Minardi raises an alarm: “Without a solution, the existence of lower formulas doesn’t make sense”

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Private testing: YES or NOT? This is the great dilemma Formula 1 is focusing on. To cut off costs the Circus decided to ban private testing. Private testing is still a controversial subject for the Circus who has different opinions about it. On the one side some teams like Ferrari want to reintroduce them into F.1, on the other side teams like McLaren don’t stand up for them.

Gian Carlo Minardi is one of the strong supporters of private testing. The former Minardi Team owner competed in the top series for more than 20 years, running 340 GP; he has always dealt with young drivers, helping them to hone their talent and enter the world of F.1 “I’ve always supported private testing, because I think this is the right way to hone drivers’ racing skills. If costs have to be cut off, private testing shouldn’t be involved. The more a young driver has the chance to practice, the more he knows a F.1 car and has the opportunity to draw attention on himself.”

Minardi focuses his attention on another important subject: preparatory formulas. “If we don’t give fast drivers the chance to enter the world of the top series, it won’t make sense for lower formulas to exist. It won’t make sense to compete in an expensive championship such as GP2 if the series’ winner isn’t awarded a prize. This is what happens now in all other racing categories. Serious solutions should be found.”

“The project Ferrari Driver Academy is carrying on is the result of a cooperation work between ACI CSAI and FDA itself. Antonio Fuoco has made his debut into Formula Renault 2.0 and he’s drawing attention on himself and Prema Powerteam’s driver Raffaele Marciello is leading the F.3 Euroseries Championship. All these results are a good omen for the future. This means that all the efforts made over the last few years are bearing fruits. It is important to teach young drivers a working method, but if they don’t have the opportunity to enter the top series, all the work done will turn to be useless!” 

First point for Bhai Tech at Portimao

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At Portimao, where the track is featured by a natural rise and fall, Bhai Tech Racing Team experienced a bittersweet racing weekend. The Team scored its first points of the season with the two McLaren MP4 12C, however the Mestrino-based staff is not satisfied with on track performances, so far, even because of many limitations due to turbo engines.

The four drivers, Giorgio Pantano/Rafael Suzuki and Chris Van der Drift/Luiz Razia managed to climb back up the race by chalking up 29 passes, finishing in the top 10 in both races and scoring the first points. The long weekend started on Thursday with a two-hour free practice session during which the staff, directed by the engineer Mr. Roberto Costa, shook down the #65 car which was seriously damaged at Le Castellet, then continued to develop the two McLaren in order to be well prepared for the second race of the International GT Open Championship.

On Saturday afternoon, after qualifying in the ninth and tenth row, the racer from Padua Giorgio Pantano along with the Brazilian driver Rafael Suzuki drove an exciting recovery manoeuvre, jumping up to tenth (seventh in class) and scoring one point, while the two classmates Van der Drift and Razia finished 13th . During Sunday’s race the New-Zealander and Brazilian racing crew jumped up to the ninth position overall, which is the fourth in class. Recovering 10 positions was not enough for the Italo-Brazilian duo, who finished just one step behind the score zone.

“We knew it wouldn’t have been easy, as it was our debut in the dry. Due to its features the track at Portimao was an important test bench, as it gave us the opportunity to have a complete picture of our development and the areas where corrective actions have to be performed” says the technical director Roberto Costa “We tested car set-up so many times, trying to get the best balance, making a step forward in the second race. Now we’ll have to make the most of the data gathered from the racing weekend in order to continue to develop the car over the next races, but, most of all, we’ll have to continue to work together with the series’ arrangers to try to solve issues related to car balance and turbo engine, in order to take an equal struggle against rivals”, finished the Brazilian enginee

The Bhai Tech Advanced Vehicle Science Centre- based Team left Algarve aware to be a valid and hard rival, to be able to progress and strive for top positions. Next racing weekend will be held on the German track at Nurburgring on 1st-2nd June 2013.

Bhai Tech Racing: Next stop Portimao

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Fifteen days after the opening race at Le Castellet, spotlights are focused on Bhai Tech Racing Team, again.  The Mestrino-based racing team is ready to get back on track to take part in the second racing weekend of the International GT Open Championship, to be raced at the Portuguese circuit of Portimao.

The cars are on the way to Algarve, but the staff directed by Mr. Roberto Costa, the engineer, had to work hard over the last days to fix the McLaren MP4 12C GT3 driven by Pantano/Suzuki, which was seriously damaged during the first race and get ready for the next challenge in Portugal, where 32 teams will take part in the racing event. The French weekend didn’t give the Italian team the chance to show all its potential, because of some rain tyres issues which affected the four drivers’ performances.

“It was a race against time, as we had to get spare parts directly from England and fix up both cars, which are now heading to Portugal” analyses the technical manager Mr. Costa “It was a long work and I want to thank all the guys. Given that we had such a short time at our disposal, we didn’t manage to shake down the two cars, which are planned to be shaken down during testing on Thursday. We also worked side by side with McLaren to try to solve Dunlop tyres issues, which affected our cars. In Portugal we’ll continue to develop our apprenticeship’s programme and drivers will get a better feeling with the car and the Championship.” After rain, fog and low temperatures at Paul Ricard, weather is expected to be sunny in Portugal “Weather should be mild, so it will be easier for us to continue our development programme. Cars showed to be competitive in the dry even at Le Castellet. We worked hard, only the track will tell us if we worked better than our rivals.”

The racing weekend will start on Thursday with a 2 hours testing’s session and will continue also on Friday morning (10.15 – 11.15), before the 60’ free practices’ double session and qualifying to be held on Saturday (9.30 and 11.50) to determine the starting grid of both races.  The 70’ first race will start at 16.00 and race-2 will start on Sunday at 12.00.

Apprenticeship week end for Bhai Tech Racing at Paul Ricard

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Spotlights were focused on the first season of the Padua-based team in the International GT open Championship, whose opening race was run on the transalpine track of Le Castellet, last weekend.

The opening race was featured by rough weather: rain, fog and low temperatures gave the team, who is directed by the engineer Mr. Roberto Costa, the chance to gain experience at the wheel of the two new McLaren MP4 12 C GT3, driven by the two couples of drivers Pantano/Suzuki and Van der Drift/Razia, who all made their debut in the International series.

Given the fact the Mestrino-based team was making an all-round debut in the series, it didn’t let anybody down, as it gained km, collected data and set encouraging split times since free practices, leading the two cars at the top of the standing. In qualifying 1, the four Formula car racers showcased all their talent by qualifying in the second row; the car #65 driven by the Italo-Brazilian couple Pantano/Suzuki qualified ahead of the team mates. During the race luck was not at the side of the Italian team, as Van der Drift’s race was ruined by a collision with the Aston Martin, because of which the driver from New Zealand had to quit the race in advance after a turnabout.

In the final stage even the second car, driven by Suzuki, exited the scene. The crash was violent and the damages caused by that couldn’t be fixed on time to take part in the second qualifying session, during which Luiz Razia cheered up by qualifying in the first row and setting the second best laptime. Once again the final verdict didn’t do justice to Van der Drift who, after taking control of the car and pitting for a long time to have some parts of the bodywork fixed, finished 15th  .

“We cannot be pleased with the final result, as we didn’t manage to solve few problems in the wet. Everything was new to us and we had never raced in such conditions before. The choices we made unfortunately didn’t pay off. Now we’ll work side by side with McLaren to analyze all data, even the ones concerning Dunlop rain tyres”, says the technical director Mr. Roberto Costa “The car was competitive in the dry. We don’t have to forget that we’re only at the first stage of the development. The team is so competitive and it’s composed by experts. We’re thinking about next race in Portimao.”

The staff is ready to go back to the cutting-edge Bhai Tech Advanced Vehicle Science Centre to analyze all data and get ready for the next challenge to be held on the track of Portimao (May 11th /12th).

Everything is ready at Bhai Tech home for the Paul Ricard

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The excellent drivers of Bhai Tech Racing are ready to make their debut in the 2013 GT Open Championship, to be held on the track of Le Castellet next weekend. The Paul Ricard race will be the first of the eight races which compose the Championship’s racing calendar and will be competed on the most famous tracks all around the world: Portimao (May 11th-12th), Nurburgring (June 1st-2nd), Jerez (June, 15th-16th), Silverstone (July 13th-14th), Spa-Francorchamps (September 7th-8th) and Monza (October 5th-6th), before the final racing event to be held on the track of Barcelona, Spain, in November 9th to 10th.

Under the technical management of Mr. Roberto Costa, the engineer, the Padova-based team, whose headquarter is located in the cutting-edge technological centre called Bhai Tech Advanced Vehicle Science, which is equipped with a 6-DOF state-of-the-art full-motion driving simulator, a simulation and modelling software, a gym which is fully- fitted with the latest equipment where drivers can physically and mentally relax after sessions in the simulator, will take part in the opening race of the championship with two GTS class McLaren MP4 12C GT3, driven by four formula car drivers.

The car #65 will be driven by the Venetian GP2/08 champion Giorgio Pantano, who took also part in the F1 World Championship, in the Superleague Championship and in the IRL Championship. The Italian driver will team up with the Brazilian driver Suzuky, who raced in the F.3 Championship in Japan and Europe. The second racing crew (#66) will be composed by the Newzealander driver Chris Van der Drift, who will run his second racing season with Bhai Tech Racing Team and previously took part in the World Series Renault Championship, in the A1 Grand Prix Championship and in the Auto GP Championship. The Newzealander will team up with the Brazilian driver Luiz Razia, who was 2012 GP2 deputy champion and will race in a GT Championship for the first time.

“It’s going to be an apprenticeship weekend, as we’ll make our debut in the Championship. We’ll have to check all the upgrades introduced by FIA with regards to the turbo and have a deep knowledge of the McLaren which will be so different if compared to the 2012 version. It will be so important to understand which our starting point is and, above all, to know how much we’ll manage to progress session after session,” says Mr. Costa, the technical director “We’ll rely on our drivers’ support, even if they’re making their debut in the Championship. Only Van der Drift is more experienced than the others, as he ran with us the last few races of the Italian GT Championship. We’ll have to work a lot, but the two races will last long, as much as the Championship,” ends up the Bhai Tech’s engineer.

Bhai Tech Racing in action with Pantano, Suzuki, Van Der Drift and Razia

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Uninterrupted training for Bhai Tech Racing before making the debut in the 2013 GT open Championship, whose first race will be held on the 27th of April at Paul Ricard circuit.

The Padua-based Team took a two-day private testing session on the well known track of Adria with its two McLaren MP4 12C GT3 racing cars, driven by the two racing crews composed by Giorgio Pantano – Rafael Suzuki and Chris Van der Drift – Luiz Razia.

Under the technical management of Mr. Roberto Costa, drivers and staff focused on refining FIA new regulations regarding electronic controls “We worked hard during the two-day testing session, we mainly focused on the last technical upgrades introduced by the Federation in the area of electronic controls linked to the turbo operating system. Since it’s a last minute upgrade, much attention should be paid on it. We’re working side by side with McLaren to develop every single aspect.”

It was also a good chance for Brazilian driver Razia to test the McLaren MP4 12C GT3 car company for the first time, in preparation for the opening race to take place at the French Circuit.

 

Davide Rigon and Kessel Racing stood out in Monza

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First race and first win scored. There couldn’t be a better start for Davide Rigon and Kessel Racing Team, who powerfully scored a win at Monza International Circuit in the opening race of the Blancpain GT Endurance Series Championship.

At the wheel of the Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 44, the talented driver, along with his team mates Ramos and Zampieri, dominated the race, crossing the line in the lead and leaving behind them 60 cars belonging to the most important car companies. After setting the second best time in the second stint of qualifying, Davide kicked off from the fourth row setting the eight time. The Ferrari driver straightaway moved up the standing and managed to lead just behind the podium, taking the lead of the race on the 30th lap. The “red” from Maranello n.44 was the fastest car on track and managed to set the fastest lap on 1.50.414. The pit-stop strategy and performance of the men in red was perfect, so Davide passed the baton to Ramos when he was in the lead. The Brazilian driver kept on being in the lead, before passing the baton to Zampieri who finished that stunning race.

Rigon managed to be back on the highest step of the podium, after that terrible accident occurred during the Turkish GP in 2011, when he broke his fibula and tibia and was embedded with 21 spikes in his left leg “Scoring a win again just two years after that terrible 2011 is fantastic. It was since the race in Adria in the SF championship that I didn’t enjoy that amazing feeling”, says Davide “The race was flawless, everything was perfect. We were so good at not making any mistake and the pit-stop staff was fantastic, as well. In comparison with past season, the team progressed a lot in this direction and the work done yielded results. We were always the fastest on track. This is the best way to start a season in such a competitive championship where so many cars are involved. I want to thank all the guys of the Kessel Team and my team mates Cesar and Daniel”, ended up the driver from Vicenza.

“It was a stunning weekend; it finished in the best way. Victory and fastest lap time on track. We were only a little bit penalised by the heavy traffic during qualifying. Davide took an amazing start, taking the lead of the race. Congratulations to Ramos, Zampieri and Kessel Team for all the work done. Pit-stop and strategy were both perfect. They did a great job improving the pit-stop strategy, which was the Achilles’ heel during the past season. It was important to get off to the right foot, considering that the championship is only made of 5 races. This outcome is a right reward for all the pain suffered by Davide since 2011,” says the manager Giovanni Minardi.

Backstage – Alps, WSR 3.5 and NEC kick off

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“Backstage”, our column dedicated to the world of preparatory series, those Championships which are the backstage of F1 and have the important role of discovering and preparing future racing champions, will start again.

Let’s have a look at the Formula Renault, Alps and WSR 3.5 Championships’ first racing weekend which took place on the tracks of Vallelunga and Monza. Each racing weekend will be commented by the long-experienced manager Giovanni Minardi.

“As expected, the Formula Renault Alps saw the supremacy of the three Prema drivers Bonifacio – Ghiotto – Fuoco. I’m expecting an interior fight to be delivered throughout the Championship. Who will be able to better manage the outcome, making as less mistakes as possible, is going to win the title. Since there are so many participants, recovering will be so difficult. The 16-year-old Fuoco had a very brilliant start of season, finishing 2nd and 1st in the two races. Antonio made the most of all the work done over the past season, during which he occasionally took part in the F.Abarth free practices driving a Tatuus of the Federation. Luca Ghiotto delivered a very good performance, as well, finishing 5th and 2nd,” Minardi says “ I would have expected something more from De Vries, a McLaren driver, who was beaten out by the guys coming from F.Abarth and Kart.

Prema Team is the favourite team for his achievements and for the drivers “ Among opponents, much attention has to be paid to De Vries (Koiranen), to his teammate Silva , to Euronova’s driver Sasahara , to Ramsay who’s coming straight out from F.Abarth and to the Italian driver Kevin Gilardoni. Positive start also for BVM, despite the team did only little pre-season testing.”

38 cars took part in the opening event of the European F.R.2.0 Series at Hockenheim, where three different races were won by three different drivers “Three races and three different winners, this is a sign of how much competitive the Formula Renault Nec is. The main actors would be Esteban Ocon, Oliver Rowland and Andrea Pizzitolla, the three drivers of the three best teams (Art Gran Prix, Manor MP and Fortec). Unfortunately, even in this championship we can notice that Italian drivers are missing. The only Italian driver is Ignazio D’Agosto, who had an unlucky start; I hope he will uphold the honour of the Italian flag throughout this difficult racing season. As far as teams are concerned, it is worth to mention the debut of JD Motorsport, the team from Novara, who ruled the Italian F3 championship with its driver Riccardo Agostini in the past season. The team delivered a good performance; I hope they’ll uphold the reputation of Italy scoring great successes among so many foreign teams.”

In the World Series by Renault 3.5 championship, Vandoorne and Da Costa shared the highest step of the podium in the two races “Our expectations were all fulfilled. Da Costa is the man to defeat, especially in consideration of the excellent performances delivered over the past season, when he entered half a season. Seeing Vandoorne we have the confirmation that who manages to take over in the Eurocup 2.0, manages to deliver good performances also at the wheel of the Dallara in the WSR 3.5. At the moment, I don’t see other drivers whose performance level is as high as his, except Sorensen, Pic and Magnussen who will be the balance.”

Even this year the “made in Italy” scored a sad record. The closer we get to the pinnacle of motorsport, the more difficult it is to find Italian drivers “Our drivers can hardly find sponsors. If we have a look at the GP2 and WSR 3.5, we notice that many drivers are directly supported either by their parents or by multinational companies such as Red Bull. Outside Europe there is someone who still wants to invest; this doesn’t happen in our country. Only in the Auto GP Championship, which is a “low cost” one if compared to WSR or GP2, we can find Italian drivers. Many people, disappointed by the difficult economic situation, decide to make a career in the karting. If Fuoco himself hadn’t entered the FDA, he would have continued to run with the kart; it would have been a pity, as I think he will be long talked about “, the manager form Faenza says in the end.

Davide Rigon signs with Kessel for the BEC GT

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Davide Rigon signed with Kessel Racing Team a last minute agreement. The cooperation between the talented Italian driver and the Lugano-based team managed by Mr. Ronnie Kessel will continue also in the 2013 racing season of the Blancpain GT Endurance Championship, to start next weekend on Monza track.

This is the second consecutive year Davide takes part in the series at the wheel of the Ferrari 458 GT2. His aim is to move up the podium improving the third place achieved at Paul Ricard in the past season, relying on a greater experience in terms of his knowledge of the car and Championship.

“I’m so pleased with this agreement, which gives me the opportunity to continue to race for the Kessel Team. I’ll start this new challenge having gained one more year experience in the championship at the wheel of the amazing Ferrari 458 Italia. When I arrived in Monza last year I hadn’t tested the car before, now I can rely on a full season experience upon my shoulders. I hope to race in the dry, so to have the chance to understand all the values available”, Rigon says.

36 teams will take part in the Championship, 61 cars and 9 different constructors will challenge throughout a 5 races championship. After the Italian event the Championship will be raced in England (Silverstone, 2nd of June), in France (Paul Ricard, 30th of June), in Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps, 28th of July) and in Germany (Nurburgring, 22nd of August).

“It will be a difficult racing season in terms of drivers’ quality and because, with only 5 events to be disputed, any mistakes will be paid considerably. The most awaited event of the season is the 24H of Spa, as usual. That race is as important as a full racing season both for its charme and in terms of scoring”, the driver from Veneto says, as well.

“I’m so glad that Davide will continue to race for the Kessel Team in an amazing Championship such as the Blancpain Endurance. Last season was a little bit difficult, but I think this year the title will be easier to achieve, thanks to the team’s development, a good feeling with the engineer, an excellent staff and, above all, an excellent work on car development made by Michelotto, which made the car even more performing.

I hope this year Davide will finally forget about the accident occurred in 2011 at the Istanbul Park and start again to achieve the success achieved until that moment. Good luck to him, his teammates and Kessel Team.”, the manager Giovanni Minardi says.

The racing weekend will start with two sessions of free practices to last 120 min. each, to be held on Saturday; the qualifying session will be held on Sunday morning at 10.35 and will determine the starting grid of the race to start at 14.30 and finish at 17.30.

Backstage –………towards F1

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Last weekend represented not only the second appointment of the F1 racing season, but it was also the opening weekend of those preparatory championships which have the important mission of forging the future world champions.

Just in concomitance with the Malaysian GP, the GP2 racing season took its start at Sepang circuit. The GP2 Championship was created to complete drivers’ apprenticeship and facilitate their access into the top category, “I think we reached the 80% of our goal. The economic crisis didn’t help the programme, as F1 teams have to face with their financial resources, as well. This is the reason why, especially over the last few 3-4 years, the drivers who could bring a great amount of money to teams were favoured. It is still a valuable championship, as the car used to race is powerful and demanding. Driving that car, you can learn how to control yourself and it’s a good training for a future step into F1”, said the manager Giovanni Minardi.  “I’m expecting this championship to be hard-fought and difficult, as showcased by qualifying where 16 drivers crossed the line within 1 second. Tyres will rule the race, as well as drivers’ consistency. Now 6-7 drivers are competing for the world title. Among them we can find Coletti, Cecotto, Ericsson, Calado and Bird, five young drivers whose performance level wasn’t consistent in the past”.

 

At the same time the curtain rose over the Auto GP and the FIA International F3 Championship at Monza National Circuit “It’s still too early to make a prediction regarding Auto GP, as the grid is composed both by very young drivers (who are just 18) and more experienced ones. It will be so interesting to see how many of them will contest the whole season, because, starting from the next race, there will be more cars involved. Riccardo Agostini powerfully got the pole, but some issues during the race made him lose the podium”, said also Minardi “Regarding the FIA F3 Championship, the driver Marciello is contesting his second Championship, so he must win it. He took a great start of season, but he has to pay attention to many other drivers who are competing for the title: his teammate Lynn and some outsiders such as Auer, Buller, who delivered very good performances during practices at the wheel of the Dallara-Nissan and Rosenqvist with the Dallara-Mercedes. To Marciello’s benefit, Wehrlein will be promoted to DTM, starting form next race. We should also keep eyes on Giovinazzi (Dallara-Mercedes), who is at his first experience in such a demanding championship.”

 

Giovanni, in his long experience as a manager, helped drivers such as Maldonado to make his first step into the world of F1 by making him test a Minardi F1 car. He’s presently the manager of another great driver, Davide Rigon, “There isn’t a recipe to understand if a driver has that extra oomph. All is given by the match of different aspects. First of all it’s very important to follow a driver and see him acting on track to know his driving style. Then, it’s so important to have a deep knowledge of the championship, of the team he runs with and of the curriculum. The driver’s improvement throughout the season is also another important item to be carefully taken into consideration. To end up, you have to know the racing environment in details, as it changes so quickly”, ended up the manager from Faenza.

Examination passed with flying colours for Bhai Tech

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A lot of work was done over the past few days at the Bhai Tech Advanced Vehicle Centre, the new cutting-edge vehicle centre located in Mestrino (not far from Padua) and conceived by the businessman Mr. Ferdinando Bada. The Centre hosted a three-day-event dedicated to all the young promises of the international motorsport.

Seven young drivers, racing in the main national and international championships – Formula ACI CSAI Abarth, Formula 3, GP3 and GT – had the opportunity to test the cutting-edge full motion driving simulator and experience mental and physical training. All the work done was made thanks to the presence of a gym equipped with advanced equipments and motorsport specialists, all supported by the staff of the Forlì based Driver Program Centre.

The centre was established to sustain the professional growth of drivers and teams by technologically contributing to tweak racing cars, as Mr. Roberto Costa, the technical manager, told to Autosprint: “A team which wants to cooperate with us conveys everything about tyres, set-up and downforce. All data are put into the system and, after defining a basic set-up, we start simulating.” Bhai Tech main facility is just the 6-DOF driving simulator, which is equipped with 5 outboard headlamps and an 8m210° curved screen with rear-view images. “In many F1 teams usually a hundred people are involved in this field”, says Mr. Costa, “we’re able to offer clients this kind of advanced technology by only involving few people, so to get costs down and make it affordable for teams”.

The GT driver Nicola De Marco, along with Juan Branger and Santiago Urrutia, two other young drivers running in the Formula Abarth, were invited to test Bhai Tech’s driving simulator. The rookie champion Santiago Urrutia, who was at his first experience at the wheel of a simulator, commented as follows “It was an amazing experience. I had the chance to run 20 laps on the Monza track at the wheel of a GP2 car. Everything was new to me, except the track. The simulator is an absolutely realistic and wonderful vehicle. I think it could be a good substitute for on-track tests”, said the future Open F3 driver. Alessandro Cicognani, the 21-year-old driver who ran in the Carrera Cup Championship last season, thinks the same, too “I think the centre is really fantastic, the simulator is so professional and realistic. It can perfectly simulate reality. When I got off the vehicle I felt like I had run on track. Arms and legs are stimulated just like when you’re racing on track, even though you have to be more concentrated. I think it’s an ideal device for the drivers racing in the GP2 and WSR 3.5 Championships, where you don’t have much time to test the track and private tests are so expensive”, ended up the driver from Ravenna.

His thoughts were also echoed by the Open F3 Champion Niccolò Schirò and the Trident GP3 team racer David Fumanelli “I think the simulator could be a good substitute for on-track tests. I drove a GP2 car for the first time and I got along so well with it, even if I had a little bit of headache, so I didn’t manage to race for too long”, said Schirò “I was astonished by the centre, which is so modern and advanced. It’s equipped with all sort of equipment, just like a F1 Team. The simulator is so developed and it’s even better than the ones used by F1 Teams, because it was built using better materials. Given the fact they’re at their first stages, I have to say that the base is so good. I drove a GP2 car, too, but on Barcelona track”, said Fumanelli “I had never driven this kind of car before and I was amazed by braking. I think it could be so useful to get ready for a GP3 or GP2 racing weekend, since you don’t have much time to test the track. For example, you can train to find the right braking point, besides working on the set-up.”
Nicolò Granzotto, who will be the next Antonelli Motorsport Team driver in the Carrera Cup Championship, was enthusiastic about the simulator, too “The centre is amazing and it’s run by a very professional staff. Nothing is left to chance. The driving simulator is astonishing, as it can perfectly simulate reality. Just after a few laps, everything becomes so automatic, as if you were on track. It’s an essential device and I think it should be tried, as it allows you to work both on car balance and braking points. Along with the engineers support, telemetry can also be analyzed. I want to praise the staff of the Driver Program Center who made us do some physical and mental training before and after the simulator session.”

BHAI TECH EXPERIENCE DAY

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By the joint effort of “bhai tech”, the new advanced vehicle centre located in Mestrino (Padua-Italy), which has been established to develop the professional growth of drivers and technologically contribute to the set up of racing cars, and the Minardi Management of Mr. Giovanni Minardi, a new event has come about: the “bhai tech experience day. It’s a 3-days event dedicated to a selected group of drivers who have been invited to attend it considering their experience in running different Championships such as GP2, GP3, WSR 3.5, Formula 3, F. Renault Eurocup and Formula ACI CSAI Abarth.
From February 18 to 20 at “bhai tech”, the young drivers will test the cutting edge full motion driving simulator and will experience mental and personal training, thanks to a gym equipped with advanced equipments and to the presence of sport specialists.

Rigon winks at the WSR 3.5 and thinks about the GT2

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The past season was full of important events for Davide Rigon, who was engaged in his first GT racing season behind the wheel of the Ferrari 458 in the Blancpain Endurance Series and at Ferrari, where he was and still is at the “Scuderia” disposal for sport and commercial activities “It was a fantastic year, full of engagements. I spent so many days working on the simulator to help the team developing the car, going on with my apprenticeship behind the wheel of a F1 car. It’s exciting to see how important details are. Nothing is left to chance. During each simulator session you have to be constant and give specific clues to engineers, in order to make them follow the right guidance”, says Davide.
The most exciting event was the Rookie Test on the Magny-Cours track, driving a Ferrari F2012, during which the talented driver from Vicenza didn’t spare his energy by running more than 700 km and 165 laps “I really fulfilled my dreams. After working on the simulator and making several aerodynamic tests, it’s really exciting to have the opportunity to take part in an official test with the team from Maranello. It was so good to work with an official team and collaborate with it like official drivers do. This testing session represented another step towards the top series.”
The experience with the Kessel Team in the Blancpain Endurance Series was so positive, even if unfortunately, some unlucky events affected the final result “I contested the first two races as an apprentice, as I had never tested the car before. However, I got along so well with the Kessel Team and my team mates. We were the fastest out of 60 drivers, but unfortunately, having only 6 races to contest, it was so difficult to make up for lost ground, even because of some unlucky events.”
Now it’s time to think about the new season in which Davide, after contesting a race at Paul Ricard with the BVM-Target Team, winks at the World Series by Renault 3.5, and he’s also interested in the GT2 “It’s early now, but I would like to race with a competitive team, starting to work with it since winter testing. I’m still so young but experienced and the format of the WSR Championship is the most similar to the F1 Championship.
On the contrary, in the GP2- 30-minutes sessions, most of the times, on-track results doesn’t reflect a driver real skills. We’re talking about the two most important Championships, after the F1. I just want to keep my feet on the ground, so I would like to continue my experience in the GT. I’ve had the chance to test the Ferrari GT2 and I was positively surprised by that. Running races like Le Mans wouldn’t be less important. I will continue to work with the “Scuderia”, trying to make the most of the work done over the last years. I know the working methods and I’m faster to give clues and recognize details. So I hope to take part in other tests, as my main goal is F1. I’m so glad and honoured to be part of this amazing family, even because it’s the most important and valued team all over the world.”