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GP2 Asia Series, Sentul, Race 1 |
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Saturday, 16 February 2008 |
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Today, the DAMS team raced in the second round of the Asian GP2 Championship on
the Sentul circuit in Indonesia. Jérôme d’Ambrosio and Kamui Kobayashi had
difficult practice sessions and qualified in 17th and 23rd positions
respectively. They were out of luck in the first race of the weekend. The
Japanese driver, whose car was suffering from overheating problems that had
upset his preparation since the start of the event, got no further than the
formation lap, and came in to his pit to retire. His team-mate was in 8th place
after a good comeback when a gearbox glitch forced him to throw in the towel.
The Sentul track was a big challenge for both drivers and engineers today. It is
seldom used and it remained very dirty causing havoc with the cars. The
mechanics are going to have to burn the midnight oil to get them ready for
tomorrow’s race.
Eric Boullier, team manager: “We really wanted to
forget last week’s setback in the first round of the Asian GP2 Championship and
begin our campaign this weekend. Unfortunately, due to engineering issues that
we haven’t yet managed to identify and the difficult weather conditions, we were
not able to show what we are capable of today. In addition, the Sentul circuit
is very hard for the cars, and the bodywork and radiators have been damaged by
the stones on the track. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us this evening to get
them back into running order. It’s disappointing but our morale is still
intact.”
Kamui Kobayashi
23rd in qualifying
Did not
start
“It’s been a very disappointing day for me and the team. In the
free sessions I ran into an overheating problem. The mechanics did a great job,
checked everything and changed all the parts they could. Unfortunately, there
was little improvement and the only solution would have been to replace the
engine. My qualifying suffered from this. I was in the pits when the track was
dry enough to put on dry-weather tyres. Just when I was able to go out, another
shower fell. In the race itself, I was unable to complete the formation lap and
I had to give up because of the overheating problem. It’s a pity, but we’re
still very motivated for tomorrow.”
Jérôme d’Ambrosio
17th in
qualifying
Retired in the race when in 8th place
“A broken exhaust
prevented me from putting on a good performance in qualifying when the track was
at its best for grip. An electronic problem was diagnosed and repaired on the
grid itself. I managed to gain a few places before the first corner. The team
did a great job and sent me back out in 8th spot after my refuelling stop, but
unfortunately my gearbox began to act up soon afterwards. It’s annoying as the
drivers behind me at that moment finished fourth and fifth. But that’s motor
racing...”
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