Valencia: Spyker Squadron preview

SPYKER SQUADON VALENCIA PREVIEW

Zeewolde, 1 May 2007 -- This weekend Spyker Squadron will come in action again in the second round of the Le Mans Series held at the circuit of Valencia, Spain. After a disappointing start at Monza, where the team suffered two punctured tires and a broken drive shaft, the team is even more eager to perform well in Spain.

Peter van Erp: "Valencia fits us much better than Monza, where top speed is more important than handling. We have tested the car here for three days in February so we do have good understanding of the track layout and gathered useful data back then".

Over the last weeks the team worked hard on getting everything ready and well prepared for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, held mid-June, but also on the setup of the car for the 1000km of Valencia this weekend which requires changes to dampers, gearbox and wings to name a few.

Due to a clash of the FIA GT and LMS schedules the team had find another driver to replace regular driver Peter Kox as he will be competing in one of the Lamborghini's at Silverstone. This weekend we will see for the first time Dutchman Sandor van Es behind the wheel alongside Spyker factory driver Jarek Janis from the Czech Republic. Sandor was invited by Spyker Squadron in December to test the Spyker C8 Spyder GT2R at Jerez alongside Jaap van Lagen, Ricardo van der Ende and Dennis Retera.

Peter van Erp: "We scheduled the Jerez test not only to get feedback on the C8 Spyder from the various drivers but also to get an idea of how these drivers perform in the car to possibly make use of their services this year. Sandor is the first driver to race for us. His pace and experience are great and we are proud to welcome him to the team".

The race this weekend will start at 13:30 and will be broadcast live by MotorsTV.

-credit: ss