Istanbul: DPR preview

DPR PUSHING FORWARD IN ISTANBUL

DPR is aiming for points this weekend as the GP2 series heads to the Istanbul Circuit in Turkey for the third round of the 2009 season. The team's two drivers, Romanian- Monagascuer Michael Herck and Italian Giacomo Ricci will be looking to continue with their early season progress and kick off their championship points tally.

Istanbul made its debut on the Formula One calendar in 2005. The new facility is in the Tuzla Tepeoren area and is 3.3 miles in length and runs counter clockwise. It has been designed to follow the contours of the land, which dips and falls, creating a variation to other flat, modern circuits. It takes influences from some of the worlds best race tracks and famous corners, such as the flat-out kink on a hill similar to Eau Rouge corner at Spa Francorchamps Circuit. Turn 8 is probably the most popular corner on the circuit, with a quadruple apex and a load of around 5G (5 times the force of gravity) for 4 seconds.

Andre Herck, Team Principal commented ahead of the weekend, "The Istanbul Circuit is a fantastic challenge for the drivers. It is unlike many of the circuits we visit in GP2 due to its demanding nature. The heat will be a huge factor for the races, especially the Feature race, but the drivers are both very fit and can cope with these intense conditions.

"The team is working well together and we are pushing forward for better results and I feel confident that they will come. Giacomo has experience of the circuit, but Michael didn't race there during last season, so he will need to learn the circuit before he can start developing his car set up. With limited track time this is never easy, but we'll be making as much use as possible from the practice sessions. "

The third round of the GP2 Series takes place at the Istanbul Circuit in Turkey on the 6th/7th June. Practice and Qualifying take place on Friday, with the Feature Race on Saturday and the Sprint Race on Sunday morning.

-credit: dpr