Lucky Strike B·A·R Honda were in Valencia this week for a four-day test programme which saw two 007 cars running together for the first time. Takuma drove for all four days of the test in the brand new chassis 007-02, supported by Jenson and Anthony alternating the driving responsibilities in chassis 007-01. Although the extreme weather conditions made comparison of data difficult, it was an intensive test for the team as preparations continue for the new season.
Anthony and Takuma shared the driving on the first day as Takuma had his first serious run in the 2005 car. He ran through general set-up work in the new chassis and although the windy conditions made it difficult to run consistent lap times, he supplied useful reliability data, completing 85 laps. Anthony also completed early set-up work before running through chassis handling tests to complete 77 laps for the day. His afternoon running was briefly interrupted with an engine failure.
On Wednesday, again in blustery and cold conditions, Anthony ran through long run tyre evaluations alongside chassis development work, completing 101 laps for the day. Takuma's morning programme was to evaluate suspension changes before moving onto a chassis and systems evaluation in the afternoon, completing 112 laps.
The weather turned even colder for the third day, although the strong winds calmed down. Jenson joined the test taking over from Anthony for the day. He did a couple of short runs to find a good balance before moving onto a chassis and tyre development programme, completing 69 laps. Takuma´s running was delayed as he had an engine failure early in the morning session. He went out to continue his chassis and gearbox development work, followed by long run tyre evaluations, to complete 84 laps.
With an ambient temperature of -3°C, both drivers did not venture onto the circuit until after 10.00am on the final morning of the test. Once on track, Takuma completed 46 laps running through a tyre evaluation alongside various set-up changes. He completed two long tyre runs in the afternoon covering a total of 102 laps and setting the third fastest time - a 01:10.803. Anthony also ran through a tyre evaluation completing longer runs. He had a further engine failure in the afternoon which caused an early end to his running and he completed a total of 93 laps today.
Jenson Button: "It was extremely cold on the Thursday morning of the test and the conditions made it difficult to accumulate any useful data. We concentrated on short runs and set-up work before lunch and following a scheduled engine change we focused on long runs in the afternoon to continue our tyre evaluation."
Takuma Sato: "It has been good to drive the new car properly for the first time in Valencia this week. I drove for all four days of the test and feel very positive about what we have achieved. We did important tests for the tyres and also some set-up work on the new chassis. There is still a lot of hard work for us to do before the season starts in Melbourne but we are making some good progress."
Anthony Davidson: "We've done some good testing this week and I recorded my fastest time at Valencia in the 2005 car. We have done a lot of long run tyre testing which has shown positive results despite the weather conditions. We also worked hard on the balance of the car and made some big improvements over the four days. I have had a couple of engine issues but we hope to resolve these over the next few tests with more reliability testing."
Andrew Alsworth, Test Team Manager: "This week's test in Valencia has given the team the opportunity to run two 007 cars which is testament to the hard work that has been going on back at the factory. Although the initial part of the test was completed under difficult track conditions, we were still able to work on various reliability issues. We completed the majority of the test programme covering a total of 2900 kms. We also ran through a comprehensive Michelin tyre evaluation although the variant conditions have made it difficult to asses any clear results. Honda have also been able to continue the development of the 2005 engine in readiness for the new regulations."
Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development: "We've made some progress this week on some ancillaries and the engine software, and will continue to work hard to meet the tough challenge of the new regulations in the forthcoming tests."
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