His fortunes did not improve in the final race when a problem with the battery forced Jarvis to make an early retirement – his first of the entire season during which he has achieved 3 race wins and a further impressive 13 podium finishes.  Not a bad record out of 20 starts!

“It was disappointing for me in the end especially as I had consistently finished in the top 3, but missing out on pole in both qualifying sessions by such a small margin proved costly,” says Oliver Jarvis who is also driving for A1 Team GBR in the 2007-2008 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport. 

A damp but drying track in Qualifying 1 meant all drivers started on slicks in a session that came down to the last few minutes when the track was at its driest.  Jarvis crossed the line as the chequered flag was waved and went P1 only for Roberto Streit to pip him by 1/100^th sec as he crossed the line moments later. 

The times in the second Qualifying session with a completely dry track were immediately quicker.  TOM’s team-mate and eventual Championship winner Kazuya Oshima set the pace early on with a time that was matched by Jarvis in lap 4.  From then on, the challenge for pole became a closely fought contest leaving Jarvis starting once more second on the grid in Race 2, the final race of the All Japan F3 Championship.

Starting the first race from the front row of the grid, Jarvis experienced some wheelspin off the line which inhibited his challenge on Streit to get into the lead and also allowed Oshima to pass.  From then on, it was a close three way battle between Streit, Oshima and Jarvis but the position stayed the same on this track which is difficult to overtake on.  Although Jarvis found himself yet again on the podium, he knew his Championship bid for this year was over.

As the final race of the All Japan F3 season dawned, Jarvis’s hopes for a strong finish were dashed due to mechanical problems.  He made a good start from the front row, although was still unable to challenge Oshima. Over the next laps, Jarvis looked faster and in with a chance before suddenly, the car started to slow down and he was evidently losing power, which later was attributed to a battery problem.

“To be unable to finish the final race was a real disappointment,” says Oliver “but it happens and it was just unfortunate.  I would like to thank TOM’S for their hard work and support though, and together we now look forward to the Macau Grand Prix in November.”