World Series Testing/Off-Season Thread

[eveningladies]

Fortec just confirmed James Walker..

[pericu]

Aleix Alcaraz with RC Motorsport.

http://www.sportautomoto.it/News.asp?Type=1&id=12689#
(in italian)

[WSR Fan]

Bit of a surprise he's gone to RC, considering he did all his winter testing with Pons Racing. I remember him being fast all winter with Pons so he may be one to look out for this year. Also, he's the third 17 year old (along with Pic and Sanchez Lopez) to join the grid this year.

[WSR Fan]

So, Alcaraz's confirmation at RC Motorsport means that 19 of the 26 seats have been filled on the 2008 grid. In the last few days GP2 refugees Borja Garcia and Roldan Rodriguez have been mentioned as possibilities at RC and Pons respectively, and 2007 Comtec driver Alejandro Nunez has been strongly linked with Epsilon Euskadi.

Tech 1 Racing: Julien Jousse - Charles Pic
Int. DracoRacing: Bertrand Baguette - Marco Barba
Carlin Motorsport: Mikhail Aleshin - Robert Wickens
Epsilon Euskadi: Mario Romancini - Alejandro Nunez - Roberto Mehri - Victor Garcia
Prema Powerteam: Alvaro Barba - Miguel Molina
RC Motorsport: Aleix Alcaraz - Johnny Cecotto Jr - Borja Garcia - Clivio Piccione
Pons Racing: Roldan Rodriguez - Alejandro Nunez - Celso Miguez
KTR: Guillaume Moreau - Danill Move
Interwetten.com: Salvador Duran - Pablo Sanchez Lopez
P1 Motorsport: Giedo van der Garde - Pippa Mann
Fortec Motorsport: James Walker - Duncan Tappy - Fairuz Fauzy
Comtec Racing: Pasquale di Sabatino - Marco Bonanomi
Ultimate Signature: Esteban Guerrieri - Fabio Carbone - Michael Devaney

Confirmed
Likely
Possible

I'm personally hoping that Marko Asmer can grab one of the last few seats to go alongside his testing duties for BMW Sauber.

[WSR Fan]

Alexandre Marsoin signs with Epsilon Euskadi to form an all-rookie line-up with Mario Romancini.

It also now looks 99% sure that Fabio Carbone will race in the WSR this year, most probably with the new Ultimate Signature team.

From his website:

How about your plans for the 2008 season?

FC: "They are definitely coming together, and I hope to announce my plans within the next month or so. It looks like I'll be coming back to Europe to race in a top single-seater championship, which is very exciting. There are still some details to tie up, but it's sure that I will give my maximum commitment and do my very best to win, as always."

[Alex K]

If your comment is based on that quote than I wouldn't bet he's 99% positive of a place in FR3.5. AFAIConc. he had budget difficulties in the past, top single-seater may also mean Carlin in F3ES.

[OJB]

Could also be a useful development driver for Ultimate's Mygale - maybe he's being lured back to race that chassis he raced in Euro F3 for British F3. Kind of as a development driver??

Can't say I'm as excited about the WSR grid this year, compared to last. To me there seems to be a bit of a gap between the 2nd year drivers and those stepping up. But I'll happily be proved wrong. So far, I expect the title to be between Aleshin, Molina and Duran, maybe van der Garde and Wickens

[Last2LiftOff]

Well that's interesting, because as a Wickens fan, that line-up looks formidable.

[OJB]

Wickens is my favourite rookie there - and Charles Pic

[WSR Fan]

Originally Posted by Alex K

AFAIConc. he had budget difficulties in the past, top single-seater may also mean Carlin in F3ES.

True, but then why would he move from Super GT/Formula Nippon (where I assume he was a paid driver) back down to Formula 3?

His F3 career stretches right back to 2002, he's raced in the British, European and Japanese championships, he's won the Marlboro Masters at Zandvoort etc. so IMO he has little else to achieve in the category.

[Alex K]

That's a good question, why move from Japan to FR3.5?

[META4]

one of the reason is probably his manager , Mr Pasquali , who is also involved with Ultimate deal ...

[bella]

i don't really think they need anyone else beating any more sense into the mygale, but go figure.

as for carbone returning to europe, if it happens he'll be a very interesting benchmark - everyone knows he's a capable driver. there's a lot of unproven drivers next year (unproven if your motorsport world revolves around the uk anyway ), so yeah.

other than that no-one really jumps out from the entry list as being an obvious series contender. could be a very interesting open year!

[Alex K]

But still, he was starting new, prob. professional career in Japan, bella. Why move?

[Martin Haven]

Originally Posted by WSR Fan

That's the major problem with having two sessions. This year at Spa the first group went out on a drying track with the best time being a 2:05.7, then the next group went out on a much faster track and did a 2:03.4. In GP2 they have one session with all 26 cars out on track, so I don't know why they don't do it in the WS.


I imagine it will be by car number, one group with odd numbers and one with even numbers.

The spilt sessions arose from failing to get 26 drivers to circulate in qualifying at Zolder without all falling off / bumping into each other / the scenery...

Once it was necessary at one venue, they made it compulsory for all, to avoid complaints of vagaries in the race weekend format. Fair enough.

On the plus side, for a driver it means there's only ever a maximum of 12 other cars on a 2.5 mile (or longer at Spa) track when you're on your flier...

Previously the groups have been organised by Championship position: 1st, 3rd, 5th etc in Gp A and even numbers in Gp B...

Obviously with two groups, track conditions may change... however, as each group makes up one side of the grid, it matters less than if you get caught out in poor conditions in a normal session...

Even if the fastest car in one group is 25 seconds slower than the fastest in the other, it still gets outside front-row spot...

OK, so pole is out of the question - but in mixed conditions, that's always a lottery anyway...

You could actually put forward the argument that this is a MORE equitable system in the event of changing weather / conditions... any qualifying session will ALWAYS be faster at some time, no matter how it's done.

However, the Super Pole thingy is obviously to try and tempt some live TV coverage - let's hope it works and doesn't rain too much for the first few weekends...

[Martin Haven]

Originally Posted by WSR Fan

... Molina ... a very dangerous prospect indeed.

... he will have to start the first race of the season at Monza with a five-place grid penalty. He punted Frederic Vervisch out of Race 2 at Estoril last year ...

QED

[OJB]

Martinez has signed for Pons apparently too - Italiaracing and Crash.net both claim so. Not bad I suppose. Went up in my estimation after Valencia performance, but I don't think he is a race winner in WSR

[WSR Fan]

Originally Posted by OJB

Martinez has signed for Pons apparently too - Italiaracing and Crash.net both claim so. Not bad I suppose. Went up in my estimation after Valencia performance, but I don't think he is a race winner in WSR

Yep, I'd agree with that assessment OJB.

He also brings the tally of Spaniards in the series this year to five, which could become six because both Roldan Rodriguez and Spanish F3 champ Maxi Cortes have been linked with the second Pons seat.

So that leaves five seats to fill: One each at RC Motorsport, Pons and Fortec and both at Ultimate Signature, with exactly one week until the first group test in Valencia.

[pericu]

Confirmed, Marcos MartÃ*nez and Máximo Cortes with Pons racing

http://motor.terra.es/ultimas-notici...pons_40769.htm

[OJB]

Cortes is a good signing - thought he would have been in GP2 this year. Assume he will be one of the better rookies.

[OJB]

Italiaracing reporting Carbone is in at Ultimate, which isn't a huge surprise. Apparently Fauzy could be testing for Fortec next week and the RC drive is between Piccione and Garcia. I think that's what it says anyway - my Italian isn't great (ie. non-existent)!

http://www.italiaracing.net/notizia.asp?id=18169&cat=5

[WSR Fan]

Originally Posted by OJB

I think that's what it says anyway - my Italian isn't great (ie. non-existent)!

http://www.italiaracing.net/notizia.asp?id=18169&cat=5

Same here - I'm just glad they invented online translators!

Interestingly, they also mentioned Adrian Zaugg as a possibility at RC. I remember him doing quite well for Carlin in the latter part of the 2006 season and with his form in A1GP being so good he could prove to be a wise signing for them.

Although saying that, I wouldn't mind Piccione getting another crack at the series. He had some terrible luck last year (like running out of fuel on the last lap at Spa whilst in 2nd place) and although he picked up towards the end of the year I don't think we really saw the best of him.

[OJB]

I'd agree with that - I think there are a few good drivers knocking about who probably deserve a drive more than a handful of people on the grid. It's a shame they've cut the number of teams down to 13 as I think it has left a few people unemployed. I wouldn't want to have to choose between Zaugg, Garcia and Piccione because I think they'd all be title contenders potentially - then again, would Zaugg have the funds without Red Bull backing?

[Last2LiftOff]

Originally Posted by OJB

then again, would Zaugg have the funds without Red Bull backing?

As in, if not for Red Bull no other sponsors were out there for him OJ? I would think the same could be said for the majority of these guys. Maybe there's a few out there with multiple sponsorship opportunities but that must be the exception: "Sorry I'm full-up on sponsors this year, try Adrian Zaugg"?

If that's what you mean.

[Alex K]

Whither Tappy, Carroll and Rossiter? Their options in single-seaters become slim if they want to stay in top teams. I just hope they won't choose TC/GT because IMO they have smt to prove in open wheel racing. Restored IPS?