GP2 veteran Davide Valsecchi topped the timesheets on the second day of GP2 pre-season testing Jerez yesterday.
The Italian registered a best of 1:24.783 in his DAMS machine during the morning – already more than 1.2 seconds quicker than the fastest from day one – beating Mexican rival Esteban Gutierrez (Lotus) by four-tenths.
In what transpired to be a busy day at the circuit in Southern Spain, Valsecchi logged 60 laps, with Gutierrez going five further. Marussia-Carlin’s Max Chilton also broke the sixty lap mark, taking 3rd by the end of the day with a lap half-a-second shy of Valsecchi.
Indeed both Gutierrez and Chilton briefly held the top spot, before deposed by the quick Valsecchi.
While many concentrated on short stints and qualifying simulations in the early sessions, the afternoon was dictated by race runs, allowing numerous runners to contribute long stints.
iSport duo Joylon Palmer (5th, 65 laps) and Marcus Ericsson (6th, 63 laps) also climbed to the top of the sheets temporarily, before dropping down the order at the break of play. Not only were Palmer and Ericsson pipped by the top three as the day aged, Scuderia Coloni’s Stefano Coletti also toppled the pair to assume 4th.
Wednesday was quieter day for Dani Clos (Rapax, 7th) and Fabio Onidi (Scuderia Coloni, 8th) – both of whom clocked up only 36 and 46 laps respectively.
Lotus’ James Calado broke the timing barrier more often than most, when he completed 72 tours of the Jerez circuit, claiming 9th best. Calado enjoyed a three-tenths advantage over Racing Engineering’s Fabio Leimer, who rounded out the top ten just ahead of Giedo van der Garde (Caterham, 11th) and Stephane Richelmi (Trident, 12th).
The morning was broken up by another red flag when British F3 champion Felipe Nasr spun his way into the gravel on cold tyres.
Ocean Racing Technology pairing Nigel Melker and Tom Dillmann experienced their share of misfortune today. Dillmann stopped early in the afternoon with a gearbox problem, capping his day’s total to 32 laps, while Melker only managed 2 laps in the morning, before clashing with the barrier early on.
A spin from Racing Engineering’s Nathanael Berthon and a mechanical failure for Julian Leal (Trident) brought out two more stoppage’s as the day aged.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Davide Valsecchi DAMS 1:24.783 60 2. Esteban Gutierrez Lotus GP 1:25.193 65 3. Max Chilton Carlin 1:25.294 61 4. Stefano Coletti Scuderia Coloni 1:25.358 56 5. Jolyon Palmer iSport International 1:25.359 65 6. Marcus Ericsson iSport International 1:25.374 63 7. Dani Clos Rapax 1:25.467 36 8. Fabio Onidi Scuderia Coloni 1:25.505 46 9. James Calado Lotus GP 1:25.569 72 10. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering 1:25.845 51 11. Giedo van der Garde Caterham Racing 1:25.893 52 12. Stephane Richelmi Trident Racing 1:25.903 60 13. Felipe Nasr DAMS 1:26.006 66 14. Simon Trummer Arden International 1:26.017 63 15. Luiz Razia Arden International 1:26.049 66 16. Julian Leal Trident Racing 1:26.128 48 17. Tom Dillmann Ocean Racing Technology 1:26.177 32 18. Josef Kral Barwa Addax Team 1:26.351 56 19. Vittorio Ghirelli Venezuela GP Lazarus 1:26.477 47 20. Rio Haryanto Carlin 1:26.545 55 21. Fabrizio Crestani Venezuela GP Lazarus 1:26.551 39 22. Nathanael Berthon Racing Engineering 1:26.648 49 23. Johnny Cecotto Barwa Addax Team 1:26.665 28 24. Rodolfo Gonzalez Catheram Racing 1:26.707 61 25. Daniel de Jong Rapax 1:26.712 49 26. Nigel Melker Ocean Racing Technology 1:41.035 2
