Sato was unwell. He failed to finish any of them. However he is highly regarded after showing his speed in Friday practice at grand prix weekends when teams can run a third car. "We are absolutely delighted that Anthony has achieved his long-standing ambition of a Formula One race drive, a role that he certainly deserves," said Honda Racing's sporting director Gil de Ferran. "In his six years with our team, Anthony's commitment, loyalty and overall contribution have been crucial to our continued progress and competitiveness."
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