A POINTS FINISH FOR THE THIRD TIME FOR BHAI TECH

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Bhai Tech Racing got good results again. After scoring the first points at Portimao and getting a double win in the GTS class at Nurburgring, the Mestrino-based squad almost got a podium finish at Jerez, where the International GT Open’s fourth round took place last weekend. The Italian/Brazilian’ s duo Pantano and Suzuki took fourth in GTS (eighth overall), after setting the best time in the class (third overall) during the qualifying race with the racing crew #66 Van Der Drift/Razia.

In the Jerez hot weather, the weekend started in a good way for the squad directed by the engineer Mr. Costa. During  free practice ,the team put into practice all the hard work done in the test session; both duos kept a good pace throughout the weekend and led the two McLaren MP4 -12C  to the standing’s points zone. In the first round, the four drivers Pantano/Suzuki and Van Der Drift/Razia made a stunning recover. Started from the ninth row of the grid, the “Bhai Tech Boys” made several good passes and finished 8th and 9th. Excitement was ruined, as both cars got a 10-sec penalty due to non-compliance with some handicaps.

In the final round Giorgio Pantano and Rafael Suzuki made no mistakes and drove an intelligent race finishing in the top 10, scoring important points for the Championship. Unluckily the other duo saw his race been ruined, as Razia span into the gravel just two laps before the end “We kept a good race pace throughout the week end”, says Mr. Costa the engineer “We put into practice the work done during the test session, but we got less than we deserved to get. The turbo engine suffered Jerez hot weather and sea-level pressure. Furthermore, after Nurburgring double win, both duos got a 2-sec- handicap in both races. The car balance was very good and we continued to develop. In race-2 Giorgio drove an intelligent race; when there wasn’t traffic on track and he was setting very good lap times, we decided to extend his stint and postpone Rafael’s drive turn. The Brazilian driver took fourth in GTS. Unfortunately Razia’s mistake frustrated Van Der Drift’s recover. He wanted to move up the pass but it turned out badly”, says the technical director.

Both cars are on their way back to the Advanced Vehicle Science Centre “We’ll be back to work next Thursday to get ready for next round at Silverstone”, ends Costa.

Minardi at Vallelunga for the Formula ACI CSAI Abarth examination tests

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After taking part in the 56th edition of the Selva di Fasano Cup as a race opener at the wheel of a Ferrari, Gian Carlo Minardi headed to Vallelunga as ACI CSAI Federation School supervisor and Ferrari co-worker, to support young drivers. During the race at Selva di Fasano, which is valid for the Italian Mountain Speed Championship, the manager experienced the passion of Italian people for motorsport.

At the Campagnano-based circuit named after Piero Taruffi, the Formula Abarth examination test days programme has already started. The programme has been promulgated by the ACI CSAI Federation School in cooperation with the Ferrari Driver Academy. The event is related to the “Young Drivers Project” promoted by the ACI CSAI to the aim of launching new talents. The project confirms once again the hard work done by the Federation and the FDA to enhance the development of talented young drivers.

Four go-kart and Formula car racers, who have been selected after delivering good performances throughout their racing experience, will race at the Vallelunga Circuit, driving a Formula ACI-CSAI Abarth racing car. They are: Francesco Iacovacci, Alessio Piccini, Gabriele Volpato and Christopher Zani.

The training programme includes some driving simulator sessions, some psycho-aptitude tests, physical training and the customization of the car’s seat.

The second day, i.e. Friday June 14th the four drivers will get on track to take on-track-test sessions at the wheel of Formula Cars under the control of ACI CSAI Federation School trainers and the staff of the FDA.

Bhai Tech flies to Jerez to take part in GT Open mid-season race

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After dominating in GTS at the Nurburgring, where the team scored a double win, Bhai Tech Racing is ready to race again next weekend at the Spanish circuit of Jerez de la Frontera.

The Spanish track will host the fourth round (out of eight events) of International GT Open and the four drivers of the Advanced Vehicle Science Centre Giorgio Pantano, Rafael Suzuki, Chris Van Der Drift and Luiz Razia are all ready to get into their McLaren MP4 12C to defend the GTS class leadership which was achieved in Germany and continue to get good results.

Last Saturday the team’s staff, directed by the engineer Mr. Costa, tested the Andalusian track by taking part in a three-hour-test session “We’ve carried out a complete car development work, trying to get the most of the engine power. Unfortunately track temperatures weren’t as high as they are expected to be in the upcoming weekend.” Very high temperatures are expected for the racing weekend, which will mark the end of the first half of the season “The track of Jerez is very demanding both for drivers and tyres”, says the technical director Mr. Costa “Track temperature will rise to 50°C and this will contribute to increase tyre degradation. Drivers will have to maintain an even pace throughout the race and make a good use of tyres”, ends Costa.

The racing weekend will start on Friday with a one-hour-private test session which will be followed by two 60-min. free practice sessions. The two 15-min. qualifying sessions are scheduled for Saturday and will take place from 9 am to 11.50am. The two qualifying sessions will determine the starting grid of race 1 and 2. The 70-min. first race will start on Saturday afternoon at 4pm and the 50-min. second race will start on Sunday at noon.

Rigon keeps the leadership at Silverstone

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After winning the Blancpain Endurance Series’ opening race on the track of Monza, Davide Rigon, along with his teammates Cesar Ramos and Daniel Zampieri, finished in the points again, on a demanding and technical track like the Silverstone circuit.

The talented driver still leads the Championship, even if at Silverstone he didn’t manage to get a podium finish. At the wheel of the Ferrari 458 GT3, the Italian and Brazilian trio almost qualified in the top five, finishing only 4 tenths away form the pole position, after working hard during the two qualifying sessions, in order to get the best set-up.

The English track displayed the 26-year-old driver’s technical skills; in the first stint the young driver managed to recover very quickly, leading the Ferrari #44 to the third place, before giving way to his teammates for the conclusive rush “It was an intense week end, we knew since the beginning it would not have been so easy to emulate Monza’s successful race”, says Rigon “Me, Cesar and Daniel, have done a good team job in free practice and pre-qualifying sessions, in order to find the best set-up for the car. The top five was within our reach, but unfortunately we missed it for a little while.”

At the beginning of the three-hour-race Davide was the first to take control of the Ferrari, finishing third “The race was good, despite heavy traffic and the presence of numerous lapped drivers who didn’t make the race easier, as we had to risk more than ever in order to be in the lead of the race. To be honest, some drivers should be more cautious, especially when they see faster cars coming”, tells Rigon.

“In the first stints our pace was really good and we demonstrated to be able to compete with our main rivals. Before racing at the Paul Ricard we have to analyze what didn’t work in the final part of the race, where our pace was not so good any more.”

“The Aston Martins were on another planet, even if they seemed to have no balance….”, ends Davide “We want to get a podium finish again at the Paul Ricard. We don’t have to be afraid of anyone, because we have only one goal”. Next racing weekend will take place at Le Castellet on June 29th – 30th . 

GTS win for Bhai Tech Racing at the Nürburgring

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Perfect racing weekend for Bhai Tech Racing. The team scored an amazing double win in GTS at Nürburgring. The Italian team based in the advanced factory of Mestrino (Padua) and directed by the engineer Mr. Roberto Costa, drove an almost perfect racing weekend, leading both McLarens MP4 12C driven by Pantano/Suzuki and Van Der Drift/Razia to the first and second place of GTS, in the two races which made up the third event of International GT Open Championship.

Low temperatures and a thick fog welcomed teams and drivers, forcing Championship planners to change the weekend schedule, getting drivers to perform the two 15 minutes qualifying sessions consecutively. Despite difficult weather conditions, Advanced Vehicle Centre McLarens got the GTS first pole of the season with Van Der Drift’s 1’59’’436 (3rd position overall) and Suzuki’s 10th place. In the second session it was the Padua- born ex F.1 driver Giorgio Pantano who set the best chrono (5th overall) ahead of his Brazilian teammate Razia (GTS’ 5th place and 8th overall).

In the two races, which were both run in the dry, the four drivers equally shared out the first and second position, which is the 4th place overall. At the end of the 70’ race on Saturday afternoon, the #66 Brazilian and New Zealander racing crew almost got the podium, finishing 4th overall ahead of the Italian and Brazilian duo, scoring the GTS class double win.

In the Sunday’s event it was the duo Pantano /Suzuki who won the race, followed by teammates who respectively finished 4th and 6th overall.

“It was a fantastic weekend as we achieved good results, but it was also very intense, as we were very tight on time. There was only 1 hour break between the two qualifying sessions and race-1. So I want to pay our staff and drivers many compliments on their performances as they all were fantastic”, says the technical director Mr. Roberto Costa “We had a good race pace in the first two races, even if the track’s low temperature condition didn’t help us. We had to deal with a completely new situation as we got a handicap in race-2. We managed to handle the handicap very well as we know our race pace.”

The development work at the factory is bearing fruits and the team is going to the right direction “The work done at the factory between the Portimao racing weekend and this one was really important. Anyway, we will continue to develop the car as we have to improve in every sector. This is the reason why we’ll go to Jerez on Saturday 8th to drive a 3-hour- testing session, to get ready not only for the next racing event (to be held on the Spanish track) but also for the following racing weekends”, comments the Brazilian engineer “Success like the one achieved in Germany is an incentive to continue to work and progress”, ends Mr. Costa.

Much work on the simulator to Rigon

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Preparations are in full swing for the Canadian Grand Prix, taking place on Montreal’s Ile Notre Dame, at the track named after Gilles Villeneuve. Parallel to the usual and unusual work required on the cars that Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa will use, there is also the activity at the simulator, which over the past few days has involved Andrea Bertolini, Davide Rigon and today, Pedro de la Rosa.

It’s an obscure task that takes place in the simulator building, but a very important one in terms of the development of the car, both in the short and medium term, which mainly involves the official test drivers and others who are available to the Scuderia for this type of work.

Bhai Tech Racing heads to Nurburgring

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Three weeks after the Portuguese racing weekend in Algarve, Bhai Tech Racing team is getting ready to get back on track for the third International GT Open racing weekend to be competed on the mind-blowing track of Nürburgring next weekend.

On the strength of the first points scored in the first Portuguese round, thanks to the team’s four drivers Pantano/Suzuki and Van Der Drift/Razia, the Mestrino-based team which is directed by the engineer Mr. Roberto Costa, has painstakingly worked at the Advanced Vehicle Science Centre, the team’s cutting-edge headquarter (2.800 square metres over three floors), to develop the two McLaren MP4-12C racing cars. The staff has carried out the car development work, analyzing data coming from the first two racing events, which were both run in different weather conditions “We’re carrying out a complete development; we haven’t focused only on next race. We’ve planned a long term programme, to be extended to following races”, says the Brazilian engineer.

Low temperatures and rain are once again forecasted for the next racing weekend; such weather conditions are far from being ideal for car-tyres duo “Unfortunately weather conditions won’t be on our side again, as rain tyres don’t interact with our car in a correct way. At Paul Ricard we demonstrated to be able to keep a good race pace in the dry, but we had hard times in the wet. So, we’ll have to try to find the best set-up for the race. With the support of our drivers, we’ll continue to carry out our development programme.”

Drivers have taken several driving sessions at the advanced 6-DOF full- motion driving simulator, which is the technological centre’s flagship. It is fully immersive with five off-board projectors and a 210 ° 8 m diameter curved screen and rear view visuals “ Drivers have continued to work at the simulator to study and analyze the German track, running about 850 laps. We’re also developing a GT car configuration platform to join the already existing Formula car configuration platform”, ends Mr. Costa.

The racing weekend will start on Friday with two sessions of free practice lasting 60 minutes each, to go on with the two qualifying sessions and race-1 scheduled for Saturday morning. Race-1 will start at 4pm and last 70 minutes. Race-2 will take place on Sunday, starting at 12pm and finishing at 12.50pm.

Minardi raises an alarm: “Without a solution, the existence of lower formulas doesn’t make sense”

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Private testing: YES or NOT? This is the great dilemma Formula 1 is focusing on. To cut off costs the Circus decided to ban private testing. Private testing is still a controversial subject for the Circus who has different opinions about it. On the one side some teams like Ferrari want to reintroduce them into F.1, on the other side teams like McLaren don’t stand up for them.

Gian Carlo Minardi is one of the strong supporters of private testing. The former Minardi Team owner competed in the top series for more than 20 years, running 340 GP; he has always dealt with young drivers, helping them to hone their talent and enter the world of F.1 “I’ve always supported private testing, because I think this is the right way to hone drivers’ racing skills. If costs have to be cut off, private testing shouldn’t be involved. The more a young driver has the chance to practice, the more he knows a F.1 car and has the opportunity to draw attention on himself.”

Minardi focuses his attention on another important subject: preparatory formulas. “If we don’t give fast drivers the chance to enter the world of the top series, it won’t make sense for lower formulas to exist. It won’t make sense to compete in an expensive championship such as GP2 if the series’ winner isn’t awarded a prize. This is what happens now in all other racing categories. Serious solutions should be found.”

“The project Ferrari Driver Academy is carrying on is the result of a cooperation work between ACI CSAI and FDA itself. Antonio Fuoco has made his debut into Formula Renault 2.0 and he’s drawing attention on himself and Prema Powerteam’s driver Raffaele Marciello is leading the F.3 Euroseries Championship. All these results are a good omen for the future. This means that all the efforts made over the last few years are bearing fruits. It is important to teach young drivers a working method, but if they don’t have the opportunity to enter the top series, all the work done will turn to be useless!” 

First point for Bhai Tech at Portimao

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At Portimao, where the track is featured by a natural rise and fall, Bhai Tech Racing Team experienced a bittersweet racing weekend. The Team scored its first points of the season with the two McLaren MP4 12C, however the Mestrino-based staff is not satisfied with on track performances, so far, even because of many limitations due to turbo engines.

The four drivers, Giorgio Pantano/Rafael Suzuki and Chris Van der Drift/Luiz Razia managed to climb back up the race by chalking up 29 passes, finishing in the top 10 in both races and scoring the first points. The long weekend started on Thursday with a two-hour free practice session during which the staff, directed by the engineer Mr. Roberto Costa, shook down the #65 car which was seriously damaged at Le Castellet, then continued to develop the two McLaren in order to be well prepared for the second race of the International GT Open Championship.

On Saturday afternoon, after qualifying in the ninth and tenth row, the racer from Padua Giorgio Pantano along with the Brazilian driver Rafael Suzuki drove an exciting recovery manoeuvre, jumping up to tenth (seventh in class) and scoring one point, while the two classmates Van der Drift and Razia finished 13th . During Sunday’s race the New-Zealander and Brazilian racing crew jumped up to the ninth position overall, which is the fourth in class. Recovering 10 positions was not enough for the Italo-Brazilian duo, who finished just one step behind the score zone.

“We knew it wouldn’t have been easy, as it was our debut in the dry. Due to its features the track at Portimao was an important test bench, as it gave us the opportunity to have a complete picture of our development and the areas where corrective actions have to be performed” says the technical director Roberto Costa “We tested car set-up so many times, trying to get the best balance, making a step forward in the second race. Now we’ll have to make the most of the data gathered from the racing weekend in order to continue to develop the car over the next races, but, most of all, we’ll have to continue to work together with the series’ arrangers to try to solve issues related to car balance and turbo engine, in order to take an equal struggle against rivals”, finished the Brazilian enginee

The Bhai Tech Advanced Vehicle Science Centre- based Team left Algarve aware to be a valid and hard rival, to be able to progress and strive for top positions. Next racing weekend will be held on the German track at Nurburgring on 1st-2nd June 2013.

Bhai Tech Racing: Next stop Portimao

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Fifteen days after the opening race at Le Castellet, spotlights are focused on Bhai Tech Racing Team, again.  The Mestrino-based racing team is ready to get back on track to take part in the second racing weekend of the International GT Open Championship, to be raced at the Portuguese circuit of Portimao.

The cars are on the way to Algarve, but the staff directed by Mr. Roberto Costa, the engineer, had to work hard over the last days to fix the McLaren MP4 12C GT3 driven by Pantano/Suzuki, which was seriously damaged during the first race and get ready for the next challenge in Portugal, where 32 teams will take part in the racing event. The French weekend didn’t give the Italian team the chance to show all its potential, because of some rain tyres issues which affected the four drivers’ performances.

“It was a race against time, as we had to get spare parts directly from England and fix up both cars, which are now heading to Portugal” analyses the technical manager Mr. Costa “It was a long work and I want to thank all the guys. Given that we had such a short time at our disposal, we didn’t manage to shake down the two cars, which are planned to be shaken down during testing on Thursday. We also worked side by side with McLaren to try to solve Dunlop tyres issues, which affected our cars. In Portugal we’ll continue to develop our apprenticeship’s programme and drivers will get a better feeling with the car and the Championship.” After rain, fog and low temperatures at Paul Ricard, weather is expected to be sunny in Portugal “Weather should be mild, so it will be easier for us to continue our development programme. Cars showed to be competitive in the dry even at Le Castellet. We worked hard, only the track will tell us if we worked better than our rivals.”

The racing weekend will start on Thursday with a 2 hours testing’s session and will continue also on Friday morning (10.15 – 11.15), before the 60’ free practices’ double session and qualifying to be held on Saturday (9.30 and 11.50) to determine the starting grid of both races.  The 70’ first race will start at 16.00 and race-2 will start on Sunday at 12.00.

Apprenticeship week end for Bhai Tech Racing at Paul Ricard

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Spotlights were focused on the first season of the Padua-based team in the International GT open Championship, whose opening race was run on the transalpine track of Le Castellet, last weekend.

The opening race was featured by rough weather: rain, fog and low temperatures gave the team, who is directed by the engineer Mr. Roberto Costa, the chance to gain experience at the wheel of the two new McLaren MP4 12 C GT3, driven by the two couples of drivers Pantano/Suzuki and Van der Drift/Razia, who all made their debut in the International series.

Given the fact the Mestrino-based team was making an all-round debut in the series, it didn’t let anybody down, as it gained km, collected data and set encouraging split times since free practices, leading the two cars at the top of the standing. In qualifying 1, the four Formula car racers showcased all their talent by qualifying in the second row; the car #65 driven by the Italo-Brazilian couple Pantano/Suzuki qualified ahead of the team mates. During the race luck was not at the side of the Italian team, as Van der Drift’s race was ruined by a collision with the Aston Martin, because of which the driver from New Zealand had to quit the race in advance after a turnabout.

In the final stage even the second car, driven by Suzuki, exited the scene. The crash was violent and the damages caused by that couldn’t be fixed on time to take part in the second qualifying session, during which Luiz Razia cheered up by qualifying in the first row and setting the second best laptime. Once again the final verdict didn’t do justice to Van der Drift who, after taking control of the car and pitting for a long time to have some parts of the bodywork fixed, finished 15th  .

“We cannot be pleased with the final result, as we didn’t manage to solve few problems in the wet. Everything was new to us and we had never raced in such conditions before. The choices we made unfortunately didn’t pay off. Now we’ll work side by side with McLaren to analyze all data, even the ones concerning Dunlop rain tyres”, says the technical director Mr. Roberto Costa “The car was competitive in the dry. We don’t have to forget that we’re only at the first stage of the development. The team is so competitive and it’s composed by experts. We’re thinking about next race in Portimao.”

The staff is ready to go back to the cutting-edge Bhai Tech Advanced Vehicle Science Centre to analyze all data and get ready for the next challenge to be held on the track of Portimao (May 11th /12th).

Everything is ready at Bhai Tech home for the Paul Ricard

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The excellent drivers of Bhai Tech Racing are ready to make their debut in the 2013 GT Open Championship, to be held on the track of Le Castellet next weekend. The Paul Ricard race will be the first of the eight races which compose the Championship’s racing calendar and will be competed on the most famous tracks all around the world: Portimao (May 11th-12th), Nurburgring (June 1st-2nd), Jerez (June, 15th-16th), Silverstone (July 13th-14th), Spa-Francorchamps (September 7th-8th) and Monza (October 5th-6th), before the final racing event to be held on the track of Barcelona, Spain, in November 9th to 10th.

Under the technical management of Mr. Roberto Costa, the engineer, the Padova-based team, whose headquarter is located in the cutting-edge technological centre called Bhai Tech Advanced Vehicle Science, which is equipped with a 6-DOF state-of-the-art full-motion driving simulator, a simulation and modelling software, a gym which is fully- fitted with the latest equipment where drivers can physically and mentally relax after sessions in the simulator, will take part in the opening race of the championship with two GTS class McLaren MP4 12C GT3, driven by four formula car drivers.

The car #65 will be driven by the Venetian GP2/08 champion Giorgio Pantano, who took also part in the F1 World Championship, in the Superleague Championship and in the IRL Championship. The Italian driver will team up with the Brazilian driver Suzuky, who raced in the F.3 Championship in Japan and Europe. The second racing crew (#66) will be composed by the Newzealander driver Chris Van der Drift, who will run his second racing season with Bhai Tech Racing Team and previously took part in the World Series Renault Championship, in the A1 Grand Prix Championship and in the Auto GP Championship. The Newzealander will team up with the Brazilian driver Luiz Razia, who was 2012 GP2 deputy champion and will race in a GT Championship for the first time.

“It’s going to be an apprenticeship weekend, as we’ll make our debut in the Championship. We’ll have to check all the upgrades introduced by FIA with regards to the turbo and have a deep knowledge of the McLaren which will be so different if compared to the 2012 version. It will be so important to understand which our starting point is and, above all, to know how much we’ll manage to progress session after session,” says Mr. Costa, the technical director “We’ll rely on our drivers’ support, even if they’re making their debut in the Championship. Only Van der Drift is more experienced than the others, as he ran with us the last few races of the Italian GT Championship. We’ll have to work a lot, but the two races will last long, as much as the Championship,” ends up the Bhai Tech’s engineer.

Bhai Tech Racing in action with Pantano, Suzuki, Van Der Drift and Razia

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Uninterrupted training for Bhai Tech Racing before making the debut in the 2013 GT open Championship, whose first race will be held on the 27th of April at Paul Ricard circuit.

The Padua-based Team took a two-day private testing session on the well known track of Adria with its two McLaren MP4 12C GT3 racing cars, driven by the two racing crews composed by Giorgio Pantano – Rafael Suzuki and Chris Van der Drift – Luiz Razia.

Under the technical management of Mr. Roberto Costa, drivers and staff focused on refining FIA new regulations regarding electronic controls “We worked hard during the two-day testing session, we mainly focused on the last technical upgrades introduced by the Federation in the area of electronic controls linked to the turbo operating system. Since it’s a last minute upgrade, much attention should be paid on it. We’re working side by side with McLaren to develop every single aspect.”

It was also a good chance for Brazilian driver Razia to test the McLaren MP4 12C GT3 car company for the first time, in preparation for the opening race to take place at the French Circuit.