Paul Ricard Test: Day 1 |
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05.04.2006 |
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Dates: |
05 April 2006 |
Location: |
Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, France |
Drivers: |
Ricardo Zonta, Olivier Panis |
Track length: |
3.818km |
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Following an action-packed Australian Grand Prix and an impressive third
place finish for the team, Panasonic Toyota Racing returned to Europe to begin
its three-day test at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France. Ricardo Zonta came back
from Australia to join team mate Olivier Panis at the first of two tests before
the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola. Both drivers were on track today concentrating
on set-up and tyre work for the coming European races.
HAPPY GO LUCKY
Ricardo Zonta found today's testing to be the year's best so far.
Ricardo Zonta - Chassis TF106/01
Best lap time: 1m05.291s
Total laps: 142
Total distance: 542.156km
"I am really happy with today's results. We worked on aerodynamic scans and
tyre tests. From this, we learned a lot and showed that we had a good lap time,
which is the best we have done at Paul Ricard. Therefore, in my opinion this was
the best day of testing this year because we found some really positive results.
Tomorrow we will work on the tyre programme more extensively for Imola to be able
to make the tyre choice for the race."
BALANCING ACT
Olivier Panis is confident about the team's test results and is enthusiastic to
continue on tomorrow preparing for the next race.
Olivier Panis - Chassis TF106/02
Best lap time: 1m05.754s
Total laps: 109
Total distance: 416.162km
"Today was a good day, putting in a good amount of laps. Today I was driving
with the old aerodynamic package testing various items, like balance set-ups and
traction control scans. Tomorrow, the car will be set up with the new chassis
and therefore we have a bigger tyre test programme planned. The last test really
helped us to move in the right direction and I feel the test team did a great
job pushing hard to prepare for the last race. The results were positive for the
team, but we still have to keep going to be fully competitive."
LET THE SUN SHINE DOWN
Finally after numerous tests, Panasonic Toyota Racing can work without having
reservations about the day's weather forecast.
Gerd Pfeiffer
- Test Team Manager "In comparison to the last tests, the least
amount of worries went into the weather forecast. The day turned out to be pleasant
with temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius, which are similar to race conditions
at Imola therefore allowing us to get through quite a number of test items. Tomorrow
we will concentrate on tyre testing and trying different constructions in order
to make the tyre choice for San Marino. Our major goal for this and the next test
is to continue our development for the coming races." |
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