ALMOST A DOUBLE CENTURY

Panasonic Toyota Racing continued its winter test programme at Barcelona today with Jarno Trulli and Franck Montagny at the wheel. Under clear skies at the Circuit de Catalunya the team had a fruitful day of running and the two drivers were able to put in nearly 100 laps each. Jarno missed out on some of the morning session due to an electronics problem but otherwise both drivers were able to carry out a lot of work on systems and set-up. Franck completed a good analysis of the Bridgestone tyres and he will stay at the wheel for tomorrow's final day alongside Ralf Schumacher.

Jarno Trulli - Chassis TF107/703
Best lap time: 1m 22.227s
Total laps: 99
Total distance: 460.8km

“That was a reasonably good day spent putting more mileage on the gearbox and engine and starting work on set-up. We had one stoppage for an electronics problem so we missed some running in the morning but we had a better afternoon, putting in a few long runs. The team has been working hard all winter but so far we haven't been very lucky and I haven't had a completely clear day of running. We performed well here but there is still work to do. We should begin to get a clearer picture of where we stand during the next two tests in Bahrain. Hopefully the weather will be better because what I really need is a full day of running with no interruptions to get to grips with the car's set-up. ”

Franck Montagny - Chassis TF107/701
Best lap time: 1m 22.476s
Total laps: 98
Total distance: 456.2km

“It was a good morning's work and we were able to put in many laps without problems. In order to try and understand the tyres completely we worked hard on the car set-up. We looked at front and rear braking, degradation and how best to make these tyres work on the first lap. That was successful and we now have a good feeling about this type of rubber. This afternoon we continued to work on different car settings, trying out different parameters like tyre pressure and damping. It was also important to put some miles on the car and to understand any mechanical issues we may face. ”

Dieter Gass - Chief Engineer Race and Test

“We made it through a lot of laps so that was a fairly productive day for us. Jarno lost some time this morning with an electronics problem but his afternoon's work was more successful. He was mainly doing set-up work and putting mileage on the car's systems. Franck started the morning with some long runs and we were able to collect some good data from that. He was able to keep running for most of the day doing work on set-up and the Bridgestone tyres. Like most teams we have been struggling a bit with rear end stability but in general the tyres are consistent.”