Series Valencia test notes 2008-11-27

More success for Soucek

It's mission accomplished for Andy Soucek (RC Motorsport)! Just as he did yesterday, the young Spaniard clocked the fastest time of the day, showing just how competitive a car the Italian team RC Motorsport has. The next fastest times went to Miguel Molina (Prema Powerteam) and Marco Barba (International Draco Racing), while Jaime Alguersuari (Carlin Motorsport) was the swiftest rookie on show.

There were a few changes to the driver lineup for the last day of collective testing in 2009. Miguel Molina was back in action with Prema Powerteam, the team he drove for last season. Federico Leo joined forces with RC Motorsport, Claudio Cantelli teamed up with Pons Racing, and Christian Ebbevisk worked with Fortec for the first time.

Italian F3 runner-up Edoardo Piscopo tried his hand at the wheel of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series today with International Draco Racing, while Maxime Martin, second in the 2008 Eurocup Megane Trophy, made a return to single-seater action with KTR.

Miguel Molina, then Oliver Turvey (Carlin Motorsport), produced the first times of note. The drivers opted for long runs this morning. First Daniil Move (P1 Motorsport), then Stefano Coletti (RC Motorsport) dislodged Turvey from top spot. Marcos Martinez (Pons Racing) then carried on his form from yesterday with a time of 1'22''245, which would not be beaten until the very end of the session, when Marco Barba (1'22''242) shaved three thousandths of a second off Martinez's time to finish the morning at the top of the pile.

The Spanish drivers fared just as well in the afternoon session. Jaime Alguersuari was the first to take the lead, before Miguel Molina outdid him with a time of 1'22''210. Molina was leading when the drivers stopped off at the pits to slip on their last set of fresh tyres this year. Miguel Molina and Andy Soucek battled it out for the quickest time. Molina must have fancied his chances when he clocked 1'21''741. But Soucek hit back immediately, and just like yesterday, he produced the best performance of the day, with a lap timed at 1'21"701.

The Formula Renault 3.5 Series drivers now have a few weeks' rest to look forward to. The next session of collective testing will take place in Jerez in March.

Quote, unquote:

Miguel Molina: "I'd like to thank Epsilon Euskadi, KTR and Prema Powerteam for these tests. Teaming up with Prema Powerteam again today and showing that it's a package that works well is really important for the whole team and for me too!"

Jaime Alguersuari: "I'm very happy because I had time to really get to know the car. Today I really learned how to use the setup to my advantage and get the best out of the car. This is only my fourth day of testing in a FR 3.5. I think I've shown what I'm capable of. We'll see which programme Red Bull chooses."

Edoardo Piscopo: "I was driving in Malaysia on Sunday, yesterday I was in a Ferrari F1 at Fiorano and today I'm here. I drove the old car at the end of 2006, but this is my first experience of the new car. Formula Renault 3.5 Series is my priority for 2009."

Maxime Martin: "It's been a terrific experience! I hadn't driven a single-seater for four years, and that was a Formula Renault 1600! The brakes and the cornering speed are exceptional. It's also a lot more physically demanding than the Megane! I had a great day."

-credit: wsbyrenault.com