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| | | Martinez tops the times at end of final days testing |
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 |  Marcos Martinez headed the classification in the afternoon session at the conclusion of Barcelona's three day Formula Renault 3.5 test on Thursday.
The 22-year-old Pons driver's time of 1:33.710 failed to eclipse Robert Wickens' morning best by eight tenths of a second.
Wickens was absent from the afternoon running owing to A1GP commitments.
Salvador Duran, the 2007 Barcelona World Series pole-sitter and entering his second season with Interwetten.com, ended the afternoon second fastest, ahead of Frenchman Julien Jousse. Martinez, Duran and Jousse were among only seven drivers to improve on their morning times.
The day was the final collective test before the first race in Monza, although several teams, notably RC Motorsport and newcomers Ultimate-Signature, plan to visit Le Castellet for aerodynamic evaluation before moving on to Italy.
RC will run at Paul Ricard's Track 3A configuration, which features a long straight, to simulate Monza.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Marcos Martinez Pons 1:33.710 37
2. Salvador Duran Interwetten 1:33.826 26
3. Julien Jousse Tech 1 1:33.980 26
4. Fabio Carbone Ultimate-Signature 1:33.991 38
5. Marco Barba Draco 1:34.070 19
6. Charles Pic Tech 1 1:34.178 33
7. Miguel Molina Prema 1:34.227 16
8. Alvaro Barba Prema 1:34.236 44
9. Mario Romancini Epsilon 1:34.283 30
10. James Walker Fortec 1:34.416 25
11. Pablo Sanchez Interwetten 1:34.427 34
12. Pasquale Di Sabatino Comtec 1:34.560 40
13. Daniil Move KTR 1:34.585 42
14. Aleix Alcaraz RC 1:34.742 37
15. Maximo Cortes Pons 1:34.768 24
16. Alexandre Marsoin Epsilon 1:34.843 29
17. Claudio Cantelli Ultimate-Signature 1:35.149 43
18. Mikhail Aleshin Carlin 1:35.219 25
19. Giedo Van der Garde P1 1:35.549 26
20. Pippa Mann P1 1:35.701 10
21. Bertrand Baguette Draco 1:35.959 21
22. Guillaume Moreau KTR 1:36.030 8
23. Borja Garcia RC 1:36.261 6
24. Julian Theobald Fortec 1:36.473 49
25. Robert Wickens Carlin no time 0 | |
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| | | Wickens top on final mornings testing at Barcelona |
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| Robert Wickens became the first driver to dip beneath the circuit's 1m33s barrier on the final day of Formula Renault 3.5 collective testing at Barcelona.
The Carlin driver was uncertain if he would complete the afternoon's running, however, owing to impending commitments with Canada's A1GP team in China.
"It depends on how our test programme goes here as to whether I do the full afternoon," he said. "It shouldn't be a problem for me to jump between the Formula Renault 3.5 and A1GP cars as we have an hour of practice in Shanghai."
Bertrand Baguette was second fastest for International Draco Racing, ahead of Tech 1 Racing's Charles Pic.
"It has helped that I signed up early and did six days running with the team last year," said Baguette. "We've got to know each other, and I am alternating spending one month in Italy with the team and one month in Belgium.
"It's one of the rules of Draco to spend time at the factory, and it is no hardship for me being in Italy. Wins are our minimum requirement this year. The team has had enough of finishing second, we want the championship."
Guillaume Moreau started the day behind schedule, having suffered multiple alternator failures on his KTR car on Wednesday. The Frenchman, who was a class winner in the Le Mans series at the circuit last weekend, completed 32 laps.
Julian Theobald propped up the timesheets as he familiarised himself with his Fortec mount. The German is being evaluated for a race seat by the team, who have yet to rule out Roldan Rodriguez, among others, for the drive.
Rodriguez pulled out of the test to participate in the final GP2 Asia race with FMS.
Andy Soucek was on hand to offer advice to RC Motorsport's Aleix Alcaraz, who is part of the Circuit de Catalunya's young driver support programme.
The 17 year-old, who is making the daunting step up from a season in Formula Renault 2.0s, had struggled earlier in the test with a persistent long brake pedal and finished 20th.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Robert Wickens Carlin 1:32.971 35
2. Bertrand Baguette Draco 1:33.330 30
3. Charles Pic Tech 1 1:33.396 51
4. Giedo Van der Garde P1 1:33.467 40
5. Mikhail Aleshin Carlin 1:33.480 31
6. Miguel Molina Prema 1:33.551 36
7. Marco Barba Draco 1:33.843 25
8. Salvador Duran Interwetten 1:33.962 30
9. Fabio Carbone Ultimate/Signature 1:33.985 30
10. Marcos Martinez Pons 1:34.064 28
11. Alvaro Barba Prema 1:34.064 28
12. Mario Romancini Epsilon 1:34.065 46
13. Borja Garcia RC 1:34.142 32
14. Alexandre Marsoin Epsilon 1:34.149 47
15. Pasquale Di Sabatino Comtec 1:34.155 48
16. Claudio Cantelli Ultimate/Signature 1:34.356 45
17. Guillaume Moreau KTR 1:34.396 32
18. Maximo Cortes Pons 1:34.471 28
19. Pippa Mann P1 1:34.529 35
20. Aleix Alcaraz RC 1:34.585 35
21. Julien Jousse Tech 1 1:34.611 32
22. James Walker Fortec 1:35.214 25
23. Pablo Sanchez Interwetten 1:35.818 17
24. Daniil Move KTR 1:35.966 48
25. Julian Theobald Fortec 1:37.459 39 | |
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| | | Carbone sets the pace in Afternoon session on Day 2 |
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| Fabio Carbone set the fastest time of this afternoon's Formula Renault 3.5 test session at Barcelona, just edging out morning pace-setter Giedo van der Garde.
Carbone had struggled with mechanical problems with his Ultimate-Signature car during the first day and a half of the test but was finally able to lap freely this afternoon and set a best time more than two tenths of a second quicker than anyone else.
Van der Garde continued his strong form with P1 Motorsport in a comfortable second place after setting the quickest time in the morning sessions both yesterday and today.
Carlin Motorsport's Mikhail Aleshin was third fastest, ahead of Draco Racing team-mates Bertrand Baguette and Marco Barba.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1. Fabio Carbone Ultimate-Signature 1:33.500 21
2. Giedo van der Garde P1 Motorsport 1:33.723 +0.223 13
3. Mikhail Aleshin Carlin Motorsport 1:33.958 +0.458 35
4. Bertrand Baguette Draco Racing 1:33.968 +0.468 43
5. Marco Barba Draco Racing 1:34.115 +0.615 30
6. Robert Wickens Carlin Motorsport 1:34.121 +0.621 31
7. Miguel Molina Prema Powerteam 1:34.221 +0.721 26
8. Alvaro Barba Prema Powerteam 1:34.326 +0.826 33
9. Charles Pic Tech 1 1:34.398 +0.898 50
10. Marcos Martinez Pons Racing 1:34.510 +1.010 33
11. Alexandre Marsoin Epsilon Euskadi 1:34.527 +1.027 46
12. Salvador Duran Interwetten 1:34.705 +1.205 27
13. Borja Garcia RC Motorsport 1:34.764 +1.264 29
14. Pasquale di Sabatino Red Devil Comtec 1:34.795 +1.295 44
15. James Walker Fortec Motorsport 1:35.002 +1.502 46
16. Pablo Sanchez Interwetten 1:35.045 +1.545 35
17. Daniil Move KTR 1:35.247 +1.747 28
18. Guillaume Moreau KTR 1:35.335 +1.835 31
19. Pippa Mann P1 Motorsport 1:35.424 +1.924 28
20. Aleix Alcaraz RC Motorsport 1:35.449 +1.949 44
21. Maximo Cortes Pons Racing 1:35.503 +2.003 31
22. Julien Jousse Tech 1 1:35.552 +2.052 42
23. Claudio Cantelli Ultimate-Signature 1.35.748 +2.248 42
24. Mario Romancini Epsilon Euskadi 1:35.863 +2.363 22 | |
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| | | Van de Garde again tops morning test on Day 2 |
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| Giedo van der Garde set the pace this morning on the second day of Formula Renault 3.5 testing at Barcelona.
The Dutchman moved ahead of Marco Barba at the top of the time sheets with seven minutes of the four-hour session remaining. The field was denied a final opportunity to improve on the P1 Motorsport driver's time when Van der Garde brought out the red flags after losing control at the uphill, left-hand, Turn Four.
Barba, the runner-up in last year's Spanish F3 championship, led honours among the seven-strong contingent of Spanish drivers. Pons driver Marcos Martinez was third fastest for Pons Racing, ahead of Canadian Robert Wickens and Borja Garcia.
Wickens may cut short his driving tomorrow afternoon in order to attend the A1GP race in China.
Only 25 drivers participated in the test, as Fortec Motorsport continue to negotiate with drivers for their vacant second seat, the last remaining on the Renault 3.5 grid.
James Walker pressed ahead with their development programme and finished the session in eighth place. He will be joined in the team by German Julian Theobald on Thursday, after plans to run GP2 pilot Roldan Rodriguez fell through.
Yesterday's pace setter Marco Bonanomi had a troubled morning, completing just five laps before being halted by a drive-shaft failure. The Italian faired better than Epsilon Euskadi's Brazilian newcomer Mario Romancini, though. He fell foul of the wet conditions at the final corner and damaged his car before he could set a competitive time.
Many drivers opted not to venture out in the damp early laps, as a new specification Michelin wet tyre is set to be introduced for the first race at Monza.
Fabio Carbone was finally able to make some progress with new team Ultimate-Signature, having endured an oil leak and fire on Tuesday, and a broken clutch after just two laps this morning. The Brazilian succeeded in briefly holding the fastest time, before slipping to 10th.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1. Giedo van der Garde P1 Motorsport 1:34.958 13
2. Marco Barba Draco Racing 1:35.387 +0.429 23
3. Marcos Martinez Pons Racing 1:35.412 +0.454 26
4. Robert Wickens Carlin Motorsport 1:35.506 +0.548 10
5. Borja Garcia RC Motorsport 1:35.719 +0.761 27
6. Alvaro Barba Prema Powerteam 1:35.720 +0.762 46
7. Mikhail Aleshin Carlin Motorsport 1:35.765 +0.807 10
8. James Walker Fortec Motorsport 1:35.926 +0.968 23
9. Pablo Sanchez Interwetten 1:36.104 +1.146 41
10. Fabio Carbone Ultimate-Signature 1:36.503 +1.545 21
11. Maximo Cortes Pons Racing 1:36.936 +1.978 21
12. Alexandre Marsoin Epsilon Euskadi 1:37.070 +2.112 39
13. Charles Pic Tech 1 1:37.091 +2.133 7
14. Pippa Mann P1 Motorsport 1:37.176 +2.218 17
15. Claudio Cantelli Ultimate-Signature 1.37.190 +2.232 44
16. Miguel Molina Prema Powerteam 1:37.373 +2.415 34
17. Aleix Alcaraz RC Motorsport 1:38.017 +3.059 42
18. Pasquale di Sabatino Red Devil Comtec 1:38.141 +3.183 39
19. Guillaume Moreau KTR 1:38.236 +3.278 9
20. Daniil Move KTR 1:39.018 +4.060 8
21. Julien Jousse Tech 1 1:44.055 +9.097 5
22. Salvador Duran Interwetten 1:56.217 +21.259 16
23. Bertrand Baguette Draco Racing 1:57.858 +22.900 9
24. Mario Romancini Epsilon Euskadi 2:00.344 +25.386 7 | |
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| | | Bonanomi tops the times on day 1 of testing |
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| Marco Bonanomi set the fastest time in the afternoon session of yesterday's Formula Renault 3.5 collective test at Barcelona.
The 23-year-old Italian, who has been racing in the GP2 Asia series this winter, snatched the top spot from Marco Barba in the final minutes of the session.
Bonanomi was pleased to make such good progress early in the test, especially as he has to miss the final day and a half to fly to Dubai for the GP2 Asia finale.
"It's really important to get into a good rhythm," he said. "I have a good feeling for the new car, even if I'm not yet completely at ease with the brakes.
"We should be even quicker tomorrow before I have to head off to Dubai, but the main thing is to be ready for Monza."
The conditions were ideal for the afternoon's running and the times were nearly two seconds quicker than those set earlier in the day.
Canadian Robert Wickens finished the afternoon in third place, while morning pace-setter Giedo van der Garde was bundled down to 12th place in the last hour.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1. Marco Bonanomi Red Devil Comtec 1:33.478 25
2. Marco Barba Draco Racing 1:33.745 +0.267 19
3. Robert Wickens Carlin Motorsport 1:33.798 +0.320 22
4. Bertrand Baguette Draco Racing 1:34.026 +0.548 17
5. Pablo Sanchez Interwetten 1:34.138 +0.660 19
6. Borja Garcia RC Motorsport 1:34.368 +0.890 26
7. Mikhail Aleshin Carlin Motorsport 1:34.374 +0.896 28
8. James Walker Fortec Motorsport 1:34.462 +0.984 40
9. Alvaro Barba Prema Powerteam 1:34.506 +1.028 27
10. Julien Jousse Tech 1 1:34.537 +1.059 54
11. Charles Pic Tech 1 1:34.865 +1.387 20
12. Giedo van der Garde P1 Motorsport 1:34.938 +1.460 23
13. Daniil Move KTR 1:34.973 +1.495 29
14. Alexandre Marsoin Epsilon Euskadi 1:35.007 +1.529 29
15. Maximo Cortes Pons Racing 1:35.020 +1.542 23
16. Aleix Alcaraz RC Motorsport 1:35.446 +1.968 41
17. Claudio Cantelli Ultimate-Signature 1.35.687 +2.209 35
18. Fabio Carbone Ultimate-Signature 1:35.775 +2.297 14
19. Marcos Martinez Pons Racing 1:36.152 +2.674 24
20. Pippa Mann P1 Motorsport 1:36.328 +2.850 27
21. Miguel Molina Prema Powerteam 1:36.417 +2.939 38
22. Mario Romancini Epsilon Euskadi 1:36.582 +3.104 21
23. Pasquale di Sabatino Red Devil Comtec 1:37.446 +3.968 10
24. Guillaume Moreau KTR 1:39.687 +6.209 18 | |
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| | | Van de Garde sets the morning pace in Barcelona testing |
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| Dutchman Giedo van der Garde continued his strong partnership with P1 Motorsport to head Tuesday morning's Formula Renault 3.5 collective test in Barcelona.
Van der Garde, the highest placed series returnee to the championship having finished fifth last year with Victory Engineering, edged out Tech 1 Racing's French rookie Charles Pic by one hundredth of a second.
The three-day test has taken on additional importance given that the first group test in Valencia in March was interrupted by high winds. It is the final opportunity for teams to acclimatise to the new generation of car before the season gets under way at Monza on April 26th.
P1 team boss Roly Vincini said the focus of his team's testing programme would be on gaining knowledge of the change to a longer wheelbase car and the new for 2008 dampers.
"Barcelona is a test programme for Monaco, Monza and Spa," said Vincini. "If you have a car that's car set-up for Barcelona you'll have a good car, but it doesn't mean you'll have a good car for (the differing demands of) Monza, that's the problem we have at the moment."
Speaking before the test Van der Garde commented; "Barcelona is crucial. It is good we have three days because for the past four months we have only driven one day. Last year my preparation was completely different. I missed the first test and only went to the Nurburgring.
"Then it was straight into the first race at Monza. It was hard, even though Monza was a good weekend. We had different tyres at Monza and everyone was complaining about them, but I loved it because it produced massive oversteer. We tuned the car a little bit and our set-up was great. Then we went to the second race where we had different tyres, which we used for the rest of the season, and I had massive understeer.
"I had a few possibilities to achieve a good result last year, but not that many. When I jumped into the P1, or P1 by Cram, car at the end of last year, I was straight away in first place. In the high-speed corners it was incredible compared to the Victory car.
"I was happy with that but still we have to fine-tune the new car, and hopefully we can retain our competitiveness. Everyone is happy at P1 and I am confident. I just have to work hard and kick arse."
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Giedo Van der Garde P1 Motorsport 1:35.229 38
2. Charles Pic Tech 1 1:35.234 44
3. Daniil Move KTR 1:35.465 34
4. Alvaro Barba Prema 1:35.634 43
5. Pablo Sanchez Interwetten 1:35.642 41
6. Miguel Molina Prema 1:35.675 35
7. Bertrand Baguette Draco 1:35.684 35
8. Robert Wickens Carlin 1:35.894 24
9. Marco Barba Prema 1:36.008 29
10. Mikhail Aleshin Carlin 1:36.101 27
11. Marco Bonanomi Comtec 1:36.108 41
12. Marcos Martinez Pons 1:36.443 47
13. Borja Garcia RC 1:36.756 40
14. Alexandre Marsoin Epsilon 1:37.140 34
15. James Walker Fortec 1:37.185 38
16. Maximo Cortes Pons 1:37.251 37
17. Fabio Carbone Ultimate/Signature 1:37.612 5
18. Salvador Duran Interwetten 1:37.676 7
19. Pasquale Di Sabatino Comtec 1:37.855 29
20. Aleix Alcaraz RC 1:38.000 43
21. Julien Jousse Tech 1 1:38.049 24
22. Claudio Cantelli Ultimate/Signature 1:39.083 22
23. Mario Romancini Epsilon 1:39.306 21
24. Pippa Mann P1 1:41.472 5
25. Guillaume Moreau KTR 1:48.384 6 | |
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| | | New car gets mixed reaction from teams and drivers alike |
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|  The new-for-2008 World Series by Renault car has received mixed reactions after its first test at Valencia last week.
The car's laptimes were slower than the best lap set by the old car at the circuit in November, although high winds and a shortage of spares prevented drivers from pushing hard.
But the increased level of aero on the new car has limited the top speed and KTR team boss Kurt Mollekens wants it to be quicker.
"The car has too much downforce. All the aero bits and bobs are nice to look at but they're not bringing a big improvement and their weight is slowing the car down.
"The car was satisfying but there's just a lack of laptime. I think we can take a second off but I'm pretty pessimistic.
"I think we'll be as fast as the old car at Barcelona but with the low top speeds, I fear for Monza."
The car's reliability was widely praised however, and there was a reluctance to draw too many conclusions on the performance just yet.
The first day of testing was abandoned when high winds brought a roof top marquee down onto the paddock, and drivers had already been restricted to one car per pairing.
World Series race winner James Walker was more enthusiastic about the new car's debut.
"I'm really excited, I think it's a good bit of kit. The times weren't as quick immediately because people have had three years to get the most out of the old car.
"You can feel there is a bit more power, but there is more drag on the straights."
Comtec Racing boss Jonathan Lewis added: "The drivers were threatened with death not to crash because we didn't have any spares, so I think we will be a little quicker than the old car."
Series organisers are also considering a return to sideskirts, which were last used in the category in 2005 and would offer a slight performance increase.
"It's up to Renault if we use them," said Lewis. "Personally, I would prefer not to. People got sick of changing six or seven sets a day last time. Every time the car stopped they had to have a new set." | |
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| | | Garcia shines on home circuit |
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| Valencia-born Borja García (RC Motorsport) made a successful return to Formula Renault 3.5, as he set the fastest time in the first collective test sessions of the season. A decisive two days of testing and a new race car with which drivers and teams alike seem fully satisfied, although a few details still need to be ironed out before the next tests, scheduled to take place in Barcelona at the start of April.
After the first day of testing was seriously disrupted by the weather, the teams could really get down to business today. Without wasting any time, Marco Bonanomi (Comtec Racing) immediately better the best time set yesterday by Bertrand Baguette (International Draco Motorsport). Everybody upped the pace and consequently the standings changed almost on every lap. Borja García (RC Motorsport) helped himself to the best time, before Miguel Molina (Prema Powerteam) and then Bertrand Baguette bettered it. No preliminaries then: the protagonists for the 2008 season were up to racing speed no sooner had they stepped into the new Formula Renault 3.5.
Salvador Duran (Interwetten.com) then took his turn to grab top spot with a lap timed at 1’’23'071, before improving his time to 1’’23'035. Eight drivers were at that stage separated by less than a second, Salvador Duran leading from Borja García, Miguel Molina, Guillaume Moreau (KTR), Bertrand Baguette, Charles Pic (Tech1 Racing), Marco Bonanomi and Robert Wickens (Carlin Motorsport).
As the day neared the half-way stage, Guillaume Moreau and Bertrand Baguette moved back up to first and second positions, both dipping below the 1’’23 mark. Marco Bonanomi was not to be intimidated, however. The Italian, track record holder in the previous version of the car, moved back to the top of the standings with a lap of 1’’22'374.
As the car is new, the teams only had one single-seater for the Valencia test. The majority of the drivers handed over to team-mates in the afternoon. So we had to wait a little for times to start improving again. Mikhail Aleshin (Carlin Motorsport) managed to muscle his way into third, between Moreau and García.
With close to half an hour to go, Borja García returned to the track and took control of affairs again with a lap of 1’’22'031, while Marco Barba (International Draco Racing) moved up to fourth position. Pasquale di Sabatino (Red Devil Team Comtec) produced a fine performance right at the death to take the third best time. García therefore left Valencia with the best time, ahead of Bonanomi, Sabatino, Barba and Moreau.
Borja García seemed satisfied with his return to the category, although he is yet to decide what he will do this year. "It was a very good day, but fairly tiring because I spent a lot of time on the track. I waited until the end of the session to try and set the best time. These test sessions with the new car were very decisive. Now all I have to do is sign for RC Motorsport."
These tests were not however all about performance – above all, they were about getting used to the new Formula Renault 3.5, as Guillaume Moreau explained: "The aim was to gather as much information as possible for the team, to identify what needs to be worked on with this new car. We found a solid base and a good setup. Having said that, we broke the clutch in the afternoon, which disrupted our plans somewhat."
Renault Sport Technologies' engineers were also pleased with this first test session. "Apart from a gearbox problem for Prema Powerteam and a broken clutch on the KTR car, we didn't have any major problems, which can always happen with a new race car. We are going to improve the driving position and a few technical details, but overall we are pleased with these test sessions", explained Track Operations Manager Emmanuel Esnault.
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| The thirteen teams taking part in this year's Formula Renault 3.5 were very much looking forward to these first collective tests in Valencia, in order to make an initial assessment of the new Formula Renault 3.5 race car. However, the violent winds that are currently blowing on the east coast of Spain seriously disrupted this first day of testing. After the paddock suffered substantial damage, testing was interrupted shortly before midday. Tomorrow – Thursday – the Formula Renault 3.5 championship competitors will have an uninterrupted day of testing from 9am to 6pm.
What should have been a day full of useful information at the first session of collective testing of the 2008 version of the Formula Renault 3.5, ended up as a fight against the elements. The strong wind tore off the frame of the ‘Club F1’ structure of the Valencia track, which then landed in the paddock, causing some substantial damage in the process. The drivers only had time to complete a few warm-up laps before the session was interrupted.
In the limited time available it was Belgian driver Bertrand Baguette (International Draco Racing) who set the best time right at the start of the session, with a lap timed at 1’’25’569, ahead of Roldán Rodriguez (RC Motorsport) and Julien Jousse (Tech 1 Racing).
Weather conditions are due to improve on Thursday morning. The Organizing Committee has therefore decided to give drivers an uninterrupted day of testing from 9am to 6pm.
Behind the scenes, the final drives have been taken. Following on from Fabio Carbone, another Brazilian has just signed up for Ultimate Signature: Claudio Cantelli Jr.
It is worth noting that some teams are assessing drivers before officially announcing their driver line-up for 2008. Johnny Reid (New Zealand), who recently distinguished himself in A1 GP, is counting on these tests to earn himself a drive. He will be racing tomorrow with the Fortec Motorsport team.
At RC Motorsport, Roldán Rodriguez will hand over to Borja Garcia tomorrow. The Spaniard is 98% sure of signing for the Italian team.
Quote, unquote...
Pippa Mann (P1 Motorsport): "I only managed to complete a few laps because of a problem with the battery this morning. I lost time during the first part of the session. I don't feel very comfortable in the car. I have to add padding behind my helmet so that I can drive Guido's car. Fortunately, I am going to benefit from a few hours of track time thanks to Roly (Vincini)!"
Marcos Martinez (Pons Racing): "I had a bit of close thing this morning when a steel bar came through the side of our truck! On the track, I only managed to complete eight laps. I felt comfortable in the car very quickly. Tomorrow, I hand over to Maxi Cortes in the morning and I will be driving in the afternoon."
Mario Romancini (Epsilon Euskadi): "I had the usual problems you encounter when getting into a new car for the first time. We started the session pretty late and when I came back into the pits, I saw that the structure of the terrace had collapsed! I will be sharing the car tomorrow with my team-mate Alexandre Marsoin. As a rookie, every kilometre covered is useful as all the tracks are new to me. I have just moved to Barcelona – I love the city!" | |
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| | | Valencia test halted by marquee incident + driver news from the test |
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| The first day of World Series by Renault testing at Valencia today was halted when a marquee constructed on the circuit's pit building collapsed, injuring two people.
The metallic structure was blown over by strong winds, and fell on the back of the pit area. An Ultimate Signature mechanic was taken hospital with a knee injury and a rescue vehicle driver was also injured.
In driver news from the test, Fortec Motorsport have decided to try out A1GP star Jonny Reid, while Roldan Rodriguez and Borja Garcia are driving for RC Motorsport.
However, neither Garcia or Rodriguez are thought to be in the frame for a race drive with the team, perhaps leaving the door open for ex-GP2 driver Adrian Zaugg, who will also test for the team, to drive for the team alongside Aleix Alcarez this season. | |
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| | | Carbone signs for newly formed team Ultimate Signature |
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| Fabio Carbone has signed to join the newly-formed Ultimate Signature team in World Series by Renault this season.
The Brazilian, who has spent the last two seasons racing in Japan, believes the return to Europe will give him the chance to follow in the footsteps of former WSR winners Robert Kubica and Heikki Kovalainen.
"I'm delighted to have this opportunity to return to race in Europe after some very enjoyable seasons in Japan," said Carbone. "The value of the World Series by Renault can be seen just by looking at the list of previous winners.
"Ultimate Signature is a new team, but there is a lot experience behind it. Together with my own racing experience, I feel very confident that we can put together a very strong package."
Ultimate Signature is the result of a tie-up between Ultimate Motorsport and the French Signature team. Carbone's teammate will be fellow Brazilian Claudio Cantelli. | |
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