Series Jerez test notes 2009-10-06

Valsecchi tops first day

Davide Valsecchi and Jules Bianchi quickest in GP2 Series first winter test day in Jerez

Morning session

As winter testing begins this week in Jerez, the GP2 Paddock welcomes many new names and new faces for a first three-day session. A total of ten newcomers entered today's entry list namely Christian Vietoris, Max Chilton, Alexander Rossi, Esteban Gutierrez, Jules Bianchi, Edoardo Piscopo, Francesco Castellacci, Philip Eng, Josef Kral and Victor Garcia. Barwa Addax Team, 2009 GP2 Series champions ART Grand Prix and Ocean Racing Technology worked with a line-up solely composed of newcomers.

On a dry track and under blue skies, Davide Valsecchi set the pace this morning on new tyres at the wheel of Party Poker Racing.com Scuderia Coloni in a 1:26:408, three tenths faster than Roldan Rodriguez at Fat Burner Racing Engineering. Newcomer Jules Bianchi completed the Top three with ART Grand Prix.

The session was briefly red flagged twice when another newcomer, Max Chilton, ran off track in the last corner and broke his front wing early in the session. Then, rookie Oliver Turvey stopped on the track eight minutes before the chequered flag.

Afternoon session

In the afternoon, as the temperature rose, it was Frenchman Bianchi who signed the quickest laptime in a 1:26.919, two hundredth away from Jer