|
Bird Tops Time Sheets In Silverstone Test |
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, 22 August 2006 |
Sam Bird, 18, Claygate, has today topped the time sheets in the latest Formula Renault UK test at Silverstone. Only three weeks after suffering an horrific 125mph crash, Sam has overcome the problems of bedding in a new car and engine and paid tribute to his Fortec engineers and mechanics for preparing the new car.
Dubbed “Black Bird” by TV crews at last week’s Snetterton meeting, due to the
unpainted carbon vehicle that was only assembled with hours to spare
before the last outing, Sam flew to the top of the table today early in
the session and stayed there.
“I was quite pleased with the results today” said Sam “it shows that
the car has the pace of my old one, and we did these times on used
tyres, whereas quite a few of my competitors put on new rubber. After
the crash, we were a set of tyres down, so we decided to conserve them
for the next meetings, and use worn ones today for testing purposes, so
the fastest lap was just a bonus. I am pleased with the set up and
looking forward to the next meeting at Donington.
Although Donington was the scene of my disastrous weekend, with a
broken driveshaft in the first race and the crash in the second, I am
keen to show that all that is behind me and hope to add valuable points
to my championship tally. Unfortunately, it rather destroyed my chances
of actually winning the championship, but I am confident that we can
move up the table a couple of places. This is an extremely competitive
series, as shown by the times today – just 0.5sec separated the first
15 drivers, and to come in the top three/four in my rookie year would
be a positive outcome for me.”
The next round of the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship takes place at Donington on September 9/10.
www.sambird.com
|
|
Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 January 2007 )
|
News