CONTROLLING INTEREST

Panasonic Toyota Racing had a productive second day of winter testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain today. With the same drivers continuing in the cockpit, the programme was for Jarno Trulli again to evaluate some 2008 parts while running without traction control, with Franck Montagny continuing work on the standard ECU for 2008, as well as other development items. Jarno made good progress evaluating set-ups and reported an improvement in performance, despite a morning spin which saw his car end up in the gravel. Franck also brought out the red flags when he caught the kerbs at turn 13 and spun backwards into the wall, damaging the rear of his car. However, his crew worked hard to get the car ready for the afternoon session and, in spite of issues with the standard ECU, he was able to resume and gather important data for the team.

Jarno Trulli - Chassis TF107/03
Best Lap Time: 1min 23.465s
Position: 13th
Total laps: 54
Total distance: 251.37km

“Today was a smooth day for me. Again I enjoyed myself driving without traction control. I must say we had a very positive and productive day. We were testing several things which made our car quicker. I lost part of the morning because I went off into the gravel but apart from that we got the best out of our day. We have had some good and clear indications for next year regarding car development so I am very happy.”

Franck Montagny - Chassis TF107/06
Best Lap Time: 1min 23.977s
Position: 18th
Total laps: 45
Total distance: 209.475km

“I've had quite a bad day really today. The car looked quite good yesterday, even if it was not perfect, but today with more grip from the track surface we were struggling to find the right set-up. I had a problem getting the tyres up to temperature and spun in the morning, which took a couple of hours to repair. Then we had a software problem which cost us more time. Even though I am driving a modified car with some 2008 elements, we were expecting better. It was disappointing but I hope we can improve tomorrow.”

Pascal Vasselon - Senior General Manager Chassis

“Today was quite a productive day. We made good progress on Jarno's car, working on set-up comparisons and we are pleased with the results, which are very encouraging. Franck again worked with 2008 development parts and the new standard ECU and, even though he suffered some delays and was not entirely happy, he was able to bring back some information which will help our understanding. We will continue with that programme tomorrow when we hope to make more progress.”