Fabio Carbone Valencia test summary

CARBONE GETS FIRST TASTE OF 2008 WORLD SERIES BY RENAULT

Ultimate Signature driver Fabio Carbone has had his first taste of the new Renault car that he will drive in this year's World Series by Renault, which kicks off in Monza at the end of next month.

Fabio's new team is a joint venture between two well-established names in motorsport: Ultimate, which first raced in British Formula 3 last year, and Signature, which is competing on the Formula 3 Euroseries.

The all-new World Series by Renault car draws heavily on the lessons learned from Formula 1, and it is powered by Renault's familiar 3.5 litre V6 engine -- which is capable of producing up to 500 horsepower when using bioethanol.

The two-day official test took place on the Spanish circuit of Valencia last week, a well-known venue for Formula 1 testing due to its traditionally mild conditions.

However, the weather was anything but pleasant on the opening day of the test, with high winds forcing the cancellation of the first day's running by 11am. On day two, the 27 year-old Brazilian had the opportunity to shake down the car that he will be using on the nine-round World Series by Renault Championship this year.

"With the cancellation of the first day, we obviously only got the chance to sample the car and shake it down rather than carry out a full test programme," said Carbone.

"We've obviously got a lot still to do, but out of the box the car feels very good indeed. The chassis and the aerodynamics are obviously all new, and you can really feel the influence of the Formula 1 design. The next step now will be to adapt the car to my driving style and find the right set-up in preparation for the opening races."

The next World Series by Renault test will take place in Barcelona from April 8-10, before the first round of the championship at Monza on April 26.

-credit: fc