Dillmann leads the way at Motorland Aragón
Blanca de Foronda / Formula V8 3.5 | 5.11.15 | Aktuálně
Formula V8/3.5
Tom Dillmann (AVF) was the man to beat on day two of the Formula 3.5 V8 collective tests at Motorland Aragon. The French driver set best time in both sessions to dominate the category now organized by RPM Racing. With his time of 1:40.728 set in the afternoon, the recent winner in the LM P2 class at the Shanghai round of the FIA WEC was followed by Egor Orudzhev (Arden Motorsport) and the Strakka Racing cars driven by Jake Hughes and Jack Aitken. The first driver to be confirmed for the 2016 season, Alfonso Celis (AVF) completed the top five.
There will plenty of changes on day two with 2015 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 champion, Jack Aitken moving over to Strakka Racing, while Kevin Jörg replaced him at Arden. Roy Nissany was back at Tech 1 Racing. After his accident in GP2 Series at Spa-Francorchamps, Daniël de Jong drove for Lotus alongside Guillaume Cunnington. Vladimir Atoev and Nikita Zlobin got seat time with Spirit of Race and Tatiana Calderon from Columbia was in action with Pons Racing.
On a track still damp following overnight showers, the conditions gradually improved despite three stoppages caused by Guillaume Cunnington, Daniël de Jong and Tom Dillmann. The quick run of the Frenchman in 1:40.941 was the best of the session. Jake Hughes, Alfonso Celis, Kevin Jörg (Arden Motorsport) and Jack Aitken completed the top five.
The duel between Egor Orudzhev and Tom Dillmann was the highlight of the afternoon session. Despite the attempts of his rivals in the final 20 minutes, Tom Dillmann put in another fast stint at the end of the day to stay on top with a session best of 1:40.728. The only driver to break the 1:41 barrier on Thursday, the Frenchman led from the Russian and Jack Hughes after a session marked by two red flags caused by Guillaume Cunnington and Vladimir Atoev.
Quotes
Tom Dillmann: “A small problem prevented me from running yesterday, but it did allow me to get some rest after Shanghai! I felt good in the car straight away. Thanks to a good baseline set-up, we were immediately quick and we could spend the entire day just making adjustments. After leading in the morning with a nice gap, we concentrated on race set-up in the afternoon before putting on a set of tyres. It was a good day and the Formula 3.5 V8 is still an option for next year.”
Egor Orudzhev: “We should have been quicker but Tom and AVF used the tyres properly and I set the time too late in the run. I think my driving prevented us from getting the fastest time today so I will take the blame for that! I’m quite happy with my progress over the whole year. I’m still a bit slower than Tom but we’re going to work on it as I hope to be back next season and fight for the win!”
Alfonso Celis: “We’re trying things so I couldn’t be completely pleased but we’re definitely way better than last year. That shows our progress and I’m happy about that. I’m just trying to keep developing for next year as I trust the team. They’re a family for me now and having Tom alongside is really productive. He’s a great driver, very open, and he helps me to develop the car as well as myself as a driver. It’s the place to be in order to perform in 2016!”
Tatiana Calderon: “It was quite tough actually because it’s my first time here at Motorland Aragon. This car is quite big and it has a lot of power and downforce. I’m really just getting used to it. I really liked working with the Pons team. They’ve been really helpful and I’m pretty sure we’ll make a big step forward tomorrow!”
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