Paul Ricard testing session, 10th and 11th June 2008: preparing for the future
DAMS ended a 2-day test session yesterday on the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France. Its 2 drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Jerôme d’Ambrosio completed very specific technical programmes in view of the remainder of the GP2 season. It was the final 2008 test.
The first day, the cars ran on the 3D layout on the French circuit that requires medium downforce aero settings like those used at Magny-Cours or Silverstone.. DAMS ended the day with the 9th and 12th times for Jérôme and Kamui respectively.
Today, the team used the 2A track that helped it to evaluate the handling of the cars with minimum downforce like Monza. Jérôme was 6th overall and Kamui 12th.
The team is now concentrating all its forces on the French Grand Prix and the next 2 rounds of the GP2 Series Championship. Its aim will be to get back into the winning groove that helped it score several rostrum finishes early on in the season.
Eric Boullier, team manager: “The Paul Ricard circuit serves as a test track and no races are held here, so being quickest is of little interest. The real aim is to take advantage of the layouts to test specific solutions for the coming races. We achieved positive results, and even if going for a time was not among our priorities, at least one of our 2 driver was in the top 6 over the 2 days; Overall, a productive session.”
Jérôme d’Ambrosio: “These two days have been very positive. They enabled me to rack up the kilometres and work on my driving. The team continued getting to grips with the car and Kamui and me cross-referenced our data to progress quickly. We’ve certainly made a big step forward and I can’t wait to prove this in ten days at Magny-Cours.”
Kamui Kobayashi: “I think we’ve done a good job over the last two days, and this has helped us prepare for the coming races. We’ve discovered a few interesting paths to follow in terms of set-ups for the cars. I did a lot of laps and that always helps to get to know the car’s behaviour.”
