End Of Era Of Caterham Racing GP2 最新:244楼

iGame

老大， 这里不是F1区，是GP2区。。

怕什么，caterham已经快过marussia和hrt..有kers帮忙。。
maocheng 发表于 20-3-2012 19:44

    X的原来进错楼

maocheng

回复 121# iGame


    哈哈！！！

F60

进错漏不要进，不要进错房就好了。

maocheng

进错漏不要进，不要进错房就好了。
F60 发表于 21-3-2012 01:21

对咯！！ 不要进。。

F60

对咯！！ 不要进。。
maocheng 发表于 21-3-2012 09:30 AM

   对爱游戏说的。

maocheng

Malaysia Race Preview

by Caterham Racing on Thursday, March 22, 2012 at 2:22pm ·


The newly rebranded Caterham Racing embark on the first race of the GP2 season this weekend in Malaysia, the first home race of the season for the Anglo-Malaysian team. The unique atmosphere around one of the most technical circuits of the calendar is a favourite amongst drivers, with the combination of long high-speed straights and tight twisting complexes making the track a tough challenge, but wide enough to create plenty of overtaking opportunities.



Following six days of testing in Jerez and Barcelona the series joins Formula One for the second Grand Prix of the year, with the team’s drivers Giedo van der Garde and Rodolfo Gonzalez both looking forward to the first race of the year in the sweltering Malaysian conditions.



Phill Spencer “I think the whole team is looking forward to getting back to racing. Winter testing went very well with Giedo on the pace straight away and Rodolfo and getting up to speed quickly. We have been working hard on all elements of our race weekends over the winter, in particular focusing on our pitstops, and we have a lot to look forward to in our second season. I feel more confident this time around. The organisation, procedures and the car are second nature to us and if we start this season as we did in 2011 we are in good shape and should be heading for podiums.”



Rodolfo Gonzalez “I am really excited to be in Malaysia for the first event of the season, particularly because the weather here is nice and warm, just like home! After the tests in Spain I have been focusing on all aspects of my race weekend and I am looking forward to putting it all into practice here - my driving, qualifying strategy, the set ups - we just have to get right and put it all together. We want to see progress this weekend and qualify as far up the grid as possible – that’s a reasonable goal and one that gives us something to aim for.

“The track here is good – there are some tough braking points and as the track temperature today was 48 degrees it will definitely be tough on the tyres. It will be interesting to see if people fall off the pace due to tyre degradation during the races this weekend and strategy will be even more important here, especially with the use of the new tyre compounds. Whatever happens, I am sure the competition is going to be as tough as ever and we’ll do the best job we can to fight, right from day one. ”



Giedo van der Garde “I am feeling pretty confident and the team is too. We had six very good, productive days of testing and I feel happy with where we are at the moment. I raced here a long time ago and personally I think this is a nice track to compete on. The surface is very smooth and it’s pretty technical – a lot of the corners blend into one another and it doesn’t have a lot of the long straight / slow corner we see elsewhere, so it’s pretty different to the tracks we have been testing at. You have to be fit here because of the heat and humidity and this will have a big effect during the race, but I’m feeling really good – I’ve been training hard and I’m sure I’ll deal with the heat just fine. The most important thing now is to be at the front in qualifying and from there work hard on the race.”



Humphrey Corbett “I am really looking forward to this weekend. We have prepared for this race extremely well and I am very happy with how our cars are performing in both qualifying and race trim. We have done some very quick pit stops recently, but we need to be more consistent – every second counts so we have been working hard on making sure we can be the best in the pitlane at every aspect of a race weekend. The drivers seem happy in qualifying and race modes and it will be very interesting to see during races who has done their homework and who manages to look after their tyres well.  Many of the teams seemed to be doing a lot of qualifying runs in testing and not many long runs. We took the opposite approach so I am keen to see what happens here where managing the tyres will be key to successful races.

“Last season GP2 was very new to me, I have been here many times in the past with Formula One and know the track well, so now with a season under our belt I feel a lot more relaxed approaching this race. We have good people right across the team, two good drivers and a lot of reasons to be positive about the year ahead.”



Schedule:

Friday 23rd           Free Practice      1200 -1230

                             Qualifying            1555 – 1625

Saturday 24th      Race 1                 1100 – 1205 (31 laps)

Sunday 25th         Race 2                 1315 – 1405 (22 laps)

maocheng

Malaysia Qualifying
by Caterham Racing on Friday, March 23, 2012 at 10:13pm ·



Caterham Racing enjoyed a good start to the first GP2 qualifying session of the 2012 season at Sepang with Giedo van der Garde qualifying eighth with a 1:45.773 laptime, just 0.2 seconds from pole position. 0.9 seconds separated the top ten positions, pointing to an incredibly tight battle ahead for the season opening race in Malaysia. Team-mate Rodolfo Gonzalez encountered traffic on each of his fastest laps and will start P23 for the 31 lap race on Saturday.

Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer: "From the team's perspective everything very went well today. We looked sharp on track and everyone worked hard to help us enjoy a decent start to our season. The race tomorrow looks like it is going to be very exciting - the top ten cars are covered by less than a second and attention to detail will be key to making sure we have a strong race.

"We have one car in the top ten and the other towards the back of the grid. Giedo showed how valuable his experience and outright pace will be this year in helping us achieve our targets. Rodolfo had a couple of issues on his quickest laps, but we have a good race strategy for both cars, so I am looking forward to getting out there and taking some points. A podium finish is definitely not out of the question."

Giedo van der Garde (Qualified: P8 - Best lap: 1:45.773) "We stuck to our strategy today and went out and did two runs, using both tyre compounds. My first run didn't go as well as we had hoped - we couldn't find the performance on the hard compound so we came in, changed to the medium tyres and I did my fastest lap. To be honest it was not ideal. I made a small mistake which probably cost us two tenths, but overall it was good enough to finish in the top eight.

"Now we have some work ahead of us to make sure we have the right setup for tomorrow's race. I am confident the team will give me a good race car and from eighth on the grid the aim is to work our way up and hopefully finish on the podium."

Rodolfo Gonzalez (Qualified: P23 - Best lap: 1:46.962) "The car was very competitive today but I had traffic on each of my fastest laps which is a real shame. Despite that I feel confident with the car and I know we have a good strategy to help us have a good race tomorrow and if I can manage my tyres well we can certainly try for a points finish."

Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett: "The times today were incredibly close, so although we were hoping to be further up the field, with Giedo just over a tenth off the quickest time in P8 I am not overly concerned about where we ended up. He did not get a perfect lap but the pace was there so come tomorrow I am confident he can work his way through to the front of the field and have a strong race. During the recent tests we saw we have good pace over the long runs and I am happy with the race strategy we have been working on. We are still learning about the new tyres - there doesn't seem to be much difference between the two compounds here, but both Giedo and Rodolfo seem happy with their cars and we know what to do to give us the sort of race we want to see tomorrow.

"another very pleasing observation from today is to see just how well the whole team is working. The engineers are doing a very good job and the mechanics are working hard in the testing conditions. Both cars ran faultlessly today so I am very happy with our overall performance and I am looking forward to carrying that through to the race tomorrow and the rest of the weekend."

maocheng

Malaysia Race One

by Caterham Racing on Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 4:21pm ·


In the much anticipated opening race of the 2012 season Caterham Racing collected two points with a ninth place finish for Giedo van der Garde. After a difficult start Giedo dropped back to 16th on the first lap but drove magnificently to overtake a number of cars and ended the race ninth, with the grip on his rears tyres reaching the limits of their performance.



Rodolfo Gonzalez made an impressive start to his life with Caterham Racing and gained several positions on the first lap, running alongside his team-mate in the early stages of the race.  However, an altercation with iSport International’s Marcus Ericsson caused damage to his car and the Venezuelan was forced to retire from the race after 13 laps.



Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer: “This race has been a long time coming and it ends with mixed emotions for me. I am pleased Giedo recorded his first points of the season and delighted that Rodolfo showed good pace until the incident that brought his race to an early conclusion. I am obviously a little disappointed we didn’t have two cars finish the race but the team did a good job today in tough conditions, particularly on strategy and in the pitstops, so now we will rebuild the cars and focus on tomorrow.”



Giedo van der Garde (P9 / Best lap time: 1:49.883): “I had an issue at the start of the race and didn’t get off the grid as quickly as I had hoped. By the end of lap one I was down about eight positions but after that I found my pace and was able to challenge and put some good passing moves on the cars ahead. We were really fast early on, and again after the pit stop, but towards the end of the race the rear tyre grip went off and we were struggling a bit. We can learn from that and know what we have to do tomorrow so the aim is to keep pushing and build on our first points of 2012.”



Rodolfo Gonzalez (DNF /Best lap time: 1:52.864): “I made a really good start and by turn four I had made up ten places and was running midfield, right in there amongst Ericsson and Giedo. Unfortunately I made contact with Ericsson which caused some problems and I dropped back. I managed to pick up the pace again but it wasn’t long before I was forced to end my race early. The positives are that I raced well, the car felt more consistent than in testing and I was keeping up with strong competitors and overtaking cars, which is all very encouraging.



“One of the key aspects of motor racing is precision, especially during qualifying on the 2012 Pirelli tyres. I want to work on ensuring I always qualify well and if I can continue to get good starts I am confident I can fight to finish in the points.”



Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett: “After such an encouraging start it was a shame Rodolfo was forced to retire early from the race today. We are still working to find out what caused him to stop after he made contact with another car early on in the race but he has made good progress with team since he joined us and we are all looking forward to seeing him complete the sprint race tomorrow.



“I think the strategy we used with Giedo was good. We brought him in at the right time and the team did a very good pit stop, demonstrating that the work we have been doing on our stops is paying off. After the race he said he was happy with the balance of the car but towards the end the grip in his rear tyres was dropping off, but still he brought the car home in one piece and scored our first points of the season. That is a good base to work from for the rest of the weekend and provides good motivation for us to keep pushing here at our home race.”

maocheng

Malaysia Race Two
by Caterham Racing on Sunday, March 25, 2012 at 7:23pm ·



Caterham Racing concluded the Malaysian race weekend with another eight points following a determined drive by Giedo van der Garde who finished fourth in the sprint race on Sunday. The Dutch driver made an excellent start and put in a strong drive throughout the race. Team mate Rodolfo Gonzalez finished 18th at the chequered flag after he too had a good start from his grid position of twenty-third.
Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer: “I am pleased that we have got through our first race weekend of the season without too many issues and with a decent number of points. In the sprint race both drivers made strong starts and from there Giedo drove a controlled race to record another eight points for the team. Rodolfo had a good early part of the race but a mistake cost him several places and he finished 18th.  Despite that both he and Giedo have had good weekends overall. Now we will regroup and work hard in the lead up to our next race in Bahrain in a few weeks where we want to build on what we have achieved in Malaysia.”
Giedo van der Garde (P4 / Best lap time: 1:51.116): “I had a better start than some of the guys around me today, and at the end of a solid first lap I was already up to fourth position. Our pace early on was really competitive but perhaps during the middle of the race I was a little too conservative, but I knew it was a long race and that tyre wear would play a big role in the final standings. My position at the flag proved our plan paid off and overall I am happy with how this weekend has gone. If we can continue to develop like this we will be in a good position for the next round in Bahrain.  The team did a good job all weekend and we collected some points which provides great motivation for everyone in Caterham Racing.”
Rodolfo Gonzalez (P18 /Best lap time: 1:51.713): “After a really strong start I had good race pace without pushing the tyres too much in the early laps. It was tough going out there - it seemed hotter than yesterday but overall I felt good which is encouraging for the season ahead. I was keeping up with the other guys so I am happy with what we learnt this weekend. In Bahrain I want to focus on maximising my performance in qualifying. If I can do that I will feel more confident and the aim has to be to put myself in a position to score points throughout the season.”
Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett: “Giedo had a storming race today, but from an engineering point of view we still have some work to do on tyre usage and how we get the most out of the tyres in the next few races. Towards the end of the race Giedo was struggling with degradation, perhaps more than some of the guys in front of him, but nevertheless he showed great skill and control to maintain his position and bring the car home in fourth.
“I am also happy to see Rodolfo continually progressing. He was putting in some very good lap times today when he was in clear air and overall he drove well today. Now we have the next three weeks to work through what we have learnt here to fine tune our strategies and be as well prepared as possible for Bahrain. ”

maocheng

Bahrian Preview

by Caterham Racing on Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 10:34pm ·


After an encouraging start to the season in Malaysia, where Caterham Racing collected ten championship points, the entire GP2 family is now in the Middle East for the double-header races in Bahrain. This means as part of a busy fortnight the series will race alongside the Formula One Grand Prix for the first weekend and then conduct two more races one week later at the only GP2 stand-alone event of the 2012 season.



Located at Sakhir, 30 km south-west of the island's capital Manama, the Bahrain International Circuit boasts 50,000 grandstand seats and provides spectators with an excellent view point of the 5.412km track. The circuit features 15 turns, four straights, 18m change in elevation and at least three genuine overtaking opportunities.



The local dusty environment can severely reduce grip on track and increase tyre degradation and, combined with the expected hot temperatures, the demanding conditions will test the drivers’ physical fitness to the limit.



Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer: “Bahrain is a fantastic modern facility and we are looking forward to racing here. We have had a couple of weeks at home to regroup since Malaysia but since all our equipment arrived in Bahrain on Tuesday, straight from Malaysia, the guys have been very busy preparing the cars. After our performances in Malaysia we are quietly confident we can go out over the next two weekends and be competitive. Both Giedo and Rodolfo are keen to get out and race and our main objective is to get both cars in the points, so I am looking forward to seeing what unfolds.”



Rodolfo Gonzalez “We had a bit of bad luck in Malaysia but we did manage to take away some positives. We had strong race pace and it looks like we are pretty easy on the tyres which should play into our hands here in Bahrain.  I have arrived in Bahrain feeling relaxed and confident I can keep building on the job I did in Malaysia. We need to make a couple of changes in our strategy and setup to get the best out of the car here, but overall I am looking forward to doing as good a job as I can at what is definitely a really good venue.  I like the track here - there is a lot of hard braking where you must be careful not to go off line as the sand that sweeps across the track can ruin your tyres, but as long as we are smart I am confident we can do a good job and collect some points.”



Giedo van der Garde “I have come here straight from Shanghai after a positive FP1 session with Caterham F1 Team. It was really good to be back in the F1 car and both the team and I were happy with how it went, but now we are in Bahrain and it’s back to business with Caterham Racing in GP2.  Our result in race two in Malaysia was good and we have already made some big developments with the car so I am very encouraged by that. As always, qualifying will be very important here. My aim is to be in the top four and hopefully from there we can win the race. I imagine the track will be very dusty and dirty to begin with so this is something to consider but overall it is a nice track and one I like competing on. The middle section is quite technical which is good from a driving perspective, so I am looking forward to getting out there and racing.”



Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett: “We have arrived in Bahrain feeling quite confident about the races ahead. We haven’t been here for a while but both drivers know the circuit and we have quite a bit of experience of this track right across the team. I am happy with how the cars have developed and we have a good strong base set up to work with. With two quite long straights here we have a question mark over the level of down force we will use - it will probably be slightly less than what we have run in the past but we will look at that in more detail over the first weekend and see where we need to be. Overall I’m looking forward to both weekends - after our performances in Malaysia I am confident we can get both drivers up there in qualifying and give them the best shot at finishing in the points which has to be the aim for both race weekends.”



Schedule:

Friday 23rd          Free Practice: 1200 -1230

                          Qualifying:1600 – 1630

Saturday 24th      Race 1: 1545 – 1650 (32 laps)

Sunday 25th        Race 2: 1050 – 1140 (23 laps)

maocheng

Bahrain Qualifying
Added: Fri 20 Apr, 2012

The second round of the 2012 GP2 Series season started in sweltering temperatures in Bahrain with the thirty minute free practice held at 1200 and qualifying at 1555 local time.

Between the two scheduled sessions Caterham Racing made setup changes to both cars after a tough first outing found the team off its usual pace.  Going out on the hard compound tyre for the first runs, both drivers then swapped to the softer medium tyre mid-session to complete a total of 12 laps each. Giedo van der Garde qualified twelfth and after a strong start team mate Rodolfo Gonzalez finished seventeenth ahead of race one tomorrow at 1545 (local time).

Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer "We were not competitive this morning in free practice, so we made a number of changes between the two sessions which did improve the cars, but we were still lacking something. I think overall we are a little disappointed as we had hoped for a stronger session, but as always we will work through all the data overnight and make the necessary changes in time to go out and fight to put in a good race performance tomorrow."

Giedo van der Garde (P12 / 1: 42.139) "We were off the pace this morning so we made several changes for qualifying, some of which worked, some of which did not. Since the end of qualifying we have been busy analysing all the data to see where we can improve for tomorrow and this must be our focus. I think we have a good plan for the race - it is similar to the strategy we had in Malaysia for race two which was very good so I am feeling positive. It is a long championship and we must aim to take points from every round. Hopefully tomorrow we can finish in the top six and get some more points in the bag."

Rodolfo Gonzalez (P17 / 1:42.409) "The cars were not quite as we wanted them today but for me it was another good step forward. I had a good first fast lap on the medium compound tyre which would have put me in top ten but I made a mistake and went off track at turn seven, and then again on the last corner, which probably cost me about a second. Two laps later, when I pushed for another timed lap, the rear tyre grip had dropped off and I wasn't able to get the most out of them. I am a bit frustrated with myself for making those mistakes but I will take the positives from this. I think overall my driving is improving and I will keep working hard on it.

"It's hard to say what will happen tomorrow. It is a long run from the start to the first corner so when we get into the braking zone I'm sure there will be people locking up, so I will concentrate on getting a good start and trying to overtake as many people as I can and from there have a strong race."

Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett "We started with our normal set ups on both cars but they haven't worked as we had hoped here and after checking through all the data we have yet to find anything obvious that we can change. We made a number of alterations to the cars between free practice and qualifying to try and help preserve the rear tyres and in doing so we went towards a race set up which, perhaps in hindsight, hurt us a little in qualifying today. As we have another event here next week it is very important we rectify this as soon as we can.

"In the afternoon session we went out on the hard compound first and changed to the medium and we found the softer option gave us a little more grip. For tomorrow we will put our normal race set up on the cars, but with a few tweaks to help preserve the tyres. Despite this there are a number of positives from today. Rodolfo had a good run - he was happier than his team mate and had some good laps with reasonable traffic-free runs so we are pleased for him as he has been working incredibly hard on his fitness levels and his overall performance in the car. If we can get both cars in the points tomorrow we will be very happy."

Schedule:

Saturday 24th      Race 1                   1545 - 1650 (32 laps)
Sunday 25th         Race 2                   1050 - 1140 (23 laps)

maocheng

Bahrain Race Two

by Caterham Racing on Sunday, April 22, 2012 at 9:27pm ·


Caterham Racing’s Giedo van der Garde had a storming sprint race today in Bahrain, working his way through the field from P23 on the grid up to ninth position at the chequered flag and only narrowly missing out on a points scoring eighth position due to tyre degradation. However, the Dutch driver did take two points for recording the fastest lap of the race with a 1:45.650 lap - the only lap time under 1.46.

Team mate Rodolfo Gonzalez also made an impressive start, running in tenth position until he touched another car and had to come in for a new front wing. Despite his final finishing position of P21, Rodolfo put in a very good race pace today, giving the team a solid foundation to work from for the second race in Bahrain next week.

Caterham Racing Team Managers Phill Spencer “We have made some progress here in Bahrain which gives us all encouragement going into the second GP2 race next week. Both Giedo and Rodolfo had a strong race this morning but like many other cars they lost pace towards the end of the race due to tyre degradation. I think as a team we have learnt a lot this week and I hope the drivers are encouraged with the progress we have made so far. There seems to be a couple of teams that have found something that sets them apart from the rest so we have to reach that standard and will keep working hard to give the drivers a strong car for next weekend.”

Giedo van der Garde (P9 – Best lap 1:45.650) “We made some changes to car which made us more competitive today. This is a step in the right direction but we still have some work to do. We were very quick at the beginning and during the middle of race but towards the end I was struggling with rear tyre degradation which meant I couldn’t challenge for positions. I think with my earlier pace we could have finished fifth or sixth so we need to work on preserving the tyres more so we are able to come back fighting next week and bring the car home with a strong points finish, here and at every race.”

Rodolfo Gonzalez (P21 – Best lap 1:46.760) “We were pretty quick out there today but we suffered with tyre degradation later on. I fought hard which would have worn the tyres down but we also still need to find that perfect set up that allows us to save the rear tyres and fight for a win. I know I could have finished in the points today but I was too optimistic when trying to pass Haryanto so I must apologise to the team for the mistake I made. I have a good team here with some great engineers and a great team mate, all of whom I can learn a lot from so I feel confident we will continue to make good progress.”

Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett “We tried something new on Giedo’s car today and it seemed to work. We recorded the fastest lap which is encouraging but we still have a problem towards the end of the race. Our paced dropped off and we were unable to defend our position, so although in one area we have made a step forward we still need to understand the tyres more.

“Rodolfo had a good race and was running in a strong tenth position until he touched Haryanto, but during the race his pace was up there with the leaders so I am very happy about that. We can take away some positives from today but we need to work hard so we can give ourselves every opportunity of finishing in the points in the races here next week and throughout the season.”

maocheng

Bahrain GP2 Race One

by Caterham Racing on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 2:07am ·


Caterham Racing takes its first podium of the season in Bahrain with a third place finish for Giedo van der Garde.

In a schedule busier than usual, the GP2 Series competed at the BIC for the second weekend in a row as part of a GP2 stand alone event. The team took a big step in the right direction this morning, qualifying on pole position when Giedo van der Garde recorded an impressive 1:42.451 lap - knocking the current championship leader Davide Valsecchi off the top spot by just 0.1 seconds. Rodolfo Gonzalez also drove incredibly well to qualify P7, ahead of the race at 4pm (local time).

From pole position, Giedo pulled away to take the lead in the early stages of the 32-lap race, pitting for four new tyres on lap 11. Giedo re-entered the race P3, behind Valsecchi and Leimer, to drive a consistent race bringing the car home to collect 19 points for Caterham Racing.

Rodolfo also made a good start and found extra pace on his second set of tyres. Throughout the long race he fought hard, showing good pace, but unfortunately an incident with another car two laps from the end sent him spinning off the track and he finished the race in 14th place. His misfortune did not end there, as after the race he was issued a 20-second penalty for setting a fastest sector time under a yellow flag. The Venezuelan will now start race two from 18th position on the grid.

Race two starts Saturday 28th April at 1400hrs local time.

Phill Spencer: "I am pleased with the results today. We have collected our first podium of the season as well as some points, which all goes to help our campaign. Congratulations to Giedo, he had a good race today. We still have some work to do to match the front runners but the engineers and crew have made really good progress. Rodolfo unfortunately had more bad luck today. His pace was there and he was fighting hard but he had a coming together and a 20-second penalty which have cost him positions.

"We have lots to do but this progress all bodes well for our season, we just need to work on being more consistent overall. As for the race tomorrow we have a lot of useful data from race two last week when Giedo was very strong, so hopefully this can aid us and we can have another strong race tomorrow."

Giedo van der Garde (P3, best lap 1:46.162): "I am very pleased with the progress we have made this week we have improved our set-up for qualifying, which is such a big thing over a race weekend. We got some points for pole position as well as for third place so I am happy about that. I got a very good start this afternoon and pulled away from the others, we made a good choice to pit when we did and my race pace afterwards was very competitive - but we still have an issue with the tyres. The DAMS team have a very good race car so we have some work to do tonight to try and understand what happens to our tyres so we can be consistently competitive during both qualifying and the race."

Rodolfo Gonzalez (P14, best lap: 1:46.769 ) "First of all, well done to Giedo for scoring our first podium this season. Unfortunately for me it was a frustrating race after such a positive qualifying session this morning. I got a good start from P7 on the grid but lacked some grip and I wasn't able to defend my position. After the pit stop the car felt great the pace was there and I managed to fight and gain some positions back. It looking like I would finish 12th but with just two laps to go a car one lap down turned into me and caused us both to spin off the track so I lost two positions. It seems I also improved under a yellow flag, so I have a 20-second penalty for race two. Hopefully tomorrow can be a better race for me."

Humphrey Corbett "After a difficult race last weekend, we will gladly take points for a pole position and a podium today. We took a risk with a new set-up we have not run before and it seems to have paid off, so I am very happy about that and well done to Giedo for finishing third. Rodolfo also got a strong start and ran in the top 10 early on in the race. His pace was good and he was happy with the car, we just need to work on getting him in the points at the end of the race. The cars once again ran faultlessly, so all in all I am a lot happier than I was 24 hours ago and feeling positive about our race tomorrow. Hopefully we can conclude our time here in Bahrain with another podium."

maocheng

Bahrain GP2 Race Two
by Caterham Racing on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 11:14pm ·



Caterham Racing concluded a fortnight in Bahrain this afternoon in the GP2
sprint race held at the BIC in Sakhir.

From P6 on the grid the team's Dutchman Giedo van der Garde was fighting for
third position when an incident at turn one sent him spinning in a cloud of
dust. He managed to gain control and race on from the back of the field but
sadly hopes of another podium finish were dashed and he finished the 23-lap race
P19. Rodolfo Gonzalez avoided the chaos at the first corner to gain several
positions and drove a smooth race dicing amongst the mid-fielders to finish p15
at the chequered flag.

Next Event: Barcelona GP, Spain 11th – 13th May

Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer “After our podium success yesterday
of course our results today are disappointing. We had hoped to add to our
silverware but for Giedo sadly it was all over at the first corner. Rodolfo had
another strong start but he struggled with the balance and again with his rear
tyres towards the end of the race. We had a very encouraging sprint race here
last week and we thought we had made some headway with the set up but we still
have work to do before our next race. All in all we have learnt a lot here and
now look forward to getting back and racing in Europe.”

Rodolfo Gonzalez (P15 Best Lap 1:48.036 ) “We made a change on the grid and the
car felt really good to begin with but as the race went on we struggled with
understeer and rear tyre degradation which made it very difficult to drive and
fight for positions. I think perhaps compared to my team mate my race pace was a
little more consistent today but we still have a lot to work on. Taking the
positives from this week we had a very strong qualifying session. We have made a
big step in the right direction with our qualifying set up which is very
encouraging heading into the European races.”

Giedo van der Garde (P19 Best Lap 1:48.194) “I made a good start and was
fighting for third position as I went into the first corner but then I was hit.
When I rejoined I was in last place and my tyres were shot from the incident so
the pace just wasn’t there. The good thing is we have shown our potential here
this week. We did a good job in qualifying and our race pace yesterday was
pretty good too so it’s now a matter of working to solve the issues we have with
tyre management so we can be more competitive in the next round. It will be good
to get back to Europe and I look forward to the next event in Barcelona!”

Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett “Giedo was very unlucky at the start when he was
hit by another a car but this is racing and incidents like that happen. He burnt
a lot of rubber when he spun which did not help his race, but he carried on to
finish 19th.

"Rodolfo had a reasonably incident free race today which is good. He drove very
smoothly and completed the race in one piece after another strong start and is
setting himslef up well for the next event in Barcelona in a couple of weeks
time.”

maocheng

Barcelona race preview

by Caterham Racing on Friday, May 11, 2012 at 1:43am ·


The GP2 Series returns to Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, marking the start of the European season of the GP2 series 2012.

Being an official GP2 test track Caterham Racing has plenty of data from the circuit to call on for this weekend’s race, but this will by no means lessen the challenge to both cars and drivers. The technical 4.655km track has a good mix of high and low speed corners and the bumpy surface adds to the physical demands the driver endures, as well as being abrasive on the tyres. This event will also see the GP2 Series use the Pirelli soft tyre option for the first time this year.

Looking forward to the Barcelona Grand Prix is Team Manager Phill Spencer: “As ever we are feeling optimistic coming into our fourth round of the season. We are all glad to be back in Europe and pleased to be at a familiar track where we have a lot of experience of testing and races. With one season under our belt we come here feeling a lot more confident than we did last year.

“Since the freight returned back from Bahrain last week the team have been working incredibly hard to come here well prepared and in good shape for the race. The drivers are looking forward to it too. They know this circuit well and were quick here in testing and the team did ok here last year too, so let’s hope we can have a good qualifying session, even better racing and add to our trophy cabinet!”

Rodolfo Gonzalez: “I feel relaxed and confident coming here following a positive Formula One test and I feel like a different driver since the last time I tested here with the team. We have been making good progress and I hope to continue doing so here in Barcelona. I feel confident we can do a good job here and be in the points. This is a great circuit - it’s fun to drive on but it’s quite hard as well, on the cars and the tyres so it will be interesting to see how the soft tyres run this weekend. The atmosphere here is great too. I saw lots of Venezuelan flags when I did my track walk earlier so I hope to give my supporters a good race to watch!”

Giedo van der Garde: “I am very happy to be back in Europe! The travel is a lot easier and I really like coming to the Barcelona circuit. It is a technical track and not so easy on tyres or the drivers but I am looking forward to the race. We have been working hard over the past two weeks since returning from Bahrain and step by step I think we are making improvements while to get us to where we want to be, so let’s hope we can take home some more trophies this weekend!  I think the biggest challenge for everyone here will be using the soft tyre for the first time this year. It will be tricky to see where we are, especially in qualifying, but hopefully we will have a solid car that will help us to qualify at the front and have a competitive weekend.”

Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett: “It is nice to be back in Spain for the first European race of the season. We had a successful test here a few months ago and have learnt a lot in the races since then. Engineering wise we will adapt what we learnt in Malaysia and Bahrain and will update the setups we ran here in testing to give us the best possible chance of success.

“I feel reasonably confident ahead of this event. We secured pole in Bahrain and I hope we can capitalise on that and get both our drivers up there for qualifying. We will be running both the hard and soft tyre here - it is the first time the soft tyre option has been run this season so it will be new territory for everyone. We have done lots of work to try and make our tyres last longer so I look forward to putting this all into practice and having a strong race weekend.”

maocheng

Barcelona Qualifing

by Caterham Racing on Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 1:24am ·


In a very close GP2 qualifying session for Saturday’s feature race in Barcelona Giedo van der Garde qualified fifth with a best lap time of 1:31.006, just 0.4 seconds off pole. The Dutchman was very competitive in free practice and looked set for a top three qualifying position this afternoon but encountered traffic which compromised his quickest lap, leaving him P5 on the grid for race one.

Team mate Rodolfo Gonzalez had a frustrating session, qualifying P20 after he lost positions in a tight session which saw 17 cars set a lap-time within one second the pole position time.

Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer: “Despite seeing Giedo finishing fifth for the first race I think we could have been on the front row today. We have a very good car and the engineers and the whole crew have done a fantastic job and transformed it since we returned from Bahrain, so I am very happy about that.  Unfortunately traffic held up Giedo but that’s the way it goes sometimes, you have to take the good with the bad. But I know we can race well, P5 is a good position to start from and we are all confident Giedo can have a strong race from there.

“It is a shame Rodolfo’s quick laps were interrupted but the session today was so close, just two or three tenths made all the difference. Hopefully we will race well tomorrow and get both cars to finish in the top eight.”

Giedo van der Garde (P5 / Total laps: 9 / Best lap 1:31.006) “I am absolutely sure we could have been on pole today. The car felt good and we are moving in the right direction and getting better at every round. You get one chance to do a quick lap on these soft tyres before they go off and unfortunately today I was blocked in sector one which cost me vital time. I then recorded good times through sectors two and three but I had lost about three tenths of a second in the first sector so I will take P5 and do the best job I can tomorrow. We have made our biggest gains since Bahrain so I am feeling really positive for the feature race. There are not many overtaking opportunities here so strategy will be ever more important. We must put it all together – I have got to take care of the tyres, make no mistakes and have a good pit stop and hopefully we can finish on the podium again.”

Rodolfo Gonzalez (P20 // Total laps: 10 // Best lap 1:31.966) “To be honest I am really disappointed with my qualifying position today, but it was such a close session every tenth counted. Unfortunately I made a couple of mistakes which cost me vital grid positions, so I think it will be a tough race tomorrow. Tonight we will work on the balance of my car and on a strategy that will help preserve the tyres. As always, this will be vital if we are to finish anywhere near the points, but I will do my best to move up the field during the race and give the local supporters a good race to watch!”

Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett: “It was unfortunate that circumstances out of his control compromised Giedo’s flying laps today, but in the end he put in a very good lap to qualify P5. He’s happy with the balance of his car and says there is more to come so he is confident ahead of the race tomorrow.

“Unfortunately Rodolfo made a couple of small mistakes this afternoon and I know he was very disappointed with where he ended up. I feel disappointed for him but now we’re focusing on tomorrow and we will do our best to get him up there in the race. We know we have a good car so hopefully he can get another one of his good starts, look after his tyres and move up to get some all important championship points.”

maocheng

Barcelona Race Two
by Caterham Racing on Sunday, May 13, 2012 at 11:10pm ·



In the second GP2 race of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend in Barcelona, Saturdays’ race winner Giedo van der Garde started from P8 on the reverse grid, aiming to challenge for another podium finish. He made yet another solid start and was battling for positions throughout the 25 lap race, finally finishing in sixth place and collecting yet more points. Team mate Rodolfo Gonzalez also started well and ran competitively to finish 14th at the chequered flag. After a good weekend in Spain Caterham Racing leave Barcelona with 29 points and are currently in sixth place in the Teams’ Championship.

Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer: “The race went according to plan today and I am happy we finished the weekend with more points, which is what we needed to do. Now we will take onboard all the information from this weekend and move onto Monaco which is a completely different kind of track altogether, and one we have happy memories of from last year.”

Giedo van der Garde (P6 / Best lap 1:36.123): “We got some more points today which is great for the whole team. I had a solid start but our tyre pressures were not perfect today and I had a few issues with grip in the opening laps, which is why two people were able to pass me, but after three laps I found better grip and managed to passed Gutierrez and was catching up to Chilton. In the end I didn’t have quite enough pace to be able to move up but we showed good speed today and I am very pleased with what we have achieved here this week. We still have to develop the car more and but I am confident we can have a good weekend in Monaco. Last year I had pole position there - it’s a great track and very demanding so I am looking forward to getting back there and back to racing.”

Rodolfo Gonzalez (P14 / Best lap 1:36.182): “We made a change to our tyre pressures on the grid today which in hindsight maybe didn’t help us. The tyre temperatures were not quite high enough and I slid about quite a bit in the opening laps which wore the tyres down, but I still had another good start and after the opening laps we had a pretty consistent pace. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to defend my position after gaining several places in the first lap so it was a case of keeping the car on track and doing the best I could.”

Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett: “We have collected more points today which I am very happy about. To start eighth and finish sixth is a good result, so we will gladly take that, especially as it really is difficult to overtake here. The balance of both cars was perhaps not as good as we thought it could have been, so there is some work to do there, but both drivers were setting good lap times today and of course we have a race win under our belts from this weekend, so we will leave in a very positive frame of mind and head to Monaco where we know we can do very well.”

maocheng

Monaco race preview                                                   

• Added:                Wed 23 May, 2012

   
                        

Caterham Racing has high hopes for Monaco following itstriumphant win in Barcelona two weeks ago. On its return to Monacothe team has its sight set on winning the famous street race for asecond time in the team's short history after its debut victory in2011.

2012 Monaco GP2 Schedule:
Thursday 24th May 12:00 - 12:30 Free practice 16:55 -17:30 Qualifying
Friday 25th May 10:20 Race One
Saturday 26th May 16:10 Race Two
Caterham Racing Team Manager Phillip Spencer: "We are back inMonaco in our second season and having won here last year weobviously want to repeat that performance. It is fair to say thatnow we are in year two and racing at tracks we are familiar with wehave upped the pressure on ourselves to do the best we can and thatis helping push the team to keep improving.
"We obviously have very happy memories of Monaco after takingour first team win here last year, and now we arrive here on theback of our race win in Barcelona two weeks ago so we areoptimistic about being able to challenge for the top step of thepodium.  We know we have the equipment to do a good job andwhat driver doesn't love racing in Monaco! Giedo's previous resultshere have been strong which is very encouraging so now we must giveour two drivers a competitive car and see if we can get them bothinto positions where they can score points for the team."
Rodolfo Gonzalez: "I love this track. It is quite demanding andit is always a challenging race so I am really focused on doing agood job here. So far we have been a bit unlucky this season but Ithink we have a strong car and the atmosphere in the team is goodso let's hope we see both Caterham Racing cars up there inqualifying and then go on to finish in the points."
Giedo van der Garde: "I quite like Monaco as it is always aspectacular race one way or another! Last year I was in poleposition and the year before I finished second so I am lookingforward to getting started here and keeping up that record.Barcelona was a good weekend for us where we were strong allweekend, so hopefully we can bring that sort of performance levelhere. The team had a good car here last year when they won the racewith Valsecchi so hopefully we can do the same.
"First of all we need a little luck in qualifying. The goodthing is we will do qualifying in two groups this year, but stillwe need a free, clean and tidy lap to put together a quick time -all these things count enormously in qualifying and here, more thananywhere else, you have to start at the front to win the race. ButI am feeling quite confident so I think we can do that. Barcelonawas a good push for me and the team so hopefully we can produce thesame results here. "
Caterham Racing Chief Race Engineer Humphrey Corbett: "It's goodto be back in the land of dreams! I have been racing here foraround 30 years and I love the atmosphere of Monaco. It might be aspectacular venue but the team will prepare as normal for thisrace. We had a quick turn-around after Barcelona but luckily we hadno real issues so we have come here feeling quietly confident. Wewon here last year so we have a lot of useful data from our 2011set-ups, as well as the experience we have from this year, so Ithink we are as well prepared as we could be.
"At this race there is a new rule where we have the freedom toswap to different tyre compounds when we choose, which willcertainly make a difference for race two as we have the option of apit stop. Otherwise it is business as usual. Hopefully the weatherwill be kind to us and it will stay dry, allowing us to get outthere, have a good clean race and score some more of those allimportant points."

maocheng

Monaco qualifying
by Caterham Racing on Friday, May 25, 2012 at 4:58am ·





Giedo van der Garde will start from the second row of the grid in tomorrow’s GP2 race around the streets of Monaco after qualifying P4 in the busy two-part session this afternoon.
Team mate Rodolfo Gonzalez put in some competitive laps early on but a mistake in the fast chicane ended his run early. As the track improved teams were able to better their lap times and Rodolfo will start P17 in the much anticipated race tomorrow morning at 10:30am (local time).  
Caterham Racing Team Manager Phillip Spencer “I think the split qualifying session worked really well today. Giedo went out in the first group and was incredibly fast but unfortunately Chilton managed to knock him off the top spot just as the session ended. The track then improved for the second session so when Rodolfo went out the times were quicker. He was going well but lost control in the chicane and hit the barriers. It is a shame as I know he was really motivated. Giedo will start on the second row of the grid and as we all know anything can happen here so let’s hope he can have a good clean start and bring home some more points.”
Giedo van der Garde (P4 / Best lap 1:21.475) “We used the Supersoft tyres for the first time today and I have to say they handled really well. I was the quickest out there for a while but as the track improved my tyres were past their best and Chilton managed to improve on my lap time. It is a pity as I think we had the potential to put it on the front row today but instead we will start from P4 and I will make the most of it. It is going to be a long race so we will see what happens. I feel good so hopefully we can have a strong race and get another podium finish or perhaps even a win!”
Rodolfo Gonzalez (P17 / Best lap 1:22.873) “I was running in the top three at the beginning of the session and I felt like the car could give more but I was only able to get one quick lap in before I got blocked with traffic. I pushed again when I found clear track space but unfortunately I pushed too hard and made a mistake in the chicane. I will learn from this and hope to have a good clean race in the morning.”
Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett “Both our cars were very competitive out there today and the drivers were happy with the car balance so I am pleased about that. Giedo just missed out on pole position in his session which is a shame - in hindsight perhaps we should have saved our tyres until the end of the session, but overall the car was good throughout the session and although it is a little disappointing not to be on the front row P4 is not bad at all.
“Rodolfo was also setting some very competitive lap times but sadly he lost control with a few minutes left of the session. However I believe we have two very good race cars so it will all be down to our tyre choice and race strategy. It is going to be an exciting race tomorrow!

maocheng

Monaco Race One
by Caterham Racing on Saturday, May 26, 2012 at 12:26am ·



Caterham Racing is celebrating taking the team's third trophy in as many races after Giedo van der Garde drove a determined and controlled race to finish P3 in the GP2 feature race in Monaco this morning.
Team mate Rodolfo Gonzalez also did a good job, moving up the field despite getting caught in traffic early in the race to successfully complete the prestigious 42-lap race in P13.
Caterham Racing Team Manager Phillip Spencer "I am absolutely delighted with our podium finish today! We had high expectations coming here this year and we have collected more points which was our main goal today, so well done to all the team. Both drivers had a good race - Rodolfo drove well but traffic slowed him down. We all know how difficult it is to pass in Monaco but he did a good job and we are all encouraged with the progress we are making.
"Giedo drove a solid race from start to finish and everything fell into place. The team strategy worked very well today so I am really pleased for the entire team and I hope we can keep up this positive momentum for the rest of the season."
Giedo van der Garde (P3 / Best Lap 1:23.291)"At the beginning of the formation lap I couldn't select first gear and I began to get a little nervous, but my engineer talked me through what to do and I was able to stay focused and then made a mega start! I overtook Chilton on the outside and nearly managed to pass Ericsson too but decided the risk was too big and let him go ahead. Cecotto and Ericsson pulled away early on in the race but after my pit stop we closed on them and in the end I was very pleased with my car and where we finished. It feels great to get another podium and it shows we are getting better every time which is very encouraging and great motivation for the whole team. This is not like any other circuit we race at but we'll aim to continue this success and bring home more points tomorrow in race two."
Rodolfo Gonzalez (P13 / Best Lap1:24.905) "I was amongst a lot of traffic today which made it quite difficult to push ahead but I managed to gain a few positions in the opening laps to run P14 before we made our pit stop. I went back out behind Teixeira and it was hard to pass him so we lost some time there, but eventually I found some clear air and pushed hard to gain six places and finally finish P13. The tyre degradation was not as bad as I thought it would be today - there was a little oversteer but overall I am very pleased with the car and the progress we are making at every event."
Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett "It is fantastic to be able to collect another Monaco trophy here today. Both drivers did a great job to bring the cars home in one piece. Rodolfo was unlucky with traffic but showed good pace and I am happy he had a clean race. As for Giedo - what can I say! He made a very good start, drove with his head up and showed good pace throughout the race. He was closing in on the front runners in the latter stages of the race but considering how difficult it is to overtake here P3 is a great reward for everyone in the team, so now we will keep working to ensure we have many more results like this during the 2012 season!"