Eighteen-year-old Menasheh Idafar is to graduate to the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series for the coming season, it is announced today. He will race a T-Sport prepared Dallara-Mugen Honda in the championship’s National Class.

London-based Idafar placed third overall in the 2009 Formula Renault UK Winter Championship with the Manor Competition team. He joins T-Sport after a series of successful winter tests with the squad towards the end of last year and with backing from Gulf Computer Services W.L.L.

“I’m so happy to be joining the British F3 grid this year, it’s what I’ve wanted to do since first testing an F3 car,” said Menasheh. “Everyone at T-Sport is fantastic, I get on really well with the team and that can only be good for the season ahead. Although last year didn’t go how we’d have hoped in Formula Renault, I showed what I was capable of in the winter series.”

T-Sport team principal Russell Eacott added: “We’re very happy to welcome Menasheh to the team and we’re sure he’ll be extremely competitive in this year’s National Class. During his first test with us last year we were stunned by the pace he showed; his lap times were very impressive.

“It’s good for us to sign a driver with Menasheh’s potential so early into the year, thanks to the conclusion of our deal to advertise and promote Gulf Computer Services W.L.L. Now the plan is for him to get as much mileage under his belt as possible before the start of the season in April.”

T-Sport is one of the championship’s leading teams, last year securing two outright race victories and eight National Class race wins; the squad’s Brazilian driver, Gabriel Dias, placed second in the National championship. Idafar is the first driver to announce his commitment to British F3’s National division for the coming season.

British F3, which is sponsored by US tyre manufacturer Cooper Tire and is further supported by Sunoco Racing Fuels, Anglo American Oil Company and Mirror.co.uk, expands to 30 races for 2010, the first of them scheduled for 3-5 April at Oulton Park.