OFFICIAL GP3 TESTS IN BARCELONA (E)

The circuits featuring in each of the official 2011 post-season two day test sessions for the GP3 Series are the Circuit de Catalunya (E) in Barcelona, the Circuit Ricardo Tormo (E) in Valencia and the Circuito de Jerez (E) in Jerez de la Frontera.

The first two test days were held on 25^th/26^th October 2011 in Barcelona. The ten teams ran a total of 26 drivers, of whom more than two thirds were driving a GP3 car for the first time. Maxim Zimin (RUS), Brandon Maisano (F) and Michael Heche (CH) were in our cars.

The track was still damp from the nightly rain on the first morning and fog delayed the start of the session, but towards midday the track dried out and not a cloud could be seen in the sky. At the end of the day Michael was 12^th, with Brandon directly behind him in 13^th. Maxim was very unlucky, because in the final half hour, when conditions were at their best and everybody else was improving he was sidelined with a hydraulic problem on his car. That meant he was unable to improve his time, and ended the day 22^nd overall.

The second day started under a cloudless sky with cooler temperatures that meant very fast lap times could be expected. Our drivers made a good start to the day and with Maxim managing the 3^rd best lap time just behind Evans and Laine, Michael was the fastest rookie in an excellent 4^th position, with Brandon only slightly behind him in 5^th. These lap times could not be improved on during the remainder of the day.

The next tests will take place on 23^rd/24^th November in Valencia (E), and on 1^st/2^nd December in Jerez (E).