25/04/2009
NEWS STORY
DAMS - Jerome d'Ambrosio (3rd) Kamui Kobayashi (4th)
Today, Kamui Kobayashi won the drivers' title in the Asian GP2 Series on the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain. He finished fourth in the second-last race in the championship scoring enough points to put him clear of his nearest challenger.
Jerome d'Ambrosio was the man of the race. He started from eleventh place and finished on the rostrum after picking off his rivals one-by-one. He also set the fastest lap in his amazing comeback. He scored 7 points today putting him fourth in the overall drivers' ratings. He can move up another 2 places tomorrow.
This fantastic result gives DAMS the teams' title as well. Since the start of the championship DAMS has worn the mantle of favourite and has never relaxed its efforts under pressure. The team has shown a calm professional approach. Today, it managed the race in masterful style and is justly rewarded for its efforts.
Jean-Paul Driot, Team Principal: It's one of those very special days in the life of the DAMS team that makes it forget the difficulties! Heartiest congratulations to the whole squad, which has coped with this championship very well, and also to our drivers who have integrated themselves perfectly into our team. We're going to celebrate this result in the manner it deserves! Then another challenge in the GP2 Series begins in two weeks, and we want to start where we left off in the Asian GP2 Series; namely, in front!"
Eric Boullier, team manager: " Bravo to Kamui and Jerome and bravo to the whole team for this result that we thoroughly deserve. We knew it was possible to win both titles today, and by not making any mistakes we've achieved our aim. That puts us in the best possible frame of mind from a psychological and technical point of view to tackle our next challenge - the 2009 GP2 Series."
Kamui Kobayashi: "At the start I lost four positions and I soon realised it would be difficult to make them up. So I decided to settle for a place and that strategy paid off. I'm delighted to have driven for such a professional team as DAMS, and I'd like to thank them for giving me a competitive car throughout the whole season. Bravo too to all the engineers and mechanics. Today's double reward is richly deserved. Finally, I'd like to thank all those who've backed me in this campaign, in particular the Panasonic Toyota F1 team without whom none of this would have been possible."
Jerome d'Ambrosio: "Given my grid position, it was obvious that I'd have a difficult race. But I decided to push and to seize the slightest opportunity. The car was absolutely perfect. I felt great behind the wheel and I was able to fight my way to the front. My pace, helped by a good strategy, gave me a rostrum finish. But GP2 Asia isn't over yet and I really will do my best to shine tomorrow in the last race of the championship."
GFH Team iSport - Giedo van der Garde (5th) Hamad Al Fardan (DNF)
GFH team iSport driver Giedo van der Garde scored an impressive 5th place finish in today's feature race in the heat of the Bahrain International Circuit.
Starting from 5th, after Pastor Maldonado was handed a grid penalty, Dutch driver Giedo van der Garde got away cleanly. After a slick pit stop from the GFH team iSport crew and a good battle with the charging Dams car of Jerome D'Ambrosio, van der Garde drove a mature race to take the chequered flag in 5th.
There was disappointment for Bahraini GFH team iSport driver Hamad Al Fardan as a sensor on his GP2 car failed on the grid. After trying to fix the problem Al Fardan started from the pit lane but it was clear the problem was terminal and he retired from his home race a few laps later.
Paul Jackson: "Giedo drove well today and has another chance for a good result in tomorrow's Sprint Race. It was disappointing for Hamad to only be able to complete a few laps. It looks like a sensor failed on the grid which caused the gear change to malfunction, we tried to fix it but the problem was still there so we will be looking into what happened and have the car repaired for the Sprint Race".
Durango - Davide Valsecchi (16th) Michael Dalle Stelle (DNF)
A race to forget for Durango GP2 in Bahrain. Both cars had overheating problems at the start, which procedure has been done twice, so Michael Dalle Stelle was forced to start from the pitlane while Davide Valsecchi remained still at the start. Davide has been able to continue with a huge delay but his final sixteenth place means the worst race of the season, exactly when the whole team was trying to do the best. This is a bitter day for Durango, the team principal Ivone Pinton declared: "The troubles at the start compromised our race and this is a real pity because Davide had a fast race pace and made good overtakes. So the car was good but today simply has not be our day".