Series Paul Ricard test notes 2009-03-08

3 500 spectators were on the circuit today to discover the futur stars of the 2009 Endurance season.

It was a successful test day for everybody: for the circuit above all, as it re-opened the doors to the public for the very first time after 10 years of private tests and intimate exhibitions. All the spectators, teams and drivers had the possibility to discover the brand new infrastructure. It was a test also for the teams, of course, especially for Aston Martin. It was a hard day for the British manufacturer, which suffered a lot of a driving mistake, which stopped the run-up of the LMP1 (with the mythical number 007) as it crashed in the Signe curve. The OO9 will be the only Aston Martin to restart tomorrow morning. Finally, it was a big test for the drivers too, as Bruno Senna and a lot of other ones will be able to define a little bit more the season to come.

Six cars are still on the track until midnight. For the others, it's time to debrief and to put the finishing touches to the cars. Next session starts at 9.00 tomorrow morning.

-credit: lms