Motopark set for Euro F3 return

Motopark Academy, the leading team in the German Formula 3 Cup, will return to the category's top tier before the end of this season. The Oschersleben-based squad has ordered two brand new Dallara chassis and will make its debut in the F3 European Championship in October's Imola round, before the Hockenheim finale and a planned attack on the Macau Grand Prix.

Motopark competed in the F3 Euro Series from 2009-'11, running drivers including Antonio Felix da Costa and Kevin Magnussen.

When the new generation cars arrived for 2012, Motopark concentrated on running its older machinery in German F3, as well as competing in ADAC Formel Masters and, last year, running Russian Time's GP2 team.

"We have two cars on order, hopefully to be delivered in the next two weeks," Motopark boss Timo Rumpfkeil said. "We want to do Imola and Hockenheim, and then we want to do Macau with as many entries as we can get – hopefully that will be one, and if we get two we would be delighted."

Frenchman Tom Dillmann, who raced with the Motopark-run Russian Team GP2 team last year, will be the team's development driver and could race, depending on his GP2 commitments with Caterham Racing.

Motopark is also keen to give a European F3 graduation to some of its drivers from German F3 – the team runs 2014 series leader Markus Pommer as well as Dutch Lotus protege Indy Dontje and Mercedes-backed Malaysian Nabil Jeffri. The team will join Van Amersfoort Racing and Carlin as a customer of Volkswagen engines; it already uses the older-spec Spiess-tuned powerplant in German F3.