A1GP Fanzone

Mexico was not a good weekend, one not to be repeated

PatrickW — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 12:05:00 GMT

I had a good start in the Rookie and Practice sessions with Saturday being not so good in qualifying. Once we started the Sprint Race a puncture ruined any chance of a place in the points. The Feature was great, I had the pace of the Dutch and when I passed the Italian car, my car felt strange and a smell was strong around me and inside the helmet. I wasnt sure of any problem and asked the crew over the radio what they wnated me to do. As I continued the car hadnt changed and I felt we may have had a major mechanical problem. I did not know until later the Italian car had a problem and the smell was from them - I came in and the crew couldnt find anything wrong.

We had the pace of the Irisih car as well and with the pit stops being so fast the race, whilst lost, was encouraging for the pace we have if everything goes right for us next race.

Frustrated on the failure I left pit lane too quick and was penalised with a drive through. The result was not good, so I have plenty to do for Shanghai and Brands Hatch.

John

Durban, what a weekend

PatrickW — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:35:00 GMT

Durban what a weekend it was a weekend of ups and downs for me with Friday going pretty well just trying to learn the track and stay out of the wall which went pretty well in the rookie session ending up 3rd. Then in practice 2 we were looking good untill on my 2nd flying lap of the session i court the Lebanon car on the back straight and thought he was leting me past on the entry to turn 9 but at the last minute he turned in not knowing I was there and we made heavy contact. I was able to keep it runing and got it back to the pits where the boys went to work and were able to get me back out before the end of the session

Saturday was not as good however at the start of the session we were going ok and inside the top five till lap 4 when I got it wrong going through turn 14 the fastest corner on the circuit and hit the wall hard. The marshalls were able to tow me back to pit lane where the boys went to work again, at the first glance you would have said that there is know way that you could get the car back out till qualifying but they all hooked in with an awesome effort and managed to get me back out with 6 minutes of the session to go just to check the car out make sure everything else was ok but its not the best thing you want before qualifying. Any way I did the best Icould and ended up 12th and 10th witch is not that great but anything could happen in the race and we knew our race car was faster than qualifying showed

It was just after qualifying that I started to feel sick and after hoping it would go away for about an hour. I told Adam (team manager) and he took me to the medical hut and it was there that they took one look at me and put me strait on a drip witch was wierd. I had never been on a drip before it was just after that they told me i had to go to hospital witch I tryed to get out of but Adam told me I had to go so it was "yes boss" and off to hospital. Looking back I'm glad I went beacuse if I didnt there would of been no way I would of been able to race.

After a very long night with not much sleep on a drip all night I signed myself out in the morning so I could race. I wasnt feeling the best and I couldnt eat or drink anything, as when I tried it didnt stay down long but the boys had put in 150% so I couldnt give up now and so I pushed on the sprint race and went ok ending up 6th which was ok considering in between the sprint race and the feature race I just slept to try to get some energy back. I was not to bad for the first few laps of the feature race but from there on I just got weaker and weaker and after the contact with Germany the steering was all bent so I just tried to keep it off the wall and finish the race and had the red flag come out a lap later we would of finished 7th by the end, though i just wanted it to finish and when it was over I was flat out trying to get out of the car but was pleased I made the finish.

I would like to thank everyone that helped me at the hospital and at the track and all the boys from team AUS for there awesome effort I couldnt have done it with out them,

bring on Mexico

cheers John

Return from Down-under

GBR — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:01:00 GMT

I thought it was about time I wrote a quick update on recent activities now that I’ve finally returned from my three week trip down-under!!!

Obviously for me, it was absolutely fantastic being back in the GBR car again as it’s been a while since I last raced for the team back in Brno. It’s just a shame that the luck didn’t go our way, particularly in Taupo where it really wasn’t happening for us despite showing we were quick in practice. It was frustrating to be hit by USA in the Sprint Race and then for our ongoing engine problems over the weekend to eventually force us to retire early from the Feature Race. Then moving onto Oz, we again showed we had the pace going second fastest in the practice sessions, but unfortunately our engineer broke his leg on the Friday night so couldn’t be with us during Saturday qualifying. This was definitely a big disadvantage and affected our weekend since James (our engineer) and I make all the important decisions together on how the car should be set up for qualifying and the races. But the team pulled out all the stops, and in the end we managed to get a good result and return to the podium in the Feature Race. It’s great for GBR to be back up there again and now we’ve just got to make sure we keep the momentum going, keep the pace and be at the front for the rest of the season.

Although it’s a trek to get to New Zealand / Australia, it’s always a fun leg of the A1GP calendar. Taupo is a great setting for a race-track with the nearby lake and mountains in a real holiday atmosphere, and then Sydney is a fantastic city to move onto. In the week in between the races, I had a really relaxing week in Byron Bay with the mechanics - it was great being there as a team and actually spending time with each other socially for a change.

But it’s now good to be back in the UK, at least until the next time I go away!

Robbie

We bagged Points in Sydney

PatrickW — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:12:00 GMT

That was great, slicks in the wet, on a track I really enjoy, the home crowd and so much media I felt like I was transformed into a TV or Micrphone. Man I did some of that and I thank them for their support of course.

Yeah we have 11 points and the Sprint was loads of fun as was the Feature. When I came off on Turn 9 to let you know I was chasing the fastest lap. Sorry if I gave you a fright when I was on the grass, I know the angles there and all was good.

So we had loads of family attend, mates from Blackwater, Formula Ford guys I raced with, AMSF supports, CAMS supporters, heaps of people. Definitely the biggest event for me in my career with such a wide spread of people from all walks of life.

Thanks for your emails to the team and shouts og good luck whilst I was at Eastern Creek, it was a great boost!

Speak soon

John Martin

Taupo was a learning curve

PatrickW — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:05:00 GMT

Hi there hope you are enjoying our racing at A1GP!

Taupo was a real learning curve for me as I had the car for the firsttime and really wanted to qualify well. I was pushing too hard and paid the price.Once the Sprint started the car felt good and my race pace was a s fast as the leading three cars. Rob told me like Webber told me to race to the grip. There was not much there with dust and wind all day.

We got home with points and thats awesome for the team.

Mt Feature was a nightmare after Narain punted me mid-corner and the sidepod was broke, with a leak running the side of my car all around the track. Back to the pits and the crew replaced the sidepod and radiator with new coolant and water in 5.8 minutes. So out I wnet and then Indonesia spun red soft soil onto the track and I joined him in the grass. The marshalls got me going but I had to come back for a seat belt tighten.

Out I went and home I came for a scheduled pitstop.Learnt the lot that weekend, the one lap qualifier to pit stops to safety cars and shunts....

Speak to you in Sydney for the Eastern Creek Round

John Martin

Looking forward to a Rookie Drive

PatrickW — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 13:45:00 GMT

Happy to be selected for A1 Team Australia as the new Rookie with Shangahi to be my first drive. I will take a lot from the experience with Alan Jones and have enjoyed meeting and working with John Martin in Mexico, as well as the Crew.

Living a Dream

PatrickW — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 08:39:00 GMT

Years ago I thought I would get into a race car, but only dreamt about it being on the international circuit. Man I can't wait till Taupo and take te car on the track,set the car with Rob and Ash then get into it before my qualifying.

Lots going on this weekend at Zhuhai

PatrickW — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 03:25:00 GMT

Well no doubt it was a weekend with loads of action.

While Dykey was on the track I spend most of my time on the pit wall with AJ, Docko, Ash and Rob doing the pitboard lap info.

You get the best view as the comes flying down pit straight and this also gives you a good chance to see the car setup in full flight.

The racing this weekend was really good overall in A1GP. Our team were caught with some backmarker action and this mucked up our race strategy so Rob and Ash set up a new one for the crew on firsst stop in the feature race.

Cars were banging into each other all over the place, the circuit is a heavy braking one.

So we head to Taupo next month, speak to you all again then, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

from John Martin

"ROCKY" arrives in Zhuhai

AJONES.AUS — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 22:16:00 GMT

Packed and ready to go racing again for the 17th time this year, my Dad and I left their home in Blackwater Queensland on Monday to arrive Sydney the Tuesday en route to Honk Kong with a few crew members.

After touching down early afternoon it was followed by a Shark Cat ride across open waters taking 30 mins into the Skypier at Zhuhai Harbour.

For a Rookie driver, who is not a rookie in the sense of being a racing car driver, I must adjust quickly to local environs then make way to the track for some familiarisation. This does not mean driving the track, so it's either on foot or on a push bike. I felt a little lost on arrival as there was no sign of a track anywhere apart from this huge wall like Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But once you enter a tunnel and arrive inside, there it was. A huge venue with checkpoints throughout. A very secure race track.

Being part of this team everyone has a job to do on Day one of setup, I did my part. First thing to do was to erect the prat perch with Ash then I went for a good long walk around the track to see what the turns were like and look over the track surface. A few bumps in a few places, the surface looks low grip. I ran the first half and walked the rest. So much for a slow walk. My idea is walk the racing line and have a think on how you would come through the corner, how the car might feel, and what you would consider doing. To see the bumps better, it's good to sit and sometimes lay on the surface of the track.

It never appears to be that way once you take over the race car and get onto the racing line in real life. I have the same impression everytime he goes racing as the first lap you do is always ten times better than ever walking as you are then in the car, you are at speed, you are lower down and have a different take on the track from what you thought was there walking it. Lap by lap it all unfolds.

Once the famile trip was over I made my way back to hook up with his engineers to go over his impression and their knowledge of this spectacular track and venue. Ash Edwards and Rob Arnott and the brains behind team strategy on track with regard to set up for the drivers to get the best out of their A1GP race car. I gave his impression that with fast straights came slow corners, so lots of heavy braking, pulling the car up late breaking to exit the corner under the fastest speed ever possible for the best time. As Mark Webber says "Drive to the Grip"

Before making their way back to the Hotel, I made my way around to the track support paddock to meet the local revheads and talk fast cars with Drifting Teams and some of the local Asian series crews. It's really good to see the other side of this world of motorsport

Friday at 11am its my time with the A1 Team Australia race car out for a sighting lap. Then five more laps to bed a new engine in then it's onto the "gas pedal" flat out to help give as much feedback on the car and track to the team engineers before lead driver Ian Dyk takes over the second session Friday afternoon.

Keep an eye on www.a1gp.com and Tickets for the Eastern Creek round 1-3 February 2008 are available at Ticketek.com.au and remember Paddock Tickets are being reserved and selling fast, please contact Layla@a1gpsydney.com

See you there!

Marto

Malaysia was awesome

AJONES.AUS — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:15:00 GMT

Well for my first blog, welcome to John Martin's world of motorsport.

Malaysia for me was awesome from the time i got there till the time I left.

I havent done that much PR before so I'm learning all the time which is good as it was also good to see a different part of the world that I had never seen before.

Like when we went down to the markets in downtown KL with Pat our Team PR, that was something else, truly amazing and in the end I think we ended up going there just about every night, each time with different crew members.

It was good fun just hanging around with the team as well. They all get on so good and have winning in their blood. You can see it from everyone's expression when I managed to move into third place for the first Rookie session. We were chasing down the Brazil car and with another lap I would have taken him as well. Jarvis in the British car had just come off a Macau win and it was his last rookie session, so he was the target for me that day.

With the rookie drive you are part of the team the whole way. Gotchy had me in the garage, on the pit wall for Ian, helping on the grid, AJ was talking to me each time we were on track to help me learn more of what the car was doing and how the engineeer calls it as he sees it with his experience.

Rob Arnott is a true propfessional in his job as Chief ENgineer, I felt in control all the way withRob talking to me on track.

The circuit was mine from the Playstation so I knew it like I had raced there before, every corner.

Cant wait to get back into the race car in Zhuhai, so let me know what you think.

Thanks from

John Martin the Rookie Driver

Life as a Pitlane Reporter!

GBR — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:56:00 GMT

Hi there

Well, my Japanese F3 season is now over but I'm planning on staying on in Japan for a while longer and will hopefully fit in a few breaks in Asia before returning to the UK!

In between two Japanese F3 race weekends, I popped over to join A1 Team GBR in Brno for 48 hours! It was a fun weekend and good to see A1GP from a very different perspective in my role as pit-lane reporter and commentator! I'm used to being in front of the camera, but found it a completely different experience when I was the one asking the questions!! It was certainly much harder than I had anticipated and I think it goes to show what a great job our current pit-lane reporters and commentators are doing as they make it look so easy. The audio work and commentating in the studio was much easier as it was more what I am used to.

Overall I really enjoyed the weekend as a whole but I can't wait to get back to my role as a racing driver for A1 Team GBR!

Ciao

Olly

A mixed weekend in Brno....

GBR — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 17:04:00 GMT

Hello!

It was great to be back in the A1GP car last weekend – overall it was a good weekend. Despite a few issues to deal with and not running in the rookie session, we were on the pace straight away on Friday practice and third on the grid for both races gave us a strong start and an opportunity to do the job. So a 2^nd place in the sprint race was great, but it was so disappointing to get a puncture in the Feature Race as we were in a strong 4^th position at the time and I knew I’d be faster again after the second pit stop, but the puncture unfortunately meant I had to pit before the next window putting us out of contention. Its just one of those things that happens in racing but certainly doesn’t make me feel any better about it!

Neither of our two regular engineers could attend Brno, but I have to say thank you to the engineers that stepped in and did a fantastic job all things considered. It also shows what a strong team GBR is when we can still be in the running despite two key team members missing.

The Ferrari announcement over the Brno weekend was big news for A1GP and I’m certainly keen to sample a Ferrari single-seater next season!

We have a bit of a break from A1GP now but Olly and I will certainly be back and going for the Championship!!

Robbie

Zandvoort Highlights

GBR — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:39:00 GMT

Hi there

After starting out with what looked to be a fairly frustrating weekend with difficulties in both practices and the sprint race qualifying, I'm delighted to get A1 Team GBR's first win of the season - its a great start to the year for us. From a personal point of view, it was also a special win for me as my whole family were with me in Zandvoort yesterday. The feature race was really enjoyable though it was pretty tough physically and mentally. Robbie and I have got a great team working with us which wasw proved yesterday with their fantastic pit work.

I'm now heading back to Japan to continue competing in the Japanese F3 series but am certainly looking forward to racing the British A1GP car again soon and going for the Championship.

Olly

Supporting A1 Team GBR

GBR — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 12:50:00 GMT

Hello,

I hope you all had a good summer and are ready for the third season of A1GP to start, I know I am! It was great to be back in the A1 Team GBR car testing at Silverstone last week - we showed that the team is really competitive and set the second fastest time overall, so bring on the new season!

Going back to last season, I never thanked you all for your support at Brands Hatch. It was an amazing feeling to have so many people waving the Union flag in the crowds. I can’t thank you enough for showing the team and me how much you were behind us. A home win was a dream come true - I just wish we could’ve made it the double.

During the summer months since then, I’ve kept myself busy. I competed in my first ever Le Mans 24 hour race and came 2^nd in our class which was a great experience. I’ve also been spending time keeping as fit as I can, and really enjoy going out on my mountain bike and a litle bit of Jet Skiing (since getting the bug in New Zealand last January!). It's a shame the weather hasn't been better tho......

Thanks again for all your support,

Robbie

Season 3 drawing closer.....!

GBR — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 19:22:00 GMT

Hi!

After a long break away from A1GP, it was great to be back testing the car again last week. It was also a good chance to catch up with all the guys at A1 Team GBR and the other drivers from last season - its definitely a great environment in the A1GP paddock! The test went well for A1 Team GBR but one thing thats become clear is that this season is set to be the most competitive yet!!! But I'm delighted to have been announced as the driver for the opening round and hope to continue our good form from last season.

With a month long break in my All Japanese F3 race calendar, its fantastic to have the whole of September back in the UK to catch up with friends, spend some with the team and generally get myself ready for Zandvoort at the end of the month!

Olly

5th in the Championship and 2 awards

WSCHROEDER — Tue, 01 May 2007 14:30:00 GMT

What a weekend it was for A1 GP. Many fans were out there on Sunday at Brands Hatch and it was great to be racing for them at this superb track. We nearly took 3rd place after the pitstops and then after the safety car again. I was next to Italy, when Indonesia went into the pitlane for their stop and I had to back off. Italy got in front of me and also India got past. So I had to settle for 5th. This result also gave us 5th place in the championship. We are happy with that, altough we want to be better next season.

Monday night we had the award night and we won 2. The nicest for me was the one for best overtaking manouvre 2006/2007. It was a long time ago, but we had some nice overtaking in Zandvoort that made us win this price. I'm proud to be given this award, as there was so much overtaking during the season.

I will keep you updated about what's going on and I can't wait to see all the A1 GP action come back to Zandvoort again.

All the best,

Jeroen

Friday not as good as we wanted

WSCHROEDER — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 10:06:00 GMT

We ended up 12th today, not where we want to be. But we can still make a lot of changes to the car for tomorrow and hopefully we'll be on the pace then. We know where we want to go with the car, so I have confidence that we will be quicker tomorrow. And I'm really looking forward to qualifying. On this exciting track that is going to be really nice.

Speak to you tomorrow

Jeroen

Action

WSCHROEDER — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 05:16:00 GMT

The weekend has started here. After a nice PR day, with shooting and driving in buggy's, we are going out for the first time today. Renger will do the rookie session, and I will drive after that in the 2nd Free Practice and the rest of the weekend. It's been a while ago, because the last time I drove the A1 car I was in Mexico. But I want to go for it from the word go.

I will let you know how my session was today and how we progress during the weekend!

Jeroen

Vote for us!

WSCHROEDER — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 11:50:00 GMT

Next week Tuesday after the Brands Hatch race we will have the Gala dinner with the awards. I hope we can take some prizes home. If you don't know which team to choose, please vote for team Netherlands! If you do, thanks a lot!

Speak to you next week during the last event of this season!

Jeroen

The final round is getting close now

WSCHROEDER — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 08:38:00 GMT

I watched a part of the Shanghai race from my hotel room in Monza. Then I had to get up and race myself. Shanghai was a lot of fun to watch, with a lot of action, like always with A1 GP. We had a good result, so it looks nice for the championship. We can still take 4th position, so that's what we have to focus on for Brands Hatch.

My race in Monza was not so lucky, we had some problems with the car. But in the end we could finish it and if we can fix the problems for Le Mans, then we should be able to surprise a lot of people there. The Dome was really nice to drive.

I will fly to Brands Hatch on Wednesday, so in about a week the action starts again. Really looking forward to it!

Thoughts after Durban and Mexico

RBANKS.BRA — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 10:16:00 GMT

ENGLISH

"Last month, I had a great and new experience, defending the Brazilian colors in A1GP. I was very happy to have the opportunity and for the challenge of developing the Brazilian car, to get it back to the front.

My first race was in Durban, South Africa, on a street track. Not knowing the car nor the track, the first time I went out I had the third fastest time - but then we started to encounter some problems with the car. For the race, we still got a decent 7th.

The next race was in Mexico City, a track I knew well. Still searching to improve the car, we had a few changes in the team, but the first time I went out I was only 12th. We worked some more, made some more changes to the car and got better, ending Saturday's practice in 4th.

In Qualifying, I finally had the second time in the last session, which made us happier and a little more confident for the race. I had a great start, but was almost immediately hit from behind by the Mexican car, and could not finish the Sprint race. In the Feature race, starting last I still finished 13th, but clocked the fastest Sector 2, the "esses" on the track - what shows the car's evolution. I left Mexico with a good feeling, despite the bad result. I think we were able to improve the Brazilian car, and all the doubts the team had before were cleared. The whole team is working better, and is more confident.

I will be in the cockpit of my ChampCar in Long Beach while A1GP races in Shanghai, but the team has invited Vitor Meira for this race and I am sure he will keep the flame burning. I hope to be able to come back for the final race in Brands Hatch, to step on the gas and, with some luck, get Team Brasil back where it belongs, on the podium and fighting for wins !"

PORTUGUESE

"Neste ultimo mes, tive uma experiencia muito boa. Defender a equipe do Brasil na A1GP. Fiquei muito feliz por ter a oportunidade e pelo desafio de desenvolver o carro do Team Brasil para voltar a andar na frente.

A primeira corrida foi na Africa do Sul, em Durban, um circuito de rua. Sem conhecer o carro, nem a pista, na primeira vez que fui pra pista ja coloquei o carro do Brasil em terceiro, mas a partir dai tivemos varios problemas no carro. Mas na corrida, coseguimos um bom resultado,chegando em setimo.

A proxima corrida foi na cidade do Mexico, uma pista que eu ja conhecia.

Fizemos algumas mudancas na equipe, visando uma melhora na preparacao do carro. Quando fui pra pista, o carro nao estava muito bom, fui 12. Mas apos algumas mudancas, conseguimos andar muito bem, e terminar a secao de sabado em 4. Na classificao , consegui ficar em segundo na ultima secao, o que nos deixou muito felizes e confiantes para a corrida. Fiz uma boa largada, mas infelizmente fui atingido por tras pelo piloto Mexicano, e acabei nao terminando a Sprint race. Na corrida final, largando em ultimo terminei em 13, mas fiz o melhor trecho na secao 2, de 'esses' da pista, o que mostra uma evolucao do carro. Sai do Mexico com uma boa sensacao , apesar do resultado ruim. Acho que conseguimos acertar o carro do Brasil e todas as duvidas que a equipe tinha antes foram esclarecidas. A equipe tambem esta funcionando melhor e mais confiante.

Vou estar no cockpit de meu ChampCar em Long Beach durante a corrida de Shanghai da A1GP, mas a equipe convidou o Vitor Meira para essa prova e tenho certeza que ele vai manter a chama acesa. Espero poder estar de volta para a ultima prova em Brands Hatch, para acelerar e, com um pouco de sorte, colocar o Brasil onde merece, no podio e brigando por Vitorias!!!!"

Shanghai from Monza

WSCHROEDER — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 07:55:00 GMT

Hi There,

This weekend will be the first A1 GP race I'm not there. Last season I didn't race, but went to all the races as a reserve driver, this year I've been racing at every event. So it will be a bit strange to watch it on TV for the first time, although I don't have a lot of time to watch it. I will be racing this weekend together with my A1 GP team boss Jan Lammers at Monza. We drive with the Dome in the Le Mans Series and I'm really looking forward. There is a lot of competition between all the teams and on a track like Monza topspeeds are far over 300 km/h.

I wish A1 Team Netherlands all the best in Shanghai. I hope we score a lot of points, so I can make up again some places in the championship at the last round in Brands Hatch. There I will be back behind the wheel again. I will keep you updated what's going on at Monza and how our team is doing in Shanghai.

Speak soon!

Jeroen

Bad luck cost us nice result

WSCHROEDER — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 04:54:00 GMT

We had bad luck in Sundays Feature race. The car wasn't shifting up or down anymore, so we had to make a pitstop of over a minute. It was going really well. After a good start a was up to 4th. Then we run into trouble, but after the stop we were really fast. I was doing the same laptimes as the leaders, sometimes even a bit faster.

A shame we couldn't show our potential, because we had again a quick car for this event. Then next race In Shanghai I won't be there, because that weekend I will de driving together with my A1 GP team boss Jan Lammers in the Le Mans Series in the Dome at Monza. Top speeds will be over 300 km/u, so that's also going to be fun. I will be back in the orange A1 car at Brands Hatch, trying to win the last round of the championship of this season.

Regards,

Jeroen

Looking forward to the race tomorrow

WSCHROEDER — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 17:51:00 GMT

Today wasn't easy for me, watching the others drive. We were really good in the morning, but unfortunately we weren't as quick anymore in qualifying. Renger will do the sprintrace in the morning and then I will finally go out again in the Feature race. It's going to be a nice challenge, because I did only 14 laps here so far. But I will not give up untill the end. And hopefully Renger will make up some places during the sprintrace.

I will let you know how my day was.

Jeroen

Racing in Mexico

fanzoneadmin — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 11:06:00 GMT

So finally we’re here in Mexico and my first full race weekend driving the A1GP car with the exception of Beijing where we had limited practice time and no qualifying. I’m delighted to be here with A1 Team GBR - it seems to have been a long wait to get the opportunity to prove myself once again especially having been unavailable for the New Zealand round. Friday morning was very much a continuation of what I’ve been doing all year with bedding in brakes and setting up the car but it was nice to be able to work on my own program in the knowledge that I would again get to improve on this base line set up throughout the main test sessions. Testing so far has gone well but qualifying will be crucial and I’m hopeful we can have good results throughout the weekend. Hopefully I’ll have some good news to report back to you all come Sunday evening. Ciao for now!”

Olly