GP2 Rnd 4 preview: Magny-Cours’ Stakes

The 2008 GP2 Series Championship returns to racing action this weekend in Magny-Cours. After  three  rounds,  the  2008  GP2  Series  season  has  seen  six  different  race  winners  and  is  still looking   for   a   clear   leader.  

At   this   point,   Racing   Engineering’s   Giorgio   Pantano   and   iSport International’s  Bruno  Senna  share  the  drivers’  championship  lead  with  24  points,  just  five  points ahead  of  rookies  ART  Grand  Prix’s  Romain  Grosjean  and  Super  Nova  Racing’s  Alvaro  Parente. Only  fourteen  points  separate  the  co-leaders  to  the  tenth  driver  -  and  last  race  winner  -  Trident Racing’s Mike Conway. In this tight championship, now comes Magny-Cours where Giorgio Pantano secured a win and a podium  in  2007. 

Last  week’s  tests  in  Paul  Ricard helped the teams prepare this new event. The GP2  grid  will  change  slightly  this  weekend  with  2007  runner-up  Lucas  di  Grassi  entering  the competition at the wheel of Barwa International Campos Team. Also newcomers: Marko Asmer for Fisichella  Motor  Sport  International  and  Carlos  Iaconelli  for  BCN  Competicion. 

At  DPR,  Michael Herck finally gets back into action after a long recovery from a wrist injury. Christian Bakkerud, on the  other  hand,  had  to  withdraw  for  the  remainder  of  the  season.  He  will  be  replaced  by  Andy Soucek  at  Super  Nova  Racing. 

However,  what’s  at  stake  doesn’t  change:  the  grand  fight  for the 2008 title which continues in France this weekend.   The Magny-Cours circuit – with a number of corners modelled after famous turns from around the world   –   offers   a   tough   test   for   drivers.  

 “The   Magny-Cours   circuit   is   interesting,   and   very challenging,”  ART  Grand  Prix’s  Romain  Grosjean  says.  “There  are  a lot of fast corners, and two really fast chicanes, but there are a lot of slow corners as well, so the balance for setup is not easy to find. It’s also hard to find the right line, because a lot of the corners are blind, and the circuit goes up and down. You can lose a lot of time if you miss your turn-in. The track also has a lot more grip, as it has been resurfaced recently. It should be an interesting race this year.”

Schedule Friday 20th June

11.55 – 12.25 Practice

15.55 – 16.25 Qualifying

Saturday 21st June

16.00 Race 1

Sunday 22nd June

10.30 Race 2 All results available on gp2series.com


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