Business as usual for Racing Engineering at Paul Ricard

This week's mid-season test at Paul Ricard came at the perfect time for Racing Engineering; with the upswing in performance in recent races after a slow start to the season, the team were hoping the test would allow them to optimise the racing set ups for a strong push forward over the remainder of the year.

And so it proved. With track time at a premium on race weekends, the comparatively unlimited number of laps around the sweltering French circuit provided ideal conditions for data acquisition, with the team's men at work long into the night, poring over the data in search of the vital tenths that will make the difference between success and failure when racing recommences.

The team's approach over the two days was accordingly focused on set up rather than top speed, with both drivers strictly concentrating on running the full circuit to make sure that the data would provide a reliable benchmark for the engineers to work with. Nonetheless the final times in each session showed that the speed was there, with Adam consistently running in the top ten about five tenths off the top time, and Javi around the same gap back from his teammate.

Team principal Alfonso de Orleans Borbon was pleased with the progress his team made over the two days, noting: We weren't looking for a quick time when we arrived at the circuit; we were there to work. We spent both days trying out new set ups that we want to use for the rest of the season, and we spent a lot of time analyzing everything. Adam was as strong as usual, and Javi did well with a set up that he now enjoys; hopefully we'll see a lot of improvement for him from now on, and I think we achieved all of our goals for the test."

Adam Carroll was happy with the results of the test, stating: I had no interest in setting the fastest lap to be honest; the test was more about doing proper set up work than setting quick laps. I've been looking forward to this test for a while, and I'm really happy with the work the boys and I have done. I think you'll see the improvements we found in the next few races."

Javier Villa was equally cheerful about his two days in the south of France, asserting: The test was really important for me, because I wanted some time in the car to get used to a few things. I realised a little while ago that I had to adapt to the car more than make it adapt to me, and since Silverstone that has been happening. After the test I think we're on the right way, and now that I understand it better the car is much more to my liking."

- Racing Engineering -