Formula Master rookies set the top three fastest times today out of 30 drivers taking part for day one of the official two-day test in Valencia, Spain, with Jenzer Motorsport's Fabio Leimer claiming the best time of the day.
Setting his best lap of 1:27.536 during the morning session, the young Swiss made the most of the sunny and dry conditions. J.D. Motorsport's Sergey Afanasiev also capitalised on the warm weather and was close behind with a fastest time of 1:27.648.
"We were focusing on different race set-ups today and even carried out a mini-race," said Russian Afanasiev who was ahead of third-placed Iris Project driver Michael Ammermüller. "It was a lot of fun, especially when you think that the first race of the season is so close now.
"The track changes all the time so it's good to work on various set-ups throughout the day to see how they work with the circuit. There was a significant difference between early morning and just before lunchtime for example. We also worked on qualifying set-ups a little bit but there'll be more of that tomorrow."
A hotter track surface in the afternoon session meant that the day's top times could not be improved on. Local driver Arturo Llobell set the fastest lap with a time of 1:28.121 and said:
"We worked a lot on with old and new tyres and both went really well but we still want to polish a few things tomorrow before the race weekend starts. We're happy though, at the moment we are able to be fast over one lap but also consistent over several. For me, it's just nice to be here, Valencia is my home track and I can't wait to race."
ADM Motorsport's Norbert Siedler was second in the afternoon session with a best time of 1:28.137 whilst Kasper Andersen, driving for Trident Racing, was third with his fastest lap of 1:28.173.
Formula Master's official test in Valencia concludes tomorrow before the Series' first race weekend gets underway with qualifying on Friday (16 May 2008).
Formula Master - Valencia official testing Day One: morning - top eight
1. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport, 1:27.536
2. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport, 1:27.648
3. Michael Ammermüller (GER), Iris Project, 1:27.651
4. Chris van der Drift (NED), JD Motorsport, 1:27.712
5. Arturo Llobell (ESP), Cram Competition, 1:27.830
6. Vladimir Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport, 1:27.967
7. Marcello Puglisi (ITA), Pro Motorsport, 1:28.108
8. Yuhi Sekiguchi (JAP), Euronova Racing, 1:28.128
Formula Master - Valencia official testing Day One: afternoon - top eight
1. Arturo Llobell (ESP), Cram Competition, 1:28.121
2. Norbert Siedler (AUT), ADM Motorsport, 1:28.137
3. Kasper Andersen (DEN), Trident Racing, 1:28.173
4. Pablo Sanchez Lopez (MEX), Cram Competition, 1:28.189
5. Michael Ammermüller (GER), Iris Project, 1:28.240
6. Luca Persiani (ITA), Scuderia Famà, 1:28.299
7. Chris van der Drift (NED), JD Motorsport, 1:28.314
8. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport, 1:28.564
Formula Master - Valencia official testing Day One: overall
1. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport, 1:27.536
2. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport, 1:27.648
3. Michael Ammermüller (GER), Iris Project, 1:27.651
4. Chris van der Drift (NED), JD Motorsport, 1:27.712
5. Arturo Llobell (ESP), Cram Competition, 1:27.830
6. Vladimir Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport, 1:27.967
7. Marcello Puglisi (ITA), Pro Motorsport, 1:28.108
8. Yuhi Sekiguchi (JAP), Euronova Racing, 1:28.128
9. Norbert Siedler (AUT), ADM Motorsport, 1:28.137
10. Pablo Sanchez Lopez (MEX), Cram Competition, 1:28.159
11. Kasper Andersen (DEN), Trident Racing, 1:28.173
12. Carlos Iaconelli (BRA), Pro Motorsport, 1:28.261
13. Luca Persiani (ITA), Scuderia Famà, 1:28.299
14. Alberto Costa (ITA), Cram Competition, 1:28.611
15. Daniel Mancinelli (ITA), Euronova Racing, 1:28.624
16. Josef Kral (CZH), Team JVA, 1:28.664
17. Filip Salaquarda (CZH), ISR, 1:28.702
18. Alejandro Nunez (ESP), Trident Racing, 1:28.796
19. Dominik Schraml (GER), Scuderia Famà, 1:29.002
20. Frankie Provenzano (ITA), ADM Motorsport, 1:29.014
21. Fabrizio Crestani (ITA), Euronova Racing, 1:29.050
22. Harald Schlegelmilch (LAT), Trident Racing, 1:29.238
23. Giuseppe Terranova (ITA), Pro Motorsport, 1:29.281
24. Michael Meadows (GBR), Euronova Racing, 1:29.309
25. Michele Caliendo (ITA), ADM Motorsport, 1:29.434
26. Matei Mihaescu (ROM), Jenzer Motorsport, 1:29.720
27. Tor Graves (GBR), Team JVA, 1:29.814
28. Octavio Freitas (BRA), ADM Motorsport, 1:30.467
29. Tim Sandtler (GER), ISR, 1:30.566
30. Tomas Pivoda (CZH), ADM Motorsport, 1:31.378
For today's full results, please visit www.formulamaster.net
- RSM -
