VAN DER DRIFT AND CONWAY STAR AT MONZA TEST
Honda F1 test-driver and Trident Racing GP2 star Mike Conway got off to a great start on his debut behind the wheel of a Formula Master car at Monza today by immediately reaching the top of the testing timesheets.
The 23-year-old from Hertfordshire was right on the pace at the first group test of 2008, setting the quickest time this morning and finishing the day third fastest overall. Conway deputised for Trident Racing's regular Formula Master driver Harald Schlegelmilch who, like Pro Motorsport Marcello Puglisi, was forced to miss the test due to his GP2 Asia commitments.
Dutch driver Chris van der Drift, behind the wheel of the no.5 J.D. Motorsport car, set the fastest time of the day after completing 49 laps, with a best lap of 1:44.639: around two seconds a lap faster that the pole position lap at Monza in 2007. Austrian Norbert Siedler finished second, with a time of 1:44.728.
Following the afternoon's session, Conway said: "It's been a great day; the Formula Master car has really impressed me, showing how close the package is to what we have in GP2. The chassis and Formula Master Honda K20A engine work extremely well together, it's very easy to drive, very nimble and rides the kerbs well.
"I think that many of my fellow GP2 drivers would be just as pleased as I have been today. I'm really looking forward to getting back in the car tomorrow."
Also making his Formula Master debut today was ex-Red Bull Racing F1 test driver Michael Ammermueller. The German, who like Conway has raced in GP2 as well as A1GP, finished the day with a best lap of 1:45.556 in his Iris Project car.
After announcing Italian Daniel Mancinelli as part of their 2008 line-up earlier this week, Alan Racing revealed that Adam Kahn will race for the team this season. 22-year-old Kahn, from Pakistan, already has considerable racing experience despite his young age, having represented his country in A1GP and raced in numerous Formula 3 series across Europe.
Another new face making an immediate impact was German Tim Sandtler. The new ISR driver had a great day, setting the overall fifth fastest time by the end of the day.
The teams and drivers completed an incredible 1,189 laps today, totalling over 6,687km.
Chris van der Drift
Formula Master - Monza official testing
Day One
1. Chris van der Drift (NED), J.D. Motorsport, 1:44.639
2. Norbert Siedler (AUT), ADM Motorsport, 1:44.728
3. Mike Conway (GBR), Trident Racing, 1:44.736
4. Michael Meadows (GBR), Euronova Racing, 1:44.855
5. Time Sandtler (GER), ISR, 1:45.028
6. Arturo Llobell (ESP), Cram Competition, 1:45.070
7. Daniel Mancinelli (ITA), Alan Racing, 1:45.081
8. Luca Persiani (ITA), Scuderia Famà, 1:45.144
9. Yuhi Sekiguchi (JPN), Euronova Racing, 1:45.285
10. Kasper Andersen (DAN), Trident Racing, 1:45.308
11. Fabrizio Crestani (ITA), Euronova Racing, 1:45.484
12. Michael Ammermueller (GER), Iris Project, 1:45.556
13. Carlos Iaconelli (BRA), Pro Motorsport, 1:45.606
14. Filip Salaquarda (CZH), ISR, 1:45.700
15. Sergy Afanasiev (RUS), J.D. Motorsport, 1:45.717
16. Alberto Costa (ITA), Euronova Racing, 1:45.839
17. Iosef Kral (CZH), Team JVA, 1:45.878
18. Pablo Sanchez Lopez (MEX), Cram Competition, 1:45.886
19. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport, 1:45.934
20. Matei Mihaescu (ROM), Jenzer Motorsport, 1:46.077
21. Dominik Schraml (GER), Alan Racing, 1:46.430
22. Vladimir Arabadzhiev (BUL), J.D. Motorsport, 1:46.539
23. Frankie Provenzano (ITA), ADM Motorsport, 1:46.626
24. Michele Caliendo (ITA), ADM Motorsport, 1:47.840
25. Alejandro Nunez (ESP), Pro Motorsport, 1:47.860
26. Adam Khan (PAK), Alan Racing, 1:48.232
27. Thomas Pivoda (CZH), ADM Motorsport, 1:49.701
