DPR Paul Richard test notes

DPR BOOSTED BY TESTING PERFORMANCE

Tuesday 19 June AM
22nd Andy Soucek 23 laps 01:20.169
24th Christian Bakkerud 27 laps 01:20.602

Tuesday 19 June PM
8th Andy Soucek 36 laps 01:19.876
21st Christian Bakkerud 27 laps 01:20.456

Wednesday 20 June AM
14th Andy Soucek 41 laps 01:18.581
25th Christian Bakkerud 34 laps 01:19.403

Wednesday 20 June PM
23rd Christian Bakkerud 31 laps 01:19.408
24th Andy Soucek 24 laps 01:19.450

David Price Racing (DPR) completed two days of GP2 testing at Paul Ricard circuit in France today and with consistent top ten lap times from Andy Soucek, the team is boosted by this performance.

Yesterday Soucek and team mate Christian Bakkerud returned to the cockpit of their GP2 race cars after a break of over three weeks. They were quickly back on the pace and began working through an intensive test programme. The team's preparations for a busy schedule of races over the next two months continued today with further laps of the Southern France test facility.

Soucek was turning strong lap times and was working towards a new tyre run this afternoon, but he blew an engine midway through the session before he had had the chance to put on new tyres and set a quick lap time. The team did not have enough time left of the session to replace the engine and return to the track, so his running finished at this point.

David Price, Team Principal, DPR said after the test, "We made good progress through the test with Andy and Christian, but it was unfortunate for Andy that he only ran with old tyres today and with the engine blow, he wasn't able to put new rubber on to gauge his performance against the rest of the field. I don't think his position today reflects our true pace. However, It's been a useful and productive test before Magny Cours and we'll head there next week."

DPR is contesting the 2007 GP2 Series with Soucek and Bakkerud. Three rounds of the championship have taken place so far this season, in Bahrain, Barcelona and Monaco. With four races in seven weeks, the team is looking ahead to a busy summer of racing which continues in Magny Cours, supporting the French Grand Prix.

-credit: dpr