Photo by: GP2 Series Media Service
Silverstone Test Starts Well For Scuderia Coloni
Scuderia Coloni had a really fruitful first test day in Silverstone. The first act of the 2011 GP2 Main Series season was hailed by wet weather, with rain drizzles keeping the track damp for nearly the whole day. This meant that the Italian team had the chance to gather a lot of useful info on how both the new Dallara GP2/11 and the Pirelli tyres behave when rain comes in.
The team, bringing on track Michael Herck together with Italian new-entry Davide Rigon, had all the time to try different set-ups with both drivers, getting a very positive feedback.
Rigon, despite being at his first time with both the car and the tyres, was indeed the quickest in wet conditions, outpacing the nearest rival by three seconds with a 1’52”243. Then, when the track dried-up, the two-time Superleague Formula champion immediately found a good feeling with the car, posting the six fastest time on his first outing with slick tyres. He then closed the day in P15 as a red flag due to a crash by Fauzy halted his second try.
It was a very good day also for Michael Herck: on the wet track the Romanian driver focused on gathering data on the car and the Pirelli tyres, but when the track got dry he was quick straight out of the box. He stopped the clock on 1’41”819 on his only outing on slick tyres, the 9th quickest time of the day just 0”5 shy of P2.
Michael Herck: “It was an interesting day, we had the chance to learn a lot on the car’s behaviour in wet conditions. Sooner or later in the season we will find ourselves racing with such a weather, and the work we did today will prove useful. That’s why we tested various solutions, also focusing on the tyres. Performance wasn’t our aim, but at the end of the day I posted a good time quite easily, so we can be really satisfied”.
Davide Rigon: “A wet track is not what you hope for when you are trying a new car for the first time, and I had to adapt to the Pirelli tyres as well, so it wasn’t easy. In the morning i did just a few laps, focusing on getting acquainted with the car, then in the afternoon session I immediately had very good feelings, especially on the wet, where I was really able to push a lot. When the track dried-up I was a bit more cautious, as understanding the tyres was far more important than getting a stunning laptime. Anyway, I really loved the car and I’m looking forward to driving it again tomorrow”.
-source: scuderia coloni
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