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| Toyota's John Howett Q&A Fri, 16 May 2008 21:55:33 GMT Q. How do you assess the season so far for Panasonic Toyota Racing?John Howett, Panasonic Toyota Racing President: The start to the season has been quite encouraging. Over the first five races the car has been relatively quick, and we have had some positive race results. Jarno is very positive about the baseline of the TF108 while Timo has shown a lot of flashes of high performance and future potential and it is obvious he is becoming more relaxed with the car as the season progresses. However in Turkey we didn't get the result we expected and we have to fight to find more performance from the car.Q. What about the season in general?JH: I truly believe that Formula One is generally in very good shape, scandals excluded. People have a tendency to talk down Formula One but we have one of the strongest and most popular sports in the world and I think it is more competitive now than it has been for a long while. If you look at the gap between teams, it is very close this year and that is something Formula One should be happy about.Obviously the loss of Super Aguri was a shame but in general Formula One is commercially very strong; we have some of the biggest corporations in the world involved and the global reach is greater than all other sporting events, with the exception of quadrennial events such as World Cup football and the Olympics. Formula One may not be perfect, it certainly can be improved, but it has plenty of reasons to be positive. Perhaps more focus should be placed on this.Q. Is there one particular reason why Toyota's results are better this season?JH: Our results this season are an improvement on 2007 because the car is basically better, there is no question about that. The ideal operating window on the TF107 was small and getting the car set-up for optimum performance was difficult at a lot of tracks last year.When we got it set-up in that zone we looked pretty good, better than our results at the end of the season suggested in fact. This year's car has a much wider operating window and this helps the drivers and the engineers to get the most out of it. Both drivers saw this immediately at the Bahrain test, when they felt the car was more stable and drivable.Q. Is it possible for Toyota to close the gap to the top teams?JH: I think in Formula One almost everyone has very similar resources and we are all pushing hard, so closing the gap is always going to be difficult, there's no denying that. Our goal this year is to get to a higher level within the second pack and hopefully latch on to the top three teams. I actually believe the middle pack is closing up towards Ferrari, McLaren and BMW, although it is not easy. But this is the pleasure of the remorseless challenge of Formula One.Q. What impact do positive results have on the team members?JH: I believe it is a privilege to work in Formula One but one has to say that results make people happy and when people are happy there is a more positive general atmosphere.The work ethic of the team is as strong this year as it was last year; that has not changed and the whole team is working flat-out, as it always has done. It is perhaps more rewarding to see that hard work reflected in results but don't forget, we exist to win so although it is pleasing to see a step forward this season we still have a way to go before we are truly happy.Q. What are your impressions of Timo after five races?JH: I am really impressed with how he has performed. I think he is developing very well and his confidence is growing. We are very happy. He has shown an ability to really pull out a quick lap in qualifying, although unfortunately a car problem in Turkey ended what would have been a very good lap. We are looking forward in the next few Grands Prix to really seeing his full potential. He's got the speed, there's no doubt about that, and the results are going to come soon.Q. What about Jarno's season so far?JH: I think he has confidence in the car and he is really sparkling this year. He feels happy and has been delivering in qualifying and following that up with an extremely strong race pace. He has demonstrated that, given a competitive car, he has the capability to fight at the front - although this appears to have surprised some, it is no surprise to us. We are very pleased with his performances.Q. And how about Kamui, your third driver?JH: Kamui had a good GP2 Asia campaign and delivered some strong, fighting performances. He has had a reasonably strong start to the main GP2 Series and has already won a race, which is impressive for a driver in his first season at this level. We'll watch him and see how it goes but I think he is a serious contender to be rookie of the year. He's developing all the time and is clearly a prospect for the future. |
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| Williams Paul Ricard test / Summary Fri, 16 May 2008 21:45:31 GMT Today's final day of testing at the Ricard circuit was interupted by poor weather that saw up to 12mm of standing rain on the track surface, causing extended periods of circuit closure in the afternoon.It was a frustrating day for young tester Nico Hulkenberg who managed to complete just 35 laps, albeit the circuit had been re-configured into its 5.255km layout to allow the teams to prepare for the Montreal Grand Prix.At the conclusion of the test, team Technical Director Sam Michael said, "We concluded testing at Ricard today, on a very wet track that was closed for the majority of the afternoon. Even so, we managed to get through some background test items and sign off components for running at Monaco." |
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| Honda Race Paul Ricard test / Summary Fri, 16 May 2008 21:40:55 GMT End of test reportPaul Ricard, 14-16 May 2008The Honda Racing F1 Team today completed a three-day test at the Paul Ricard facility in the south of France. This week's test has enabled the team to prepare for the next two races on the Formula One calendar, the Monaco Grand Prix which takes place around the streets of Monte Carlo next weekend, and the Canadian Grand Prix, to be held at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on 8 June.Test and Reserve Driver Alex Wurz began the programme on Wednesday and concentrated on aerodynamic and set-up work in preparation for the unique demands of Monaco's tight, twisty and bumpy roads. Alex completed 142 laps of the 3.593km short configuration of the circuit.Race driver Jenson Button took over the wheel of the RA108 on Thursday to continue the aerodynamic evaluations. A lunchtime rain shower interrupted his running for a short time, after which Jenson spent the afternoon completing a comprehensive tyre evaluation with the Bridgestone soft and super soft compounds. Jenson's final lap tally was 155 laps as the team completed their preparations for the Monaco race weekend.For the final day of the test, the track configuration changed to a 5.255km Montreal style layout to facilitate preparations for the Canadian Grand Prix. With the RA108 in a lower downforce set-up, Jenson began an aerodynamic evaluation in the morning session. Unfortunately the predicted heavy rain showers hit the circuit around lunchtime and continued throughout the afternoon, curtailing any further serious running.Jenson Button:"Thursday was a very useful day as we completed our preparations for Monaco. The afternoon session was particularly productive as we made some changes to the car which gave positive results. Unfortunately today has not proved to be as successful due to the rain showers which limited our running to a few dry laps this morning."Alex Wurz:"We had a very good test day on Wednesday running the aerodynamic package for Monaco on the RA108. We had an ambitious programme to complete over the day which included an aero evaluation plus mechanical set-up and driveability work. I am pleased that we were able to successfully complete the full schedule over 142 laps."Steve Clark, Head of Race and Test Engineering:"The test at the Paul Ricard facility in the south of France is a traditional one ahead of Monaco and Montreal. The track has different choices of layout which allowed the teams to choose the two configurations best suited to our preparations for these races. Even so, the short twisty circuit used on Wednesday and Thursday does not really compare to the unique streets of Monaco. However, it does give the opportunity to test new bodywork components for what is the highest downforce circuit so far this season. This went well on the first two days with Alex having some good results with the aero and Jenson making set-up progress and developing the braking package. Unfortunately we had very little dry running today on the longer version of the circuit. On a positive note, our reliability and productivity remain very good with Alex and Jenson completing over 1000km and 300 laps of the short circuit on the first two days." |
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| Honda Race Paul Ricard test notes / Day 3 Fri, 16 May 2008 21:40:10 GMT Jenson completes Paul Ricard runningTesting report - day threeThe Honda Racing F1 Team today completed this week's three-day test at the Paul Ricard circuit.For the final day of the test, the track configuration was changed to a 5.255km Montreal style layout to facilitate preparations for the Canadian Grand Prix which takes place on 8 June.With the RA108 in a low downforce set-up, Jenson began an aerodynamic evaluation in the morning session.Unfortunately the predicted heavy rain showers hit the circuit around lunchtime and continued throughout the afternoon, curtailing any further serious running and limiting to Jenson to only 16 laps today.Location: Paul Ricard, FranceDate: 16 MayDrivers: Jenson Button |
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| Toyota Race Paul Ricard test notes / Day 2 Fri, 16 May 2008 21:35:32 GMT SPLASH AND DASHPanasonic Toyota Racing switched its focus to preparations for the Canadian Grand Prix, which takes place on 8 June, for the final day of testing at Paul Ricard in the south of France. After the team spent the opening two days fine-tuning Monaco set-ups, the circuit configuration was changed to the 1E lay-out to simulate the heavy braking demands of the long straights, chicanes and hairpins of Montreal. The TF108 ran smoothly with Jarno Trulli in the cockpit but heavy rain, which arrived just after the morning installation laps, severely limited running. Jarno tried both the wet and extreme wet Bridgestone Potenza tyres before torrential rain around lunchtime soaked the track and rendered further performance testing impossible, leaving him on top of the timing sheets. The next action for the team comes at the Monaco Grand Prix, with practice beginning next Thursday.Jarno Trulli:Chassis TF108-04Best Lap Time: 1min 31.360s, Position: 1st, Total laps: 26"With the first two days of this week's test devoted to Monaco preparations we had scheduled an intensive programme today because Montreal is a very different type of circuit and we wanted to try out different aerodynamic and mechanical solutions. You run less downforce in Montreal compared to Monaco so the car set-up is very different and we had planned a lot of work on this. It was frustrating that the rain came early in the day and meant that we could not collect any dry data."Gerd Pfeiffer, Test Team Manager:"We were planning a full day concentrating on Montreal-specific aerodynamic and mechanical set-ups but unfortunately the weather spoiled that. We initially fitted wet tyres to do a baseline run in the highest downforce specification we would run in Canada but the rain got worse. The next time we went out, just before lunch, we ran the extreme wets but Jarno reported too much surface water. Then, in the small time we got at the very end of the day, we ran a couple of systems checks. It was a frustrating end to the test but at least we collected a lot of data to prepare for Monaco over the first two days." |
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| Paul Ricard Testing / 16 May 2008 Fri, 16 May 2008 21:30:32 GMT Pos. Driver Team Time Laps 1. J. Trulli Toyota 1:31.360 26 2. N. Piquet Jr. Renault 1:31.634 60 3. P. de la Rosa McLaren 1:32.143 53 4. S. Vettel Toro Rosso 1:32.480 49 5. F. Massa Ferrari 1:33.246 19 6. N. Heidfeld BMW 1:33.371 30 7. S. Buemi Red Bull 1:34.064 16 8. G. Fisichella Force India 1:34.071 31 9. J. Button Honda 1:36.501 19 10. A. Sutil Force India 1:43.877 13 11. N. Hulkenberg Williams 1:44.741 35 All timings are unofficial |
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| Honda Race Paul Ricard test notes / Day 2 Thu, 15 May 2008 19:35:12 GMT Jenson takes to the wheel at RicardTesting report - day twoJenson Button joined the Honda Racing F1 Team at the Paul Ricard circuit today for the second day of the test.Taking over the wheel of the RA108, Jenson continued the aerodynamic evaluation which Alex Wurz began yesterday using the short configuration of the adaptable Paul Ricard facility, as preparations continued for the Monaco Grand Prix.A lunchtime rain shower delayed the start of the afternoon session for a short time. Once the track had fully dried out, Jenson completed a comprehensive tyre evaluation running both types of the Bridgestone soft tyres which will be used around the street circuit in Monaco next weekend.Jenson's final lap tally was 155 laps as the team completed their preparation for the race. He will continue his running on the final day of the test tomorrow, when the track configuration will be changed to a low downforce Montreal style layout to allow the team to prepare for the Canadian Grand Prix.Location: Paul Ricard, FranceDate: 15 MayDrivers: Jenson Button |
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| Toyota Race Paul Ricard test notes / Day 2 Thu, 15 May 2008 19:30:13 GMT BACK TO THE FUTUREJarno Trulli took over driving duties from Timo Glock at Paul Ricard for day two of Panasonic Toyota Racing's three-day test in the south of France. His programme focused on finalising aerodynamic set-ups for the Monaco Grand Prix next week, as well as gathering information on the soft and super soft compound Bridgestone Potenza tyres that will be used. A shower around lunchtime did not interrupt plans and the TF108 ran smoothly with no mechanical problems, allowing Jarno to complete 120 laps and increase the team's understanding of the car in high downforce configuration. Jarno will be back in the car tomorrow, when a different circuit lay-out will be in use to simulate the demands of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, venue for the Canadian Grand Prix.Jarno Trulli:Chassis TF108-04Best Lap Time: 1min 06.205s, Position: 7th ,Total laps: 120"I went through the programme but I can't honestly say that I detected too much difference with the various set-ups that we tried. It was the first time that I have driven the TF108 in high downforce configuration but there was not that much difference in feel. I'm not sure whether that is just a characteristic of this circuit."Gerd Pfeiffer, Test Team Manager:"We ran a similar programme today as we did yesterday, except adapted to Jarno's set-up. We experimented with some different brakes and a range of different wings and aerodynamic settings. We had no mechanical problems and thankfully the rain that arrived around lunchtime did not affect our running in the afternoon. We completed the schedule and tomorrow we will turn our attention to preparations for Montreal on a different circuit layout." |
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| Paul Ricard Testing / 15 May 2008 Thu, 15 May 2008 19:25:12 GMT . Pos. Driver Team Time Laps 1. K. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:05.381 102 2. H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:05.471 89 3. R. Kubica BMW 1:05.905 135 4. D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:06.001 82 5. J. Button Honda 1:06.091 155 6. S. Bourdais Toro Rosso 1:06.125 110 7. J. Trulli Toyota 1:06.205 120 8. N. Piquet Jr. Renault 1:06.355 193 9. K. Nakajima Williams 1:07.080 129 10. A. Sutil Force India 1:07.104 66 11. G. Fisichella Force India 1:07.123 64 All timings are unofficial |
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| Tokai University's Le Mans Project Shakedown Thu, 15 May 2008 06:30:11 GMT Tokai University-YGK Power Courage Oreca-YGK (LMP1) made its track debut on Wednesday 7th May at the Sportsland SUGO International Racing Course. Hiroki Kurosawa was the man behind the wheel. |
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