PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY

Although it rained down on Monza yesterday evening, the clouds cleared for a sunny second day of testing for the Panasonic Toyota Racing team. Race driver Jarno Trulli continued his tyre and set-up programme from yesterday, while third driver Ricardo Zonta joined today to begin his two day test programme all in preparation for the coming race. Large crowds turned up to cheer for the local teams and drivers, thereby ensuring high spirits. Tomorrow will be the last day of testing for the team before making the final decisions for the Grand Prix next weekend.

Jarno Trulli - Chassis TF106/06B
Best Lap Time: 1m23.267s
Total laps: 42
Total distance: 243.306kms


"The testing went fairly well today and we got through a lot in the morning. We tested mostly tyre compounds and braking balance. Unfortunately, we experienced an engine failure in the afternoon causing us to loose valuable time. The team worked hard to get my car back on the track and finally we were able to collect some more data for the race here next weekend. The fans were great today, and I am hopeful of collecting some points at my home race."

Ricardo Zonta - Chassis TF106/07B
Best Lap Time: 1m23.546s
Total laps: 51
Total distance: 295.443kms


"My car ran really reliably today. We just lost a lot of time due to red flags and set-up work. It made for a long hard day sitting in the car but I think we have found out some interesting data about the Monza set-up and tyre compound alternatives. Tomorrow I will be concentrating on doing long runs to make the final tyre choice."

Gerd Pfeiffer - Test Team Manager

"Both drivers worked hard today on a tight schedule. We collected some more data on our aero package and the driver's comments were very helpful in regards to finding the right set-up. There is still a lot we have to work on and although we have a full agenda for tomorrow, we can slowly make conclusions for the Grand Prix."