WITH NEW 2009 FORMULA MASTER CAR
Formula Master's Fabio Leimer broke the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo lap record for 2.0 litre single-seaters yesterday with a best time of 1:26.136.
The young Swiss, driving for Jenzer Motorsport, posted the record-breaking time during this morning session, on day two of the first official 2009 Formula Master test in Valencia, Spain.
The lap also marked a significant step in the Formula Master single-seater's performance, running with 2009 updates for the first time this year, compared to the 2008 Valencia pole position of 1:28.036 set by Chris van der Drift last May.
Following just 0.239 seconds behind Leimer, JD Motorsport's Sergey Afanasiev set the second fastest lap of the day in 1:26.375, whilst team-mate Josef Kral almost matched him with a best time of 1:26.393.
"I'm happy with this test, it was the first official session with my new team and we concentrated on working well together," said JD Motorsport's Josef Kral who drove for Team JVA last year. "We were in the top three most of the time over the past two days, which is satisfying.
"The update kit made a big difference in power; it's really good to drive this car. It feels much quicker when exiting corners and on the straights. It's unusual to have something new on a car each year so it's very exciting to start the season and we all appreciate the work that is being done."
Josef Kral at the wheel of his Formula Master car
A total of 15 drivers took part in this week's test with racers setting times well within the 1.26seconds and completing over 1,700 laps throughout the two days. Newcomers acquitted themselves well, with AR Racing's Mihai Marinescu and Cram Competition's Edoardo Piscopo improving significantly to feature in the top eight today, whilst Zoel Amberg completed the most laps (96) throughout the day.
Formula Master's official testing resumes on 18-19 March at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy.
Formula Master - Valencia official testing
Day Two: morning - top eight
1. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport, 1:26.136
2. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport, 1:26.375
3. Josef Kral (CZH), JD Motorsport, 1:26.393
4. Vladimir Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport, 1:26.861
5. Mihai Marinescu (ROM), AR Racing, 1:27.199
6. Simon Trummer (SUI), Iris Project, 1:27.358
7. Edoardo Piscopo (ITA), Cram Competition, 1:27.408
8. Alessandro Kouskin (RUS), Cram Competition, 1:27.436
Formula Master - Valencia official testing
Day Two: afternoon - top eight
1. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport, 1:26.533
2. Simon Trummer (SUI), Iris Project, 1:26.823
3. Josef Kral (CZH), JD Motorsport, 1:26.888
4. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport, 1:27.150
5. Edoardo Piscopo (ITA), Cram Competition, 1:27.233
6. Vladimir Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport, 1:27.340
7. Alessandro Kouskin (RUS), Cram Competition, 1:27.590
8. Patrick Reiterer (ITA), Iris Project, 1:28.248
Formula Master - Valencia official testing
Day Two: overall
1. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport, 1:26.136
2. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport, 1:26.375
3. Josef Kral (CZH), JD Motorsport, 1:26.393
4. Simon Trummer (SUI), Iris Project, 1:26.823
5. Vladimir Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport, 1:26.861
6. Mihai Marinescu (ROM), AR Racing, 1:27.199
7. Edoardo Piscopo (ITA), Cram Competition, 1:27.233
8. Alessandro Kouskin (RUS), Cram Competition, 1:27.436
9. Pål Varhaug (NOR), Jenzer Motorsport, 1:27.864
10. Patrick Reiterer (ITA), Iris Project, 1:28.097
11. Zoel Amberg (SUI), Team JVA, 1:28.264
12. Kelvin Snoeks (NED), AR Racing, 1:28.751
