DPR - Hungary for points

The David Price Racing (DPR) team arrives at the Hungaroring circuit on the outskirts of Budapest, Hungary, this weekend, for round seven of the GP2 championship. Both of the teams’ drivers Christian Bakkerud (22) and Andy Soucek (22) have recently been to the circuit in other cars to familiarise themselves with its layout, however this will be their first time in a GP2 car.

After a challenging first half of the season, the Sprint race at the Nurburgring Circuit in Germany two weeks ago rewarded the DPR team with two solid performances, Andy Soucek finished in 13th place and Christian Bakkerud in 18th position.

David Price, Team Principal, David Price Racing commented; "We had a better weekend at the Nurburgring, with both drivers getting a full race distance under their belts, this will has lifted their confidence and boosted morale in the team ready for the upcoming race. I hope we can carry this momentum through to Hungary and get an even better result, to reward the team’s efforts with some long over due points. Bakkerud has prepared for his first GP2 weekend at the Hungarian race track, by taking time between the Silverstone and Nurburgring rounds to compete in a Renault Clio Cup race.

The event offered Bakkerud the chance to learn the track in readiness for the upcoming GP2 weekend. "A vital part of our training is to learn the tracks; it can save 0.5 seconds a lap and give you a fighting chance," he said. "I’d never driven at the Hungaroring, so the opportunity to drive the track in the Clio Cup was one I couldn’t pass up. The circuit is notoriously tricky, with a large number of turns.

"The weekend didn’t go too well in terms of a result; we managed to qualify 14th, then I got pushed down to 21st after an incident at the start, but after an eventful race we managed to bring the car home in 13th place. "The knowledge I’ve gained of the track is invaluable, the Clio Cup car is a world away from the GP2 machine in terms of set-up, but learning the characteristics of the track, and the camber changes, will help enormously when we race there this weekend."

Soucek has also visited the Hungaroring venue a few weeks ago, having never been there before, completing a test in a World Series by Renault car to familiarise himself with the layout of the track.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s race Soucek commented; "I have never raced at the Hungaroring before so the test in the World Series car was a real help. Not only has the track time assisted with learning the corners and understanding the flow of the circuit, but now I know how tight and twisty the track is and the challenge it presents.

"During the Friday practice sessions we can really concentrate our efforts on improving the set-up of the car ahead of qualifying and the race rather than just going out there and having to learn the track. Qualifying here will be really important because over-taking will be tough during the races, we know the higher we can get on the grid, the more likely it is we will be up there for points."

The Hungaroring is built 12 miles north east of Budapest, and is set in a natural amphitheatre surrounded by beautiful countryside. The track is one of the slowest of the championship, second only to Monaco. It’s narrow, with many slow corners and the sheer number of turns (13) means that drivers have no opportunity to rest. The GP2 action starts on Friday 3rd August with morning practice and afternoon qualifying.

The first race, of 75 minutes duration takes place on Saturday 4th August at 16.00 local time with the Sprint race starting at 10.00 on Sunday 5th August.

- Alison Hill -  photo GP2