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PHM AIX Racing aiming to disrupt the established order in 2024
As Joshua Dufek, Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak and Nikita Bedrin arrive at the team for 2024, PHM AIX Racing have undergone a world of change for the upcoming Formula 3 campaign.
Their three drivers, comprised of two rookies and an F3 podium winner in Bedrin, mark their new era alongside their eye-catching new livery and branding this year.
But, most importantly, the team has designs on making strides up the competitive order compared to where they were last year, and the trio tasked with making that happen should be interesting to watch.
Inthraphuvasak joins the PHM AIX F3 effort fresh from a winter of racing exploits in familiar colours. The Thai driver was competing in the Formula Regional Middle East Championship with the team, achieving a ninth-place finish in the Drivers’ standings.
He was on the podium in three of the five rounds, taking three P2 finishes and scoring points on 10 occasions. Prior to that, the 18-year-old competed in UAE, British and Spanish F4, achieving multiple race victories and podium finishes between the three.
Competing for Van Amersfoort Racing in Eurocup-3 last season, he was on pole twice across the season as well as appearing on the podium four times in his one and only campaign in the series. He finished sixth overall as a member the Dutch team, taking 142 points in total.
During pre-season testing, he accumulated plenty of mileage in his preparations for the step up to FIA F3, logging 118 laps of the Sakhir International Circuit, vital with round one taking place at the same venue in under a fortnight’s time.
For Dufek, he does have some prior F3 experience albeit very limited, as the Swiss drove in the 2023’s season finale at Monza for Campos Racing. He did an admirable job considering his relative inexperience versus those around him, finishing both the Sprint and Feature Races in 14th position.
Earlier in his career, Dufek achieved strong results at F4 level, finishing inside the top 10 in Spanish, ADAC and Italian F4 between 2020 and 2021.
From there, the 19-year-old moved up to Formula Regional, adding two more top 10 finishes in both European and Middle Eastern variants in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
READ MORE: Rookie progress around tough Sakhir circuit: PHM AIX Racing testing round-up
Most recently, he achieved one race win and seven podium results in Euroformula Open last year on the way to finishing seventh in the standings.
Now, in new surroundings once again, Dufek began his acclimatisation at post-season testing last year and picked up from where he left off, logging the laps in Bahrain ahead of lights out.
Team Manager Kenny Kirwan says his experiences with the team so far has already been a helping hand in his learning process, and there is hope he can continue on an upward trajectory in the future.
As the most experienced of the PHM AIX trio, Bedrin arrives at the team with high hopes after a promising rookie campaign in Jenzer Motorsport machinery.
Two starring weekends in Budapest and Spa-Francorchamps stand out as his finest moments in F3 so far, as he achieved podiums in both after strong drives to the rostrum in vastly different conditions.
His experiences will have no doubt sped up his learning process at PHM AIX, and he looked quick on the afternoon of day two, finishing inside the top five, putting in a solid lap. Should he carry the same kind of form into the weekend, PHM AIX might be making a splash sooner rather than later.
Bedrin’s experience is also hugely valuable to the team in terms of providing a comparison from which to measure teammates Dufek and Inthraphuvasak against.
READ MORE: F3 Explained: What is pre-season testing and why is it so important?
Of particular interest was his technical feedback, something which was noted by the team during pre-season testing as being “outstanding.”
That kind of impact on a team that’s hoping to make competitive gains this year could prove invaluable and should help the German outfit on their way to better results in 2024.
While it is very early in the year, PHM AIX’s hopes of moving up the order look to be a tangible goal this season. The two rookies along with Bedrin have bedded in nicely in the team and are aiming to have a clean opening weekend in Sakhir to help them on their way in 2024.