Silverstone Test Day 3 Round-Up
Location: Silverstone, United Kingdom
Dates: 19-21 September 2006
Drivers: Ricardo Zonta (19), Franck Montagny (19-20), Ralf
Schumacher (20-21), Olivier Panis (21) Track Length: 5.141km
Summary
Ricardo Zonta Best lap: 1m19.377s, total laps: 50
Franck Montagny Best lap: 1m19.659s, total laps: 149
Ralf Schumacher 1m21.125s, Total laps: 104
Olivier Panis Best lap: 1m22.216s, total laps: 82
Today's testing at Silverstone concluded Panasonic Toyota
Racing's preparations for the next two races in China and
Japan. Being that the team had to make final decisions for
two races at once, this made for a tight agenda. All drivers
worked on finding the right set-ups and tyre choices, in addition
to other small test items like practicing launches. Olivier
and Ralf lost time in the afternoon today, each having different
mechanical issues that needed to be worked on. Otherwise the
day was fairly productive and the team even had the chance
to meet and take a group photo with British guitarist Chris
Rea. A guest of the team, Chris is a well-known motor racing
fan, who has also dabbled with racing himself. Now the team
will pack up and head to the Far-East, where hopes are high
that valuable points can be collected before the season final
in Brazil.
Ralf Schumacher – Chassis TF106/07B
Best Lap Time: 1m21.391s
Total laps: 54
Total Distance: 277.614km
"We spent the day mostly working on tyres for the Suzuka
race. Some other tests we did included launches and balance
work. I lost some time in the afternoon due to a fuel pump
change. Overall, the car is feeling good and I think that
our car can be competitive in the coming races. The team has
worked hard at each and every test to prepare for the races,
but now we will have to see how the coming race weekends unfold."
Olivier Panis – Chassis TF106/06B
Best Lap Time: 1m22.216s
Total laps: 82
Total Distance: 421.562km
"It was a tough day dealing with the wind and trying
to drive the car in these conditions. But in the end, we finished
most of our program and got through many laps. I worked on
tyres for Suzuka and went through some set-up and balance
tests. We had some engine trouble in the afternoon, but I
was still able to go back out and run some laps. I think we
can make some good conclusions based on the tyre testing we
did and it will be interesting to see how the car behaves
in China and Japan."
Gerd Pfeiffer – Test Team Manager
"This track is similar to Suzuka so this was quite an
important test as far as tyre testing is concerned. We had
some set backs with Ricardo falling ill and engine issues
during the week, but the team worked hard to analyze everything
and as a result we got through most of our testing agenda.
The work we did here is very useful and in the end we do have
some positive findings. As always, it is difficult to say
where we stand, but we are hoping for the best."
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