Day two of Bahrain test

F1 TESTING AT BIC DAY 2: HONDA'S STARS APPEAR

Manama, 14th February 2006; Formula One testing at Bahrain International Circuit continued apace today, with the all-star Honda Racing F1 Team line-up of Brazil's nine-time Grand Prix winner Rubens Barrichello and British ace Jenson Button joining in a busy day's running.

After a day curtailed by gearbox problems, Scuderia Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost said: "Yesterday Scott Speed ran 82 trouble-free laps and we achieved our goal of giving him the chance to learn the car, the circuit and start work on setup for the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Today Tonio Liuzzi took over the car and we managed to get in some setup work and long runs but our race simulation was unfortunately cut short with the gearbox problems.

"So far we are very happy with the test though. Tomorrow Neel Jani will get his first run in the car and we are all looking forward to that, then sadly Thursday is our last day here. It's sad because we really want to stay! This test, we expect, will give us an advantage over our rivals who are back in the cold in Europe. As a team it is also very important to be here now because we are approaching the very first Grand Prix for Scuderia Toro Rosso and we are really seeing the team come together here."

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
Race driver Felipe Massa and test driver Luca Badoer continued to work with both the all-new 248 F1 and the F2004 car with its restricted 3.0-litre V10 engine. Massa completed a 360-degree spin at the end of the 320 km/h main straight and continued without damage, while Badoer again set the fastest time of the day in the F2004.

Honda Racing F1
The well-balanced race team of Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button ended the day a mere 0.036s apart, with Barrichello logging the most laps of the day. Button meanwhile left the circuit at the end of testing to meet the Bahraini public in an autograph session in the Seef Mall in Manama.

Scuderia Toro Rosso
The team was thwarted in its attempt to run a full race simulation when gearbox problems struck the STR 1. The car is being rebuilt overnight in order for Swiss driver Neel Jani to make his first appearance as a driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso before both Speed and Liuzzi share the car on Thursday.

As an extra bonus for the people of Bahrain and international visitors, Bahrain International Circuit is pleased to announce that F1 testing on Thursday 16 February will be open to the public. For an entry fee of just 1BD the sight and sound of the new 2.4-litre V8 Formula One cars can be experienced before the start of the new season - a unique and exclusive opportunity at the home of motorsport in the Middle East.

"The level of interest in this year's Grand Prix is simply staggering," said Martin Whitaker, General Manager of Bahrain International Circuit. "The opportunity to welcome members of the public to the circuit at minimal cost was imperative to us. As we have been fortunate enough to see and hear the new Formula One cars at first hand, so too should the people of Bahrain to enjoy an exclusive preview of the kind of spectacle we can look forward to at the 2006 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix."

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