PRIMO FOR TIMO

Panasonic Toyota Racing continued to put the TF108 through its paces on day two of testing at Jerez, with Timo Glock getting his first opportunity to drive the new car today. After a roll-out and one day of testing in the experienced hands of Jarno Trulli, Toyota newcomer Timo took the wheel and quickly continued where Jarno left off. Timo's task was to continue systems checks and gather information on how the car responds to set-up changes. He was joined by third driver Kamui Kobayashi, who tested the 2008 gearbox and electronics on the TF107. A damp track in the morning meant both drivers waited until after 10.30am to begin their work, when track conditions had improved. An exhaust issue just before lunchtime cost Kamui time but he will be back in action again tomorrow alongside Timo, who will hope for another trouble-free run after registering an impressive 110 laps.

Timo Glock- Chassis TF108/02
Best Lap Time: 1min 20.598s
Position: 11th
Total laps: 110
Total distance: 487.08km

"It was an exciting experience to drive the TF108 for the first time and I think it went well. We did a lot of laps and got a lot of data which was our main target today so I am pleased with that. My first impression of the car is generally positive but at this stage of the year it is too early to truly know how competitive it will be. We carried out some set-up work today and I must say we achieved quite a lot, although there is still a lot of work to do. Now I hope the car will continue to be reliable for the final day of this test so we can continue to make good progress."

Kamui Kobayashi - Chassis TF107/06
Best Lap Time: 1min 22.060s
Position: 13th
Total laps: 56
Total distance: 247.968km

"It is good to be back in a Formula 1 car for the first time this year but today did not go as planned due to the exhaust issue we had, which meant I lost quite a bit of time. But we have been able to do a lot of our programme so I have been working on the new gearbox and the standard ECU. We also looked at some set-up changes and I think that has been helpful. Even though it is the 2007 car I think we can do useful work which will help for this season and I hope to do more laps tomorrow."

Dieter Gass - Chief Engineer Race and Test

"We have had another productive day with the TF108 and we can be pleased with our progress so far. Our main focus has been on understanding the new car and the new aerodynamic concept. It is interesting to hear Timo's feedback after his first laps with the new car. We tried several different set-up options with Timo and we have certainly learned a lot about the car and its reaction to changes. So far everything has worked well and it is good to see how reliable the TF108 has been - this has really helped us to increase our understanding of the car. Timo worked hard today and completed a lot of laps but Kamui also did some important work, although an exhaust issue limited how many laps he could do."