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08.09.2008

PARK LIFE

Panasonic Toyota Racing is quickly back in action this weekend with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza coming just seven days after a disappointing Belgian Grand Prix. This weekend’s race marks the end of the European season, with the final four events coming in Singapore, Japan, China and Brazil. The team is determined to leave European races behind for 2008 with another strong result and is well prepared for the unique high-speed challenge of Monza, having conducted a productive three-day test at the parkland track last month. Monza’s long straights mean high speed is the priority, so Toyota has developed a race-specific low downforce aerodynamic package for this weekend’s race, including different front and rear wings as well as other bodywork changes. This was tested last month by both Jarno – on home ground - and Timo with encouraging results.

Jarno Trulli (Car 11)

“The Italian Grand Prix is my home race so I am naturally very excited to race in front of the Monza crowd again. It is always particularly enjoyable for me to race in my home country but it doesn’t give me any extra motivation – I am already more motivated than ever this season! I hope I can give my Italian fans a result to enjoy but we will have to wait and see because all teams will have Monza-spec packages and we don’t know yet how the competition will shape up. Having said that, we have adapted well to different tracks this season and I know the team have worked very hard to prepare for this race so I believe we can be competitive again. It was very frustrating not to score points in Belgium after such a fantastic start. I had a great chance but once again in Spa I was very unlucky.”

Timo Glock (Car 12)

“I have good memories of Monza from last season, when I finished on the podium twice in GP2 and won the sprint race, but I would prefer to forget Monza 2006 when I hurt my wrist. I certainly hope this year will give me more fun memories! I quite enjoy racing at Monza because it is an extremely fast track and as a racing driver you always like to drive fast. It was good to get experience of Monza with the TF108 during our test a couple of weeks ago. We have a totally different package for this race and we got a lot of information which should really help us make a positive start on Friday. My goal will be to score points and I am looking forward to the challenge.”

Pascal Vasselon – Senior General Manager Chassis

“Monza is unique nowadays in Formula 1 because it is a very high speed track. For that reason, we basically prepare a one-off package for this race aiming for very high aerodynamic efficiency on the long straights, which are very demanding for the engine. But the track is about more than just the straights, obviously, and the combination of high speeds and slow corners means it is one of the toughest tracks on brakes. To get strong performance you need strong top speed, good braking stability and the ability to ride the high kerbs. All these factors mean it is truly a one-off race and the unique characteristics really add to the atmosphere as well; it is a place where you can feel the history and passion. I love visiting Italy and after seeing encouraging results from our Monza package I am particularly looking forward to this weekend.”