Class points the big picture for OzF3's Gray.

Lauren Gray walked away with a second place in the National Class in round two of the Kumho Tyres Australian F3 Championship in a tight affair at Oran Park Raceway at the weekend, but insisted that the result was in-line with her expectations.

The event marked Gray's return to open-wheel racing after again proving herself behind the wheel of a production car - this time at Mount Panorama in the WPS 12 Hour - and, in only her second meeting in the newer 2001-spec Dallara - a car vastly different to drive than the older 1996-chassis she used to finish second in the Trophy Class last year - the 19-year old entered the weekend hoping for a consistent performance and a clean run.

Promising signs were shown in Saturday's second qualifying sessions, with Gray's lap times constantly dropping close to National Class rival Chris Barry. She had matched Barry towards the end of the opening round at Eastern Creek and continued to prove that she will be a contender in the National Class this season after qualifying second for both races at Oran Park.

Aside from a brief spin in the second race, Gray's race day was trouble-free, bringing the Scud Racing Dallara home without a scratch to record a safe second in class in each 15-lap affair. The solid results lifted her to second in the championship after two rounds.

"The crew made a few changes to the car after practice and it made it very good," Gray revealed, "There is no doubt that the team has done an excellent job working on this car and getting it to where we need to be, so thanks to the guys for their work.

"I was looking forward to getting back in the '01 again but, unfortunately, it just wasn't a weekend that went our way. I don't think there is any one particular reason, but we just weren't as quick I would have liked. On the upside, though, we got a solid haul of championship points, which lifted us into second place in our class. That's a positive we can take when we head to Phillip Island in two weeks."