1983 British Formula Three Championship


The 1983 British Formula Three Championship was the 33rd season of the British Formula Three Championship, starting at Silverstone on 6 March and concluding at Thruxton on 23 October after 20 races.
The season saw a head-to-head title battle between future Formula One stars Ayrton Senna and Martin Brundle - both driving Toyota-powered Ralt chassis, prepared by West Surrey Racing and Eddie Jordan Racing respectively. Senna built up a commanding advantage by winning the first nine races in succession, but a series of retirements for the Brazilian later in the year allowed Brundle to close the gap. The Brit took the points lead heading into the series finale, but Senna dominated the race to secure the title.
Senna won 12 of the 20 races in the season , a record until Jan Magnussen won 14 of the 18 races in the 1994 season . Both Senna and Brundle stepped up to F1 in 1984, joining Toleman and Tyrrell respectively.
Other notable drivers from the year included future Le Mans winner Davy Jones, BTCC star David Leslie and Senna's future Lotus teammate Johnny Dumfries. 1983 was also the final season before 'Class B' was established, offering a separate prize for those competing in older cars.

Race calendar and results

Brundle was ineligible to score points as he was using European specification tyres. Allen Berg therefore secured maximum points at this round.

Championship Standings

Best 17 of 20 scores counted
Pos.DriverTeamPoints
1 Ayrton SennaWest Surrey Racing132
2 Martin BrundleEddie Jordan Racing123
3 Davy JonesMurray Taylor Racing77
4 Calvin FishDavid Price Racing67
5 Allen BergNeil Trundle Racing32
6 Mario HyttenAxxess Racing Team23
7 David LeslieRobinson Motorsport22
8 Eric LangMurray Taylor Racing10
9 Tony TrevorDriver9
10 Richard TrottRichard Trott Racing8
11 Johnny DumfriesAssociated Racing8
12 David HuntEddie Jordan Racing2
13 Tim Lee-DaveyDavid Luff Racing2
14 Carlton TinglingTingling Racing1
15 Mike BlanchetTarry Racing1