13/02/2009
NEWS STORY
GFH Team iSport - Giedo van der Garde (12th) Hamad Al Fardan (DNF)
Both GFH team iSport drivers Giedo van der Garde and Hamad Al Fardan failed to score points in the first ever GP2 night race at the Losail International Circuit this evening.
Dutch driver Giedo van der Garde started 16th after his best lap in qualifying was hindered by a red flag. This was the first race this season in which van der Garde had qualified outside the top 6. From the start van der Garde got away well but most eyes were on a huge start line accident after fellow Dutchman Yelmer Buurman hit the stalled car of Sakon Yamamoto at high speed.
After a hard fought race, GFH team iSport driver van der Garde finished 12th, a solid achievement after struggling for straight-line speed throughout the race.
GFH team iSport driver Hamad Al Fardan started from 21st and did well to avoid the stalled car of Sakon Yamamoto off the start line. However due to a gearbox problem Al Fardan was forced to retire making it a disappointing feature race for the Bahraini driver.
Trident Racing - Davide Rigon (14th) Frankie Provenzano (19th)
The GP2 Asia Series featured its first-ever night race at Losail, Qatar. The first heat of the weekend brought some hard luck to Trident Racing`s Frankie Provenzano, who was hit from behind in the closing stages and forced to retire, while team-mate Davide Rigon successfully came back to 14th and will start from Row 7 on tomorrow`s Race 2. Today`s race was marred by a long Safety-Car period due to a crash at the start that fortunately left the involved drivers unscattered. Both Provenzano and Rigon improved their position during the race, showing a steady progress in the cars` performance level.
Davide Rigon: "I made a good start, allowing me to move through the pack and take 14th. Unfortunately, I received a hard bump from behind at turn 2, and I subsequently hit the car I had in front. In the first laps I stopped to replace the front wing, ending up at the back of the pack during the full-course caution. After the re-start, we anticipated our pit-stop, and I was finally able to turn some quick laptimes. In the second half of the race though, I felt a performance fade and a downshift problem. Despite the issues, I managed to pass several slower cars, though I had to take some risks with braking. On a physical standpoint, my body performed well too, and the situation could have been even better with a longer distance".
Frankie Provenzano: "I was able to climb back 8 spots at the start, moving from 24th to 14th. After the end of the safety-car period, I kept staying on-track in an attempt to make up some positions with a late pit-stop. That strategy eventually didn`t pay off, as I found myself behind many other drivers that were behind me. At that point, I tried to catch Herck, but he blocked me several times with some bold maneuvers. I had to slow down and Ricci, who profited from the duel to close the gap, hit me from behind. I went off-track, damaging a rear rim that suddenly broke, putting me out of contention. I feel bad because, apart from the low starting position, I experienced a really positive day and I could have ended up in 13th".
MY Qi-Meritus Mahara - Marco Bonanomi (16th) Alvaro Parente (17th)
Italian Marco Bonanomi and Portuguese driver Alvaro Parente started the 34-lap long race one in Doha from 12th and 13th respectively in front of a grandstand filled with 5,000 cheering supporters - guests of the team's sponsor Questnet.
An unusual accident at the start between Yelmer Buurman, Sakon Yamamoto and Rodolfo Gonzalez on the pit straight changed the course of the race and called for the safety car. Alvaro Parente was running in eighth position as the race resumed and looked unstoppable as he carved his way up to sixth and clocked the fastest lap of the race. But damaged front tyres caused Parente to pit three times during the race. Bonanomi encountered similar problems and when he pitted on lap 14, the team opted to change all four tyres, but ten laps later the car was undriveable again.
Alvaro Parente commented, "I do not know what happened nor whether my tyres were faulty or if it was my driving style or the set-up. I have never had an issue with tyres like this before and it is a real shame because we had a really strong pace. I pushed hard and I am proud to have scored my fastest lap with My Qi-Meritus.Mahara on lap 21. Our strategy had planned the pitstop on lap 12. Then I had a problem with my tires and pitted again a second time on lap 19. I lost the car in the sand but rejoined with no damage and even had to do a third stop on lap 25. That was it for my race despite the fastest lap. I am feeling more confident for the second race though and hope the tyres hold out better tomorrow."
Marco Bonanomi commented, "I am so disappointed with the tyre issue we suffered from. It cost us a good race despite changing all four tyres in my pit stop only for the problem to return within ten laps making the car impossible to drive. I am sorry for the fans to have lost my good pace because of faulty tyres. I know that we can work on changing the situation for race two."
Peter Thompson, team founder commented, "It's a pity that our drivers had problems with the tyres. We are working hard to investigate what caused this. Alvaro Parente showed a good pace and was flying, even scoring a fastest lap. Of course, I am disappointed that neither of our two drivers finished in the points today. Now, we must work on a plan for a stronger second race. I want to thank the 5,000 fans from our sponsor Qi to have attended the race in such large numbers. Their motivation is amazing. See you tomorrow to race again in front of our Questnet fans."
Raad S. Abduljawad, team chairman, My Qi-Meritus.Mahara commented, "The team worked really hard for a two car finish for this first ever night race. The ingredients were there for a superb night race and great organization. We are working hard now to understand what happened with the tyres in order to capitalise on our pace and have a better result in tomorrow's second race."