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Macrow impresses in maiden Champ Car Atlantic test |
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Thursday, 22 November 2007 |
2007 Kumho Tyres
Australian Formula 3 Champion Tim Macrow has impressed in his recent Champ
Car Atlantic test with Jensen Motorsport.
23-year-old Macrow
completed nearly 400 kilometres at the challenging Roebling Road raceway
in Georgia on Tuesday this week and left with a clear ambition to race in
the premier Open-Wheel development series in the United States next
season.
Importantly, Jensen Motorsport owner Eric Jensen said that
Macrow created a strong first impression with his squad, who will enter
their 12th season of Atlantic competition in 2008.
The Champ Car
Atlantic series features a US$2m prize to go towards a drive in the Champ
Car World Series, used to good effect by Team Australia driver and 2006
Atlantic champ Simon Pagenaud this season.
Atlantic cars feature
300-hp Mazda-Cosworth engines and significantly more grip than the Formula
3 cars Tim has raced in Australia since 2005.
Macrow, from
Melbourne, said that his first taste of the Atlantic machine left him
wanting more.
”I had an awesome few days with the Jensen team in
Georgia,” he said. “The cars are fantastic to drive and I’ve never
experienced so much grip. You’ve got to have faith and just pitch them at
the corners and know that they will stick thanks to the grip they
generate.
“The cars are very physical to drive and by the end of
the day I was pretty exhausted, but I adapted my driving style throughout
the day and by the end I was really happy with my times and with what I
achieved.
"The track itself was very fast and really challenging
and showed how good the cars are.
“The Jensen team are a great
bunch of guys and really good to work with. Their engineering staff have a
lot of experience, and the entire team seemed pretty happy with what I
did.” He said.
Jensen Motorsport team owner Eric Jensen was
pleased with Macrow's performance.
”Tim made a very good show in
his Champ Car Atlantic test,” Jensen said.
”We created a very
defined agenda of various things to test, and on his new tire run he
accomplished a very good time.
“He was exhausted by the end of his
test day but he pulled it all together and set a lap 1 second quicker, on
new tires, than his previous best on the day.
“The best thing about
his new tire run was that he accomplished his best time on lap no. 2,
which is important because in Atlantic events there are often red flags
during qualifying so a driver needs to get his time very
quickly.
“His attitude working with engineers and mechanics was
also excellent,” Jensen added. “It shows well that he would represent our
sponsors and motivate our team to push hard to help him.”
Macrow
will now return home following his whirlwind trip to the ‘States to
concentrate on raising the sponsorship needed to fund the next stage in
his career.
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