Monteiro to debut new EJ15B today

The scheduled test debut for the new Toyota powered Jordan EJ15B did not come to pass on the Circuit de Catalunya on Thursday, after technical issues saw it sidelined for the entire day. Regular driver Tiago Monteiro was on hand to put the new charger through its paces, however after just one short burst, an oil leak forced the yellow single-seater back to the pits.

The test team tried in vain to repair the failure at the circuit, but finally had to resign to the obvious fact that it was impossible to bandage the wounds of the new EJ15B without new parts from their English base. These have now been shipped to the Montmelo circuit and Tiago will take to the circuit today.

The Portuguese driver's main focus will be to determine whether or not the new contender will be ready for introduction at the French Grand Prix next weekend, July 3rd at Magny-Cours. Therefore, the third placed winner from the USGP is not concerned, in fact the sooner they discover these problems, the better! The team now has enough time me to correct the problem before the 10th round of the championship.

"This type of problem happens all the time with a new car, they are just teething problems. The test at Barcelona was organized precisely for this reason. It is to check that everything is in order to allow us to use the new car at Magny-Cours," Tiago explained." We are now hoping to get some good running done here on Friday, in order to give to the EJ15B its first laps."

Tiago will take to the cockpit of the EJ15B in the morning, then will hand the testing duties over to his teammate Narain Karthikeyan for the afternoon session. The new Jordan Toyota is the first designed around the 2005 technical specifications, which see a reduction of downforce by 25%.

"I am impatient to test the new aerodynamic package in which we have put great hope," smiled Tiago. "It is very different from its predecessor and it should get a certain advantage compared to our direct competitors."

-dca-