Issue 7 - GP2 Series

GP2 SERIES Magny-Cours//SilverstoneVote for yourbest driverVoting for the 2008 GP2 Series Best DrivingStyle Award is now open through the official GP2website (http://surveyor.caradisiac.com/index.php?sid=57). The award recognises the GP2 pilotwhose racecraft has most excited and impressedspectators. It is decided solely by public voteand the winner will be announced at the WinningAttitudes Awards (WAA) charity dinner onSeptember 14.Last year’s winner and Renault F1 test driverLucas di Grassi, recently returned to GP2 andimmediately impressed in his first weekend back,claiming second and then fourth in the Frenchround of the championship before landing adouble podium at Silverstone.Speaking after a typically stylish race to secondplace in France, Di Grassi explained: “I wasexpecting a strong comeback, but not as strongas second place. I think from this weekend it isnine months without racing since the last race in07 so I was expecting to struggle.”Other awards up for grabs at the WAA eventinclude Rookie Of The Year, Best OvertakingManoeuvre and Best Engineered Team.iSport leadingtech raceiSport Racing is currently theteam to beat in engineering termsaccording to Durango teamprinciple Ivone Pinton.Speaking during GP2’s midseasontest at the Paul Ricardcircuit in France, Pinton revealedthat there is still a substantialamount of pace to find in the newGP2/08 car but it is iSport who arecurrently getting the most out of themachine.“I reckon there is still a nice 15%of the potential to be exploited[from the race car],” explainedPinton. “Most of the teams aredoing a very good job at getting themost they can out of this car, but tomention just one, I’d say iSport.”iSport is currently edging a verytight team championship. With56 points the 2007 GP2 Serieschampion is just four points clearof Racing Engineering in secondand 12 points ahead of third placedPiquet Sports.Durango’s own Davide Valsecchireturned to competition at theBritish round of GP2 Series aftermissing the previous three with aback injury. The ex-WRS 3.5 driverwas forced to miss the Turkish,Monte Carlo and French races butwas delighted to be back behindthe wheel at Silverstone, finishing19th in the feature race and 6th inthe sprint.“At last,” said Valsecchi afterbeing given the all-clear by hismedical team. “I’ve never wantedto get back behind the wheel of aracing car so much in my life. Thelayoff has been frustrating becausein Istanbul, when the accidenthappened I was superfast.”An iSport mechanic workson one of the team carsLast year’s winner Lucas di Grassiracing in the wet at SilverstoneFrom theGP2SERIES.COMBlogChina gets GP2 Asia raceThe first event of the 2008 GP2 Asia season will be asupport race for the Chinese Grand Prix on October 18.Races at Sepang, Malaysia on April 4/5 and Sakhir,Bahrain on April 18/19 also coincide with F1 races.Two stand-alone races in Dubai and one in Bahraincomplete the line-up for 2008. Meanwhile the Sentulcircuit in Indonesia has been dropped from the calendar.“There will be six rounds this season,” explained GP2Series Organiser Bruno Michel. “As promised three ofthem will coincide with Formula 1 races.”With the GP2 Series season scheduled to finish onSeptember 16 teams will have less than a month beforethe GP2 Asia test at Shanghai on October 8/9.To see the calendar in full visit www.gp2series.com/en//website/2008gp2series/news/newsgp2/newsdetail.php?articleid=1931With five minutes left on the clock the pitlane was a pressurecooker. When the cars got back on track the pace was intenseuntil Jerome D’Ambrosio ran wide and beached himself deepin the gravel: the resultant yellow flag meant the session waseffectively over, with Bruno taking the top spot by just 0.014 froma very disappointed Grosjean and Pantano. It was later whileI was getting everything ready for the press conference that Imade my mistake: “Talk into this Giorgio,” I asked as I handedhim my wireless microphone, “I need to test the level.”“She has a very nice bottom,” he noted as he watched a girlwalking across the room. “Can you hear me? Hello? My name isGiorgio: I’m a racing driver...”“I think I better have that mike back now.”“No, you gave it to me so it is mine now...”See blog.gp2series.caradisiac.com for more04 2008 GP2 Series Magny-Cours//Silverstone

paddock PASS gp2 News you can’t get anywhere elseOur eagle-eyed snapper spotted ToyotaF1 driver and reigning GP2 championTimo Glock deep in conversation witha member of the iSport Team. If it wasadvice the seven-times GP2 race winner wasgiving out it certainly worked, as iSport leftSilverstone with two podiums.Valles’ drive-on ferry will beanchored in the Valencia harbourAny number of top-class drivers and team-ownerscan boast a yacht, they’re as common as C-listcelebrities on an F1 grid walk. So when BCNdriver Adrian Valles was lining up his harbouraccommodation for August’s Valencia race, hedecided to go one better and ended up with thismonstrous ferry. Courtesy of one of his sponsors itcomes complete with on-board parking, braggingrights and all the accommodation space one GP2driver could need.Thanks to the power of socialnetworking websites we canbring you this shot of TridentRacing’s Mike Conway (left) afterhis sprint race victory, partyinghow a Monaco race winner should– Russian dancing barefoot on ayacht, surrounded by red carpet.Ever the professional though,the Trident hotshoe was in morereserved mood at the Britishround of the Series where hewas sporting a rather natty set ofUnion Jack overalls for his homerace. Now that Dance MasterMike has been spotted wearing aset, expect the patriotic all-in-oneto be this summer’s must-havepiece of clubwear!The manager of Karun Chandhok’s local Indianrestaurant has proudly unveiled “Karun’sSpecial”. The dish features on the Kushboo CurryHouse’s menu and is based on Karun’s ownrecipe. We tried out the spicy starter and whilethe Kushboo’s cooking skills are undoubted theirspelling needs work – according to the menu thedish has been test driven by Karun Chandos...AWAYFROMTHETRACKVitaly Petrov,Wingless FlyerI’m a complete speed junkie and a real petrolhead. I guess that’s no surprise really for someoneused to sitting centimetres from the road and goingfrom 0-200km/h in about six seconds!I love most things that move fast – jet skis,snow mobiles and any type of motorbikewhether it’s a road bike, dirt bike ora scooter. I live in Vyborg, close tothe border of Finland so for me thesnowmobile is the best because you canfall off and not get hurt!I used to have a collection of all thesethings when I was growing up but overtime I think I destroyed everything! When Iwas younger I’d forget to mix the oil with thefuel and within half an hour something would stop.This isn’t something I’d admit to my mechanics,they’d laugh if I told them all of the stories. But thatwas ten years ago and since then I’ve got a bitbetter on the engineering side!Although I love speed the one thing I’venever got over is my fear of flying. Seriously,I hate it. When you sit in a plane you can feel everysmall movement. When it’s me I feel all these thingshappening, every change of angle or pitch and I wantto be more in control. That’s where the fear comes from– not being in control.When I’m racing though I am in control so it doesn’tmatter how fast I am going, it is always great. Maybeonce I learn to fly it could get better, but until then I’m alot happier getting my speed fix fighting to the front ofthe GP2 pack!CLICK HERE forPETROV’s profile2008 GP2 Series Magny-Cours//Silverstone 05

GP2 SERIES Magny-Cours//Silverstonerace reportsCLICK HEREfor raceimagesFRANCEMAGNY-COURS (June 21-22)Feature race (41 laps)1 Giorgio Pantano (Racing Eng.)2 Lucas di Grassi (Campos)3 Pastor Maldonado (Piquet)4 Vitaly Petrov (Campos)5 Andreas Zuber (Piquet)6 Jérôme d’Ambrosio (Dams)7 Karun Chandhok (iSport)8 Mike Conway (Trident)Fastest lap Giorgio PantanoPole position Bruno SennaBuemi leads Burrmanin the French sprint raceSprint race (28 laps)1 Sébastien Buemi (Arden)2 Yelmer Buurman (Arden)3 Luca Filippi (ART)4 Lucas di Grassi (Campos)5 Bruno Senna (iSport)6 Mike Conway (Trident)7 Pastor Maldonado (Piquet)8 Andreas Zuber (Piquet)Fastest lap Kamui KobayashiPole position Mike ConwayPantano takes his second feature race whileTrust Team Arden roll the dice and win a one-twoGiorgio Pantano of Racing Engineering won a French featurerace of attrition after iSport’s Bruno Senna and RomainGrosjean of ART both retired with mechanical failures whileleading the 41 lap outing.After qualifying on pole, Senna led comfortably for 10 lapsof the Magny-Cours circuit before a clutch problem began toaffect his pace, finally forcing him out on lap 22.Pantano then set the fastest lap and closed quickly onGrosjean before a hydraulic problem stopped the Frenchman,handing victory to Pantano. Lucas di Grassi took secondplace on his GP2 return, ahead of Pastor Maldonado in third.An equally eventful sprint race followed, in which SébastienBuemi and Yelmer Buurman handed Trust Team Arden a welldeservedone-two finish. Starting from 21st and 12th on thegrid, the pair gambled on using slick tyres in damp conditions.As the track dried Buurman picked his way to the front, beforeconceding the lead to Buemi and that’s how the pair finished,ahead of Luca Filippi in third.GREAT BRITAINSILVERSTONE (JULY 5-6)CLICK HEREfor raceimagesAnother feature win for Pantano and sprintsuccess for Senna keeps the title race tightRacing Engineering’s Giorgio Pantano continued to be the GP2 Seriespace setter as he laid down a dominant win in race one at Silverstone.The Italian started from fifth on the grid but drove a faultlesslymeasured race, ultimately passing Lucas di Grassi for the lead sixlaps from the end. Di Grassi held on to second, leading home KarunChandhok in third.Race one polesitter Bruno Senna made up for his sixth place featurefinish by dashing to victory in a chaotic and water-logged sprint race.By the time the chequered flag fell, the weather had claimed 11 of the 26strong field, but the class of Senna, di Grassi and Pantano shone through inthe rainy conditions and that’s how the trio lined up on the podium.Feature race (36 laps)1 Giorgio Pantano (Racing Eng.)2 Lucas di Grassi (Campos)3 Karun Chandhok (iSport)4 Sébastien Buemi (Arden)5 Romain Grosjean (ART)6 Bruno Senna (iSport)7 Andreas Zuber (Piquet)8 Luca Filippi (ART)Fastest lap Giorgio PantanoPole position Bruno SennaSprint race (24 laps)1 Bruno Senna (iSport)2 Lucas di Grassi (Campos)3 Giorgio Pantano (Racing Eng.)4 Mike Conway (Trident)5 Vitaly Petrov (Campos)6 Davide Valsecchi (Durango)7 Kamui Kobayashi (Dams)8 Romain Grosjean (ART)Fastest lap Pastor MaldonadoPole position Luca FilippiCLICK HEREFor fullSTANDINGSDrivers’ points1 Giorgio Pantano 502 Bruno Senna 393 Sébastien Buemi 254 Lucas di Grassi 245 Romain Grosjean 236 Vitaly Petrov 207 Álvaro Parente 198 Karun Chandhok 19Giorgio Pantanocelebrates hisSilverstone featurerace victoryTeams’ points1 iSport International 582 Racing Engineering 533 Barwa Int. Campos 454 Piquet Sports 375 Trust Team Arden 306 ART Grand Prix 287 Trident Racing 228 Super Nova Racing 1906 2008 GP2 Series Magny-Cours//Silverstone

ace previewshockenheim, GermanyA four-year veteran of Hockenheim,Arden’s Sébastien Buemi explainswhere the German races might be wonOften maligned because of its remote location,the Hockenheim circuit itself can produce somefierce racing as drivers play chicken with theirbraking points on the way into the hairpin at theHead to nearbyHeidleberg forsightseeingDates19-20 JulyTrack length 4.574km (2.842 miles)Race One 40 laps (19 July 4:00pm)Race Two 27 laps (20 July 10:30am)Website www.hockenheimring.comend of the long, quick parabolica. But, as well asgood straight-line speed, the numerous slow andmedium corners demand a balanced setup.It’s a track that Magny-Cours sprint racewinner Sebastien Buemi knows well, havingraced there in Formula BMW and F3 Euroseries.“We should see a lot of overtaking atHockemheim,” explained Buemi. “I expect thepassing will be in the same places as in F3. Turntwo, then after the long straight into turn threeand then finally in the Mercedes Arena.“If you look at the first corner it’s impressive,everybody speaks about it. It’s really fast andvery easy to go off and crash there. You need tocarry a lot of speed into the corner but be awarethat the curbs are really high and can pitch youinto the barriers.“It’s going to be great to come back and driveGP2 here. I can’t wait for the race, especially tosee whether some of the corners we used to takeflat in an F3 car can be done the same in GP2!”EatThe choice aroundHockenheim is not great.However, in Neustadt,home of Keke Rosberg’sDTM team, you’ll find‘Rosengarten’, a funItalian restaurant.StayWalkershof (http://www.walkershof.com/flashindex.htm). UnfortunatelyF1 teams manage tomonopolise the onlydecent hotel within 20square kms.SeeHockenheim is no touristhotspot so head toHeidelberg (30kms) formedieval streets, baroquearchitecture and romanticrooftop vistas.Hungaroring, hungaryCampos man Lucas di Grassi is eagerly anticipating theHungaroring...and Budapest’s post-race entertainmentEatThe place to be seen isTom George (V. Október6 utca 8, Budapest,tel 1/266-3525) with amenu that stretches fromFrance to Japan via India.StayFour Seasons GreshamPalace (www.fourseasons.com/budapest) is one of theworld’s most spectacularhotels. But admittedly,even the Martini’s areoutside most budgets.SEETry out the curativeSzéchenyi Baths (www.szechenzifurdo.hu),a beautiful turn of thecentury 15-pool complexlocated in City Park.The Hungaroring has been part of the GP2Series calendar since the championship startedin 2005, and is a popular venue for its on and offtrack action.After Monaco, the circuit has the lowestaverage speed of any GP2 venue. It’s a tricky,technical track where the corners follow eachother quickly and even the start finish straight isrelatively short.Despite the physical demands this puts on thedrivers, Campos’ Lucas di Grassi is a fan of theHungaroring’s twists and turns.“The circuit is very nice,” explains di Grassi.“One of the most technical layouts of theseason. It’s not very fast but it has a lot ofdifferent types of corners especially in sectortwo. And, despite what you might see in F1,in GP2 there are certain points where you canovertake.“I have fond memories from last year’s GP2races – I was very competitive and lead raceone for about 10 laps until the safety car cameout and I eventually finished fourth. Likewise Ifinished fourth in race two.”After the remote Hockenheim race, nearbyBudapest offers its own unique distractions.“It is normally very hot when we race there,Dates2-3 AugustTrack length 4.381km (2.722 miles)Race One 42 laps (2 Aug 4:00pm)Race Two 28 laps (3 Aug 10:30am)Website www.hungaroring.hubut since I’m from a hot country itdoesn’t bother me too much,” says theBrazilian. “However, there is an aquaparknear the circuit and last year the topsix drivers in the championship had acompetition on the slides, which wasgreat fun!“I’ve been to Budapest two or threetimes already and have always had agreat time - especially after the racebecause the city’s nightlife is brilliant!”Budapest’s heroe’s square2008 GP2 Series Magny-Cours//Silverstone 07