End Of Era Of Caterham Racing GP2 最新:244楼

maocheng

Monaco Race Two
by Caterham Racing on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 at 5:05pm ·



Caterham Racing concluded its Monaco experience this season on a high with both drivers finishing in the points in the GP2 Saturday sprint race. Giedo van der Garde took his second trophy of the weekend with third place and Rodolfo Gonzalez scored his highest GP2 position for Caterham Racing with a fantastic fifth place.
The race was one of the more eventful GP2 races seen in Monaco! A chaotic start saw no less than nine cars retire on the first lap but Giedo made it through to P3 after narrowly avoiding the incident in the first corner, whilst team mate Rodolfo squeezed past several stricken cars and defended his points position to finish the eventful race fifth.
Caterham Racing currently now sit fifth in the Teams’ championship and Giedo van der Garde is now third in the Drivers’ championship ahead of the next race which takes place in Valencia from 22nd – 24th June.
Caterham Racing Team Manager Phillip Spencer “This is a fantastic result for the whole team and what a way to top off the week here in Monaco! Giedo drove brilliantly and I am so pleased to see him on the podium again, and for Rodolfo, who had an absolutely fantastic race! He did well to get through all the carnage at the beginning and finished in a very strong fifth place, collecting six points. It is great to have both drivers scoring points so I am really happy. Let’s hope this continues.”
Giedo van der Garde “I made a good start but when I saw some people go off in the first corner I misjudged the space and went over a big kerb which bent the steering column, so it was a difficult race for sure. But overall the car felt great, especially towards the middle and end of the race when we were consistently fast so I am very happy with the results we have taken here. I think we have a very good car to take to Valencia so let’s hope we can keep this momentum going!”
Rodolfo Gonzalez “It was very hard to see what was going on in the beginning of the race but I managed to pass the incidents and find myself in P6 when the safety car came out. I obviously did not want to make any mistakes and as the race continued I relaxed into it and set some pretty good lap times. I am so happy! I did my best and this is a special place to get my first points of the season, so I must thank the team for believing in me. I hope I can repay them by scoring more points in Valencia in a few weeks time!”
Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett “I am the happiest I have been after a race for a very long time! To get a double podium in Monaco with Giedo and to see Rodolfo up there in the points is absolutely wonderful. I am so pleased to see all the hard work Rodolfo and his race engineer have put in pay off. We tried something with his suspension today which seems to have worked so perhaps we will use this at the next race, but he has proved he can get up there into the points so hopefully this will be the start of many good things to come.  I am just so very happy to have both drivers in the points at long last! They both did a great job, as did the whole team, so I will go home with a smile on my face!”

maocheng

Valencia Qualifying

by Caterham Racing on Saturday, June 23, 2012 at 4:53pm ·


In a busy qualifying session Caterham Racing’ Dutch driver Giedo van der Garde claimed fifth place on the grid for race one after recording a 1:47.543 lap time, just two tenths off the pole position time. However, after the session a number of steward enquires were made and grid penalties were dealt to four GP2 drivers for the race, promoting Giedo to a new P3 start position for Saturday.



Team mate Rodolfo Gonzalez was unlucky to be involved in an incident in free practice which meant he missed most of the session, costing him precious track time. His luck did not improve in qualifying when traffic held him up, compromising his lap times on both tyre runs which meant the Venezuelan will have a tough job in race one, starting P22 for the 30 lap race.



Caterham Racing Team Manager Phillip Spencer “It was a busy qualifying session with red and yellow flags disrupting play and unfortunately we did not put it together quite as well as we had hoped. If Giedo had put all his best sectors together we would have been on pole but P3 is a strong position and we are all hoping for another podium. Rodolfo is obviously disappointed with P22 - he missed most of the morning session after he had a crash in free practice and we were not able to get a balance on the car but the guys did a great job putting the car back together ready for qualifying. We have worked hard over night and I am optimistic we can have a good race.”



Giedo van der Garde (P3 / Best lap 1:47.543) “I managed to set my quickest lap time just two tenths off pole position so I think we are reasonably competitive here. We thought the track was going to get faster as the session went on but it didn’t work that way, and I was only able to do one lap on the option tyres before I had a problem with the gearbox so I don’t think I got the best out of the tyres in quali. After the stewards’ decisions we will start on the second row now which is great! I know it will be a tough race in very hot conditions but I believe I have a really good car for the race and I hope we can do something special and finish on the podium again!”



Rodolfo Gonzalez (P22 / Best lap 1:48,936) “After the incident in free practice we were on the back foot with no data to draw on for qualifying. Then in the quali session I struggled a lot with traffic so I am obviously disappointed and we have our work cut out for the race but let’s see what we can do.”



Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett “In the afternoon session we ran the soft Pirelli tyres first and then the super soft and I think this was the best strategy for us. We believed the track would be quicker at the end of the session but looking at the teams that changed to the option tyre later on, no one improved their times, including us. It is a bit of a mystery and we expected a bit more from the super soft tyre. Overall Giedo is very happy with his car which is great. He was able to find some clear track space and set some good lap times and despite having a gearbox problem he is quite confident and I believe we can win a race from third. Unfortunately Rodolfo seemed to pick up traffic on every lap which compromised his qualifying lap times. I feel for him but considering he only did half a lap in practice he did a good job in tough conditions.”

maocheng

Valencia Race One

by Caterham Racing on Sunday, June 24, 2012 at 3:04am ·


The GP2 feature race in Valencia was an action packed spectacle from start to finish with no less than three safety cars deployed during the 28 laps.

Giedo van der Garde made a strong start to take second position by turn one, looking good for another podium finish. Sadly he lost several positions when his car was hit from behind sending him wide into the gravel and he rejoined in P6. But after his pitstop on lap ten misfortune struck again and the team were forced to bring him back in to replace two worn front tyres before sending him back out, finally finishing the chaotic race 12th.

Rodolfo Gonzalez also got off to a flying start but suffered damage when he had a coming together with another car which forced him in for a pit stop and a new nose. In between safety car stints the Venezuelan battled for position but finished in a frustrating P17 out of the 20 cars that completed the tough race.

Caterham Racing Team Manager Phillip Spencer “It all started so well this afternoon but things then took a turn for the worse when Giedo was pushed off track by Gutierrez, knocking him from a strong P2 to P6. Our first pit stop did not go to plan and we lost some time but he did well to continue and was not looking too bad until he had to come in a second time for new front tyres. That stop put us right at the back and even though he was quick and passed a few cars, there was just not enough time to climb back up to finish in the points today.

"For Rodolfo it was a tough race for him starting from P22. He was going well, making up several places but he had a coming together with another car and we had to change the nose as well as the tyres when he pitted. Honestly, I am bitterly disappointed with the results today. We could have solidified our place in the championship but instead our big opposition have seized that opportunity, but it just wasn’t our day today. Despite that, who knows what might happen tomorrow. The way Giedo goes around this track perhaps he will have a good second race and salvage something from this weekend. Let’s hope so!”

Giedo van der Garde (P12 / Best lap 1:51.342) “It was one crazy race today! I did quite well at the start and although we had a few early grip issues with the rear tyres, we had expected that as we chose to start on a used pair and as soon as we could stop we did. In hindsight I think this was the right choice for us today but before that could happen Gutierrez pushed me off and I had a tough job to continue. We then had a difficult pit stop which sent me back out in traffic and after the second safety car I tried to pass Razia but I braked too late and locked up, ruining my front tyres, so I had to come back in to get a fresh pair. It is a pity and of course I am very disappointed with the results today but you have to stay positive. We will start 12th tomorrow, we have a good car and one new set of tyres so we must to make the most of the situation and hopefully we can finish in the points.”

Rodolfo Gonzalez (P17 / Best lap 1:53.078) “There were so many incidents on track today and unfortunately I got caught up in a couple of them. I got a good start and did some overtaking early on but on one particular incident I was forced over the curb and touched with another car. We just didn’t have much luck today. I am disappointed with the results but on a positive note the car felt really good on the super soft tyres - they lasted the distance and I was able to challenge as soon as we put them on. Tomorrow is a new day so let’s see if we have a better race in the morning.”

Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett: “It is all too tempting to think what could have been today but unfortunately mistakes were made by the team and the drivers so we have to consolidate and make sure things like this do not happen again. We were unfortunate with safety cars, out-braking each other, touching other cars and we had some troublesome pit stops. Three safety cars is very unusual and it seems luck just wasn’t on our side today! It is a big shame to miss out on points, especially when our close competitors have moved up in the championship, but these things happen so we will close the page on today and look ahead to tomorrow when I am sure both the team and the drivers will give it their best shot.”

maocheng

Valencia Race Two
by Caterham Racing on Sunday, June 24, 2012 at 8:31pm ·



The GP2 23 lap sprint race was no less eventful than Saturday’s feature race with just 18 cars completing the course around the Valencia street circuit.

An impressive start from both Caterham Racing cars saw Giedo van der Garde jump to P6 from eleventh on the grid and team mate Rodolfo Gonzalez gain an impressive eleven places after the opening laps. But unfortunately whilst running ninth the stewards gave Rodolfo a drive-through penalty for overtaking under the safety car, sending him to the back, finally finishing a frustrating weekend sixteenth.

Meanwhile after two early safety cars Giedo was able to make a move on Arden's Razia and successfully passed him, moving up to fifth position, but with just a few laps left Giedo lost power as he struggled with a mechanical issue and the Brazilian passed again and went on to win the race. As the race came to a close a fierce battle at the front was taking place while Giedo managed his tyres to finish sixth overall, collecting four points for the team.

Caterham Racing Team Manager Phillip Spencer “Both our guys had a cracking start and everything looked good. They were both running well with Rodolfo up to ninth and Giedo in fourth but towards the end Giedo struggled with his tyres whilst Rodolfo was given a drive-through for overtaking under the safety car. That penalty through ruined his race after a really good start which is a real shame but this is racing! Of course it is good to have two cars finish and to collect a few more points today but I think we will draw a line under this weekend and move on to the next event in Silverstone in a couple of weeks time.”

Giedo van der Garde (P6 / Best lap 1:51.202) “I had a very good first lap and went straight up to sixth. The car felt good in the first few laps and after the safety car I managed to get up to P5 but as the race continued everybody started to struggle with rear tyre degradation . Six or seven laps from the end I had a problem with the car there was a lot of vibration which slowed me right down. I saw Razia coming up behind me and I knew I wasn’t able to defend and both he and Berthon passed me. It was a pity as we were running fourth for a while but the positive is that we were able to get some points today and I believe we can come back well and challenge for a win in Silverstone.”

Rodolfo Gonzalez (P15 / Best lap 1:51.946) “I was having a good run today after a great start from the back of the grid, but on the exit of turn eight I overtook the car in front of me around the bridge and then I saw the safety car signs. I thought I had achieved the move before the safety car rules applied but unfortunately the stewards thought otherwise and after the drive-through there was not enough time to get close to a points finish. It is a shame as it would have been great to finish in the top ten from P24 but the car felt good which is otherwise encouraging. ”

Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett “What an exciting race! Giedo had a little understeer to begin with and some understeer towards the end but overall he did a very good job today. He had a mechanical issue with just five laps to go which unfortunately allowed people to pass him after climbing up to fourth but I am happy with the overall balance of the cars. We still have a bit of work to do on rear tyre degradation so they last better for the whole race, so we will look at that.

“The car that won the race today did a good job. He managed to conserve the tyres during the race and passed everybody in the last few laps. I think luck was on his side but good for him. As for Rodolfo he made a very good start running ninth but it was deemed he had passed another car under the safety car so he had to serve a drive-through penalty which was unfortunate. It has been a tough weekend for us, but the championship has closed up at the top so it is still all to play for in the last half of this season.”

maocheng

Silverstone Preview
by Caterham Racing on Friday, July 6, 2012 at 8:46pm ·



The GP2 Series moves into the seventh round of the 2012 championship this weekend supporting the Formula One British Grand Prix at the historic Silverstone circuit. With heavy rain forecast and a new tyre rule introduced the races look set to be entertaining and as unpredictable as the weather!
Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer: “Along with Malaysia this is our second ‘home’ race of the season so we will have a lot of friends and family in the crowd and hopefully we can give them a good race! We are optimistic as usual, although the weather is not looking so good but it will be the same for everybody. The drivers are up for it so we will have to take it one step at a time and hope we can make the right calls at the right time. This is the second year the team has raced here and it is always good to race in front of the British fans so I am very keen to get out there and get going.”
Rodolfo Gonzalez: “I always like racing at Silverstone. It is a fun track with lots of fast corners but the weather will play a big factor in the outcome of the races this weekend. We also have a new rule whereby we get an extra set of tyres which I think will encourage teams to use the option tyre for race one. It will make it very interesting to see what other people do as this strategy has not been used so much yet this season. I know this track well and I feel quite comfortable and confident ahead of the race. I have learnt a lot so far this season and feel I am ready to put both the performance in qualifying and the performance in race one together over the same weekend. We have already showed we have good qualifying pace in places like Bahrain and Monaco and we have had good race pace this season too so now we have to put it all together and I think this is the place we can do it.”
Giedo van der Garde: “Although this is not my favourite track there is something to the place - there is so much history and the British fans are great! It is always busy at Silverstone, even getting to the track in the morning can be tricky, but I am looking forward to the race. Valencia was a weekend of bad luck. We had the speed and could have been on the podium so it was a pity we missed out, but this is a new weekend with new chances which we must take advantage of. The weather is not looking too bright and rain is forecast but you never know what will happen. We need to be consistent in all conditions and make sure the car performs well. I am confident the team are on top of it so I am aiming for a podium in race one and with a bit of luck a podium in race two too! This new tyre rule will change things a bit. We will be able to do much more in free practice and then afterwards there are a lot more options for the feature race which will mix things up a lot mid-season and whoever has the best strategy will win the race. It is going to be good fun!”
Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett: “The Silverstone track is very light on brakes, quite bumpy with several overtaking opportunities, wind can play a big result in the balance of the car and of course there is the weather! It rained heavily last season and we struggled and it looks likely to be the same again this year, but now we know where we went wrong so hopefully we have got our sums right this time round. It looks like it will be wet throughout most of the weekend so we have done a lot of work back at base to optimise the setup for both wet and dry conditions, as well as practicing our pit stops. Both drivers are capable of getting the results but a lot is down to making the right call at the right time so hopefully we can make our own luck and get it right. With the extra set of tyres the permutations for Saturday and Sunday are endless – it will most certainly make our strategy choice more difficult but I think the weather will have the biggest influence on what happens overall.”

maocheng

Silverstone Race One
by Caterham Racing on Sunday, July 8, 2012 at 4:23am ·



Heavy rainfall once again disrupted GP2 proceedings at Silverstone with the start of the GP2 feature race delayed by more than an hour. The race started behind the safety car but within minutes disaster struck when Rodolfo Gonzalez was hit from behind, damaging his rear wing and forcing him into the pit lane early. The pitcrew swiftly repaired his car but by then the Venezuelan was two laps behind with little hope of a points finish.

Team mate Giedo van der Garde drove a steady race from P18 on the grid and put together a number of neat passing manoeuvres to gain an impressive ten places. He finished the wet race P8, earning four points and pole position in the reverse grid sprint race on Sunday morning which is due start at 0940.

Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer: “It was a wet race today although I believe a few cars changed to slicks in the last few laps, but I'm not sure if they made any gains or not. It was a sad start for Rodolfo Gonzalez, unfortunately through no fault of his own he was hit from behind by another car which completely ruined his race. The guys did a fantastic job to get him back out and even though he was two laps down he drove well from that point. On a positive note we collected points today with Giedo finishing eighth which puts him on pole for tomorrow which is great news for the team! The points at the top of the championship are closing up now so hopefully we can have a positive race in the morning, take home another trophy and solidify our position in this championship.”

Giedo van der Garde (P8 / Best lap 2:04.463) “At the start of the race today there was a lot of aquaplaning and the visibility was quite poor so I definitely think it was the right decision to start behind the safety car for the first few laps. After that we were quite fast and I managed to pass a lot of people to get to P12, but then we started to struggle with oversteer. Unfortunately we pitted one lap too early because a safety car came out just as I rejoined the race and we lost some positions there, but I stayed sharp when the safety car came in and passed a few cars at the restart. Although car-wise we didn’t have great pace today it was enough to get me up to P8 to take some points and so tomorrow I will start on the front row which is great. I think it’s going to be a fun race!”

Rodolfo Gonzalez (P23 / Best lap 2:08.376) “One way or other I don’t seem to be having much luck at the moment. Today I was hit from behind whilst behind the safety car before the race had even got going, so by the time we started racing I was two laps down and any hope of a points finish was ruined, so obviously I am really disappointed. After the incident I struggled with traction and in the right hand corners I had a lot of oversteer, all as a result of the accident, so we have some work to do tonight in order to resolve these issues before the race tomorrow when hopefully we can salvage something from this weekend.”

Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett “We have learnt a lot about the wet balance of the car this weekend which is really positive. Sadly for Rodolfo he once again was involved in someone else’s accident and had to come in to have a lot of repairs done in the pits. The floor on his car was quite badly damaged so he did well to keep calm and complete the race.
Giedo also drove well in difficult conditions. He had a reasonable balance and the pit stops were good, although our timing was a little unfortunate but of course we are not to know when the safety car will be deployed. Despite that he kept his cool and made a demon move when the safety car came in, passing two cars and finishing P8 which means we start on pole tomorrow, so we have no excuses - now we need a podium finish!”

maocheng

Hockenheim race preview
by Caterham Racing on Thursday, July 19, 2012 at 8:57pm ·



Caterham Racing will make its debut appearance in Hockenheim this weekend when the GP2 Series returns to the circuit in the Rhine valley in Germany for the first time since 2010. The P Zero medium and soft tyres have been nominated for round eight of the championship which will also mark the first time GP2 teams will compete at the circuit on Pirelli tyres. Here, should the weather stay dry, the teams will all be hoping to take full advantage of the new tyre regulations introduced at Silverstone.
GP2 Schedule
Friday 20th July: Practice Session: 12.00 – 12.30hrs / Qualifying Session: 15.50 – 16.20hrs
Saturday 21st July: GP2 Race 1: 15.40hrs 38 laps (excl. formation) / 60 mins
Sunday 22nd July: GP2 Race 2: 10.35hrs 27 laps (excl. formation) / 45 mins

Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer: “As a team we come to Hockenheim with no experience of the track, however, as individuals most of the team have raced here in the past so we are as optimistic as ever ahead of what will be a busy two weeks away with our two back-to-back races. This week a lot of what is to come will be dependent on the weather. Historically it can get quite hot here and we know our cars perform well in hot conditions so I look forward to moving on from a disappointing Silverstone and aim to see both our cars finishing in the points.”
Rodolfo Gonzalez: “I have had a busy few weeks now! Since before the Silverstone weekend I have been on the road - at the factory with the team and at Pro Performance for training, but I feel good and excited about the races ahead. I was in France on Tuesday for an aero test with Caterham F1 Team which went really well and now after two difficult GP2 race weekends in Valencia and Silverstone I hope our luck can turn here in Germany. I quite like this track. There are long straights and the last section of the circuit requires good aerodynamics. It will be interesting to drive here this year with the GP2 aero package we have and hopefully it will stay dry, especially for qualifying. My focus is on driving with discipline and concentration and limit my expectations, but I am feeling good and I hope we can have a positive weekend. ”
Giedo van der Garde: “Hockenheim is quite a nice track. It is small but the last part is very technical so I am looking forward to driving here. My preparation has been going well and I’m feeling physically ready for what’s to come. I have been on the simulator and working hard on my fitness so I’m all set. We had a good meeting in the factory last week, going through why Silverstone didn’t go to plan and we analysed and discussed everything and the outcome was very positive. You have got to take the good with the bad and make sure these situations do not happen again and now it is a new weekend with new opportunities so we have got to make sure we have a good qualifying with strong races to follow. The most important thing is to get up there in the points. It has been a while since we were on the podium so that has to be the aim and I am feeling confident we can do that here.”
Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett: “We have had a little more preparation work to do in the run up to this weekend since this will be our first time in Hockenheim as Caterham Racing, but overall it is not a difficult track to understand. It is a little bumpy and good traction is needed, as well as strong braking stability to really make the most of the overtaking opportunities here. There is a history of graining if the track temperature are quite low and although it is a shadow of its former self the German crowds make up for it by creating an incredible atmosphere. We will be using the medium and soft tyre compounds, as we did in Silverstone, and like the last round the forecast is changeable so although I am a little apprehensive about how the tyres will behave I feel confident we can draw from our Silverstone experiences and overcome any issues that might occur. Both drivers are keen to get going so we have got to stay fully focused and perform well here.”

maocheng

Hockenheim Qualifying
by Caterham Racing on Saturday, July 21, 2012 at 3:20am ·

Caterham Racing qualified P1 for the GP2 feature race in a wet session in Hockenheim with Giedo van der Garde doing a fantastic job to top the time sheets in the early part of the session with a 1:44.022 lap time, collecting four championship points for pole position in Saturday’s feature race.
A frustrating run for Rodolfo Gonzalez saw the Venezuelan miss valuable track time due to damage picked up when he went off the track early in the session. The team made several small changes to the setup of his car during a second pit stop but as the rain set in the drivers were not able to improve on their earlier lap times and Rodolfo will start from 24th on the grid.
Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer: “I am really pleased for the whole team today. We have put in a lot of hard work since Silverstone where we had to deal with some difficult circumstances,  but we have taken everything we learnt on board and moved on and it shows in Giedo’s performance today. It is brilliant to know now that we have a decent car in the wet as well as the dry so all we need is to get the car to the finish line and keep our sights on the podium! On the other hand sadly Rodolfo had another off and damaged his nose when the track was coming into its best condition so he has ended up 24th. All we can do now is to make sure he has a good car for tomorrow and hope he can have a good clean race.”
Giedo van der Garde “When we went out the track was wet but nothing too bad. The team told me to push from the start so I did just that and from the first lap I was P1! I kept pushing and improving before the heavy rain began and we went back into the pits. At that stage I didn’t really want to go out again but the team wanted to make sure pole was secure, which I completely understand, so we went out again and I was still fast! I like this track in the rain - it’s a bit like a go kart track so I really enjoyed myself today. Pole here is good news for the team, especially after such a tough time in Silverstone, so today is for the whole Caterham Racing team, and for me. Everyone is happy so let’s try and keep this momentum going and get on the podium tomorrow!”
Rodolfo Gonzalez “It was a difficult session for me today and we will make some setup changes ahead of the feature race tomorrow. After I spun off this afternoon we made some changes and we were able to match our times from earlier on in the session when the track was much drier, but by then the track was about 4 seconds slower, so that’s obviously a bit frustrating, but that was the call we made. It will be a tough race tomorrow from the back of the grid but I will do the best job I can, stay out of any trouble and have a positive race.”
Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett: “Giedo did a great job today. He was right on the pace when the track was at its best and we could see on the radars that the rain was coming so we told him he had to push in the first ten minutes of the session and that is exactly what he did, so all credit it to him. He said he was happy with the car which is pleasing after all the problems we had in Silverstone. It is a nice feeling to be on pole fair and square and it’s a great start to our weekend here in Germany. Now we have to convert that into a result tomorrow, but I know he likes this circuit in the rain so we are feeling quite positive about the race.
“What can I say for Rodolfo. He knocked his nose in contact which lost him time in the pit lane when the track was at its best and when we got him back out again and his tyres were up to heat it was all but over. The rain started falling more heavily and with nothing to lose we changed the setup but no one improved their times in the second half of the session so it was just unfortunate circumstances today. I feel really bad for him. He was so enthusiastic it would be so good to see him up there but it looks set to be another wet race tomorrow so anything can happen. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”

maocheng

Hockenheim Race One
by Caterham Racing on Sunday, July 22, 2012 at 3:49pm ·

Caterham Racing collected another ten points in a wet / dry Hockenheim feature with Giedo van der Garde finishing in P5.
Both Giedo and his team mate Rodolfo Gonzalez joined the convoy of cars into the pit lane on lap six changing wet tyres for slicks as the track surface dried in the early stages of the race, leaving just the two cars that opted for slicks at the start to take advantage on track, assume the lead and go on to dominate the podium at the end of the race.
The early pit stops required both drivers to put in long 32 lap stints which inevitably saw tyre degradation becoming a factor towards the end of the race. Rodolfo drove well, albeit from the back of the grid, to finish P23 whilst Giedo managed his tyres to round off the top five and reclaiming fourth place in the drivers’ championship.
Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer: “It was quite a nerve-racking race for me. We had to make a difficult decision choosing what tyres to start on and on the day one fo the other teams made the right call and it paid off, so congratulations to them.  Giedo made a brilliant start but went off line and let two cars pass whilst waiting for his tyre pressures to come up but he managed to catch up a lap or two later. We decided to pit both cars as soon as possible and the guys did a fantastic job. After that it was about conserving the tyres for the long race ahead. Rodolfo had a good clean race from the back of the grid, although he was held up in the pit lane the team did a good job in getting him out safely. It is good to get some more points today and with Giedo starting P4 on Sunday we are optimistic. It looks certain to be a dry race so hopefully we can go for more points!”
Giedo van der Garde (P5 Best lap: 1:28.068): “I had a good start today and although I nearly went off in turn three my tyre pressures came up after a couple of laps and I found some pace to pass Melker and catch up with Leimer too. After our pit stop it was a long run on the tyres and in the last eight laps I began to struggle quite a lot, but the good thing is we have got some more points. We will make a few changes for the sprint race and then the aim is to challenge for the win.”
Rodolfo Gonzalez (P23 Best lap: 1:27.615): “It was always going to be a tough race starting from the back of the grid but the car felt pretty quick midrace and I set some quick lap times. I got held up in the pit lane which was a shame but the team did a good job waiting until it was safe to release me. Unfortunately it just wasn’t our day.”
Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett: “We considered putting slicks on Rodolfo’s car to begin with but we decided to be on the safe side and start both cars on wet tyres. As soon as we could we brought both drivers in on the same lap and the team did a very good job even though Rodolfo was held up in traffic. At the end of the race we had quite high tyre wear on the front and rear tyres of both cars so this is something we need to work on but overall I am happy we have more points and we are closing in on the championship leaders. Our main concern for Sunday is to make sure we conserve the tyres until the end of the race and see where we are when the chequered flag falls.”

maocheng

Hockenheim Race Two
by Caterham Racing on Sunday, July 22, 2012 at 9:04pm ·

Caterham Racing concluded the team’s first ever Hockenheim race weekend with a podium finish in the GP2 sprint race after a flying start saw Giedo leap from P4 on the grid to P2 on the opening lap. Following a short safety car period the Dutchman drove a strong race to maintain second place until the chequered flag, scooping another 16 points in the process.
Team mate Rodolfo Gonzalez also had an impressive start, making up nine places in the first few laps before he flat spotted his front tyres whilst avoiding a collision. The team took the decision to bring him in for a new set of soft tyres and after his stop he went after fastest lap, only just missing out by 0.1seconds and finishing the 27 lap race P20.
The GP2 Series now travels direct to Budapest for round nine of the championship on 27-29th July to support the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix.
Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer: “It is fabulous to take home another trophy this week and to finish on the podium today. We have scored some good points and we are closing up the gap up at the top of the championship which is great, and I am very happy for Giedo and the team as they are all working so hard! Rodolfo also had a good race - he set some blistering laps towards the end and although our gamble to put soft tyres on his car probably didn’t pay off as well as we had hoped he had a good race and was running very well at the end. Overall it has been a positive weekend so I am very happy with our performance and look forward to Hungary next week.”
Giedo van der Garde (P2 Best lap 1:26.957) “After nearly stalling on the grid I made a good start and passed Razia in turn one. Nasr then passed me but I battled with him which was fun, and when the safety car came out I was P2. After that the car was feeling good and I was able to follow Calado quite closely. He was maybe one or two tenths quicker in some parts of the track but I was able to catch him up again in other sectors until the last few last laps when he really pushed ahead. I think we still have an issue with tyre degradation but besides that I am very happy with how we set up the car today. We have scored 26 points this weekend which is very positive and it feels good to be back scoring so I am already looking forward to racing in Budapest!”
Rodolfo Gonzalez (P20 / 1:25.856) “Our original plan was to stay out to see how long the option tyres would last but unfortunately I was hit from behind in turn two  and then had to brake hard to avoid a collision ahead of me and in doing so I locked up the fronts, flat-spotting the tyres. The vibration became so bad we had to make a pit stop and after that I just got my head down and drove qualifying laps. In the end we were second fastest in the race which is some consolation but we haven’t had a good clean race since Monaco so now we will move onto Budapest, focus on having a good qualifying position to start the weekend in the best possible position and see what happens from there.”
Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett: “I am pleased for both drivers today. Giedo was happy with his car and had less tyre degradation this morning than he has had all weekend. We were not as quick as Calado so there is some work to be done there - I think it related to track temperature but I am happy to take P2 and continue to close up the gap at the top of the championship standings. With Rodolfo we tried something a bit different, running him on the soft compound tyre from the start which only two other cars did today and it was a bit of a risk as we weren’t sure if they would last the race. Sadly he flat spotted his tyres mid-race trying to avoid contact and had to come in for a new set of tyres. Afterwards he was doing some really quick laps and although he finished further back I am glad he was able to get some racing in, something he recently been lacking due to incidents of one sort or another. In the end he was only a tenth  of a second off fastest lap which is very encouraging. Now we will carry over what we have learnt here to the next race in Budapest, even though they are very different circuits. There is virtually no overtaking at the Hungaroring and the corners are all medium speed, so, as always, qualifying will be all important.”

maocheng

Budapest race preview
by Caterham Racing on Thursday, July 26, 2012 at 10:51pm ·

After podium success at the last race in Hockenheim, Caterham Racing travel to Budapest for round nine of the GP2 Series, looking to solidify the team’s position in the championship standings with another strong performances from Giedo van der Garde and Rodolfo Gonzalez.
This weekend the Pirelli P Zero medium tyres (white) and super-soft tyres (red) have been nominated for use at the technical Hungaroring track, two compounds that will provide very different performance and degradation characteristics. This puts even more emphasis on tyre management and highlights the importance of qualifying well around the famously tight and twisty circuit.
Giedo van der Garde “I like the Hungaroring circuit as it’s quite technical. I was competitive here last season so I am looking forward to getting back out there and seeing what we can achieve this weekend. I was very pleased with our results in Hockenheim and I feel we made a big step forwards, particularly in race two and in our learning of overall tyre management. Here the temperature is much hotter and the track has more grip. There is no space between corners to rest the tyres or overtake so it is pretty demanding. I think it is a similar layout to the Barcelona circuit which is also a favourite of mine and now I feel we are moving forwards, so I hope to have a good car for qualifying, keep the momentum going, and from there go for a top five finish.”
Rodolfo Gonzalez: “The circuit is quite demanding so we need a compliant car to work through all the tight corners here. I had a good race here last year and even after two pits stops I finished P9, so the pace was there and I'm feeling positive moving into the weekend. Hopefully we can have a clean run in qualifying and do the best job we can to get a solid result and bring home some points. I am really looking forward to it!”
Phill Spencer, Caterham Racing Team Manager: “We had some success here last year qualifying on pole and securing a podium finish. The weather looks set to be quite changeable, similar to last year, so let’s hope we can keep the momentum going from Hockenheim and collect some more points this weekend. We have learned a lot recently, particularly for our wet setups and with every round we learn more and more about these Pirelli tyres. The crew have been working hard on our pit stops so let’s hope we can have an even better race this week and return home with more than one trophy!”
Humphrey Corbett, Caterham Racing Chief Engineer: “We will draw from our previous experience here and look to modify and fine-tune our Hockenheim setup for this round. The corners here are medium speed and the kerbs are all fine except one which you have to consider! Stability under braking and good traction are very important and this is a notoriously difficult track to overtake on, so ultimately you race where you qualify and therefore qualifying is our main focus tomorrow. Traffic will no doubt be an issue but as long as we can get both cars out there and let them have clean runs I would like think we can see both our drivers in the top ten!”

maocheng

Budapest qualifying
by Caterham Racing on Saturday, July 28, 2012 at 3:53am ·

An incredibly close qualifying session at the Hungaroring saw no less than nineteen cars covered by just one second after a nail-biting session. Caterham Racing’s Giedo van der Garde was among the early pace setters, sitting P2 at the half-way mark, with team mate Rodolfo Gonzalez P9 after a strong first run.
Unfortunately neither Caterham Racing cars could improve their lap times on their second sets of tyres and after a total of 13 laps Giedo van der Garde finished the session P6 with Rodolfo P21 after 12 laps on track.
Giedo van der Garde (P6 // Best lap 1:29.202) “We had a good start to the session and I did my quickest lap time early on while the track was still a little bit wet, so when we came in for our second set of tyres mid-session I was P2 and quite happy with the pace. Unfortunately from there we couldn’t improve our time, there was a little traffic and the tyres didn’t come up like we hoped so now we must focus on tomorrow. We can do a lot from P6 on the grid even though it is quite hard to overtake. It will come down to managing our tyres well, driving smart and having a good strategy so we can get up there and finish on the podium. Let’s go for it!”
Rodolfo Gonzalez (P21 // Best lap 1:30.201) “Our session today was a bit frustrating in the end as we were expecting to do a better lap time on our second set of tyres but for some reason neither me or my team mate could really improve in the latter half of the session. I lost overall grip and although I improved by a few hundredths of a second it was not enough today. I am obviously disappointed but hopefully I can get a good start tomorrow and from there see if we can finish in the points.”
Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer: “It was such a close session this afternoon, it just goes to show the high standard of the equipment and driving in the GP2 series this season. Although we were hoping for a top five qualifying position today, a points finish tomorrow is certainly not out of the question with Giedo starting from P6 on the grid. Due to the nature of the track in Hungary traffic is always a problem and yellow flags meant both our drivers had to back off several of their timed laps which is a shame. Historically pit stops are where teams can gain time during the race and I am happy with how our practice pits stops have been going so now we just need to keep on pushing and focus on collecting as many points as possible to keep up the momentum of our championship campaign.”
Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett: “Giedo was among the top six for most of the session today and was P2 when he came back to the pit lane for his second set of tyres, looking good for a front row qualifying position. Unfortunately we didn’t go any quicker in the second run and that leaves us  starting from the dirty side of the track, but I still think we can do good things from P6 and I am confident we can give both drivers a good car for the race tomorrow. Rodolfo put in a good first session lap placing him P9 but he never put the perfect lap together in the second run and although he is disappointed he is staying positive. According to latest weather forecast there is a 10% chance of rain for our race tomorrow so at the moment our tyre strategy is still to be decided but we have got to put everything into the first race and aim to get both drivers in the top ten.”

maocheng

Budapest Race One
by Caterham Racing on Sunday, July 29, 2012 at 3:14pm ·

Caterham Racing collected another ten points in the first GP2 race of the Hungarian GP weekend after a determined race by Giedo van der Garde in sweltering conditions at the Hungaroring ended with the Dutchman in P5.

Team mate Rodolfo Gonzalez unfortunately had another disappointing race from P21 on the grid. The Venezuelan finished a lap down after picking up a puncture on lap one after suffering contact with another car.

Giedo van der Garde (P5 // Best lap 1:33.782) “I had a good start but had to make a choice which side of the track to use. Calado was blocking the inside so I was forced to go to the outside and hit the brakes quite late. Palmer then blocked everybody in turn two and I was passed, pushing me back to P7 which was a real pity and after that I found myself behind Gutierrez. Our pace was quicker than his but I just couldn’t pass him and from there the leaders pulled away. I think we were a little unlucky in the feature race. We had the pace and I am sure we could have made up places in the pitstop if we’d been closer to the leaders, however we have won more points and have a very quick car for the sprint race. Now the focus is on doing the best job we can in race two and try to make sure we score more points.”

Rodolfo Gonzalez (P23 // Best lap 1:33.935) “It was another frustrating race for me so of course I am disappointed. Having gained four places at the start I made a mistake, locking up the rears before the tyres were up to temperature. I spun and went into the corner backwards and hit somebody and picked up a puncture in the process. This ruined my race and after a couple of visits to the pit lane I finished a lap down. However, there are positives. My pace was really quick so now I have to focus on repeating that in the sprint race and having a good clean run to the flag in the last race of the weekend.”

Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer: “This is our second year competing here and once again we have taken away some points, so of course I am pleased. Our strategy would have worked better had it not been for Gutierrez’s aggressive start - he managed to overtake Giedo and then held us up when Giedo could not get pass him again. The positive is that in clean air Giedo was quicker than most of the guys out there and we beat Palmer who out-qualified us on Friday so these are all encouraging factors. On the other hand Rodolfo was involved in an early incident which sadly ruined his race. However, he too was fast when he got going again so we will take that into the sprint race, hope they can both have a clean race and score some more points.”

Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett: “Our strategy for the feature race did not work out exactly how we had wanted. Our aim was to make up several positions at the start, to put ourselves in a strong position by the pit stops, but Gutierrez managed to get ahead and consequently held us up and from there we lost time. This circuit is notoriously difficult to pass on so for Giedo to go from P7 on lap one to P5 at the finish is very good and I am happy the points he is winning are helping us close up the gap in the championship.

“Sadly for Rodolfo his run of misfortune continues. He had a puncture on the first lap and had to pit twice but once he got going his pace was very good. I am disappointed for him as I know he can do it. If the rain clears he has a new set of medium tyres for the sprint race so he should be able to be reasonably competitive – if, as looks likely, the rain continues he will have to get his head down and focus on having a clean race with no mistakes. This is our final race before the summer break so I want to make sure Rodolfo, Giedo and the whole team head into the break on a positive note as a reward for all the hard work everybody has put in so far this year.”

maocheng

Budapest Race Two
by Caterham Racing on Sunday, July 29, 2012 at 8:09pm ·

Caterham Racing concluded the GP2 Hungarian race weekend with a top ten finish for Giedo van der Garde after a mature drive from the Dutchman in the Hungarian heat.

A fantastic start saw Giedo leap to P3 on the first lap and run third until his super-soft tyres began to suffer in the later stages of the race. Unable to defend his position Giedo had no choice but to allow cars to pass him and finally finished the race P10.

Team mate Rodolfo Gonzalez drove a calm and calculated race to finish P16 having gained an impressive seven places over the 28 lap race, looking after his car and his tyres well until the chequered flag.

Giedo van der Garde (P10 // Best lap1:34.230) “I had a good start today and was up to P3 on the first lap, but after that it was about managing the tyres. I did quite well until ten laps to go when I started to struggle with degradation and in the end P10 was all I could manage. So, we go home today with no points, which is disappointing, but sometimes you have to take a gamble and today it just didn’t work out so well for us. Now we have a break before our next race and we will be working hard to put ourselves in contention for the the remaining races in Spa, Monza and Singapore. There are still a lot of points to be had and the two European tracks are among my favourites so hopefully we can put in some good races at each of them.”

Rodolfo Gonzalez (P16 // Best lap1:34.126) “I am happy to have had an incident free race today - it has been a while so I am very pleased about that and I hope to keep it going in the remaining races. The car felt pretty good this morning. We were able to fight for positions right up until the point when the pace dropped off, about ten laps from the end. We have a summer break now and I will take this time to really think hard about how I want the rest of the season to go. I need to focus on improving in qualifying and keeping out of trouble during the races.”

Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer: “We knew the risks we were taking when we put Giedo on the super-soft tyres today and the gamble nearly paid off. If the rain had come an hour later it could have worked out for us today but despite that Giedo drove very well. It is disappointing not to score any points but the cars ran very well so I am pleased with the crew’s work, and how the drivers have performed. This is a team effort. We win together and we lose together and we will learn from this and move on. There are six more races left this season so we still have a lot to play for.”

Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett: “We did the best we could with Giedo starting on super-softs. He drove very smoothly and managed to keep up his pace until lap 17 when the tyres began to suffer. By then it wasn’t worth pitting him as he would have finished last so we hung on and he did a great job to finish P10. It all stems from qualifying and the situation we had in the race on Saturday - it was just one of those things this weekend, but overall we are happy with the performance of the cars.

“As for Rodolfo, he drove steadily to hold off a number of cars and he had a good clean race so I am happy for him. We didn’t score any points today but there are still six races left and six more chances to score, so after the break we will come back fighting and push on in Spa, Italy and Singapore.”

maocheng

Spa Preview

by Caterham Racing on Thursday, August 30, 2012 at 9:35pm ·

After a well deserved summer break the GP2 Series returns to racing for the tenth round of the championship at Spa, one of the most historic tracks on the race calendar.
Spa presents many challenges including the unpredictability of the Ardennes region weather. Rainfall often sees the track wet in one sector and dry in others which puts the onus on car setup, driver skill and tyre performance. It is also one of the fastest tracks of the season with many different types of corners and major elevation changes.
Rodolfo Gonzalez “I have been away during the break. I went to Venezuela for a few days to relax and reflect and look closely at the areas I want to improve in racing. Now we’re back on track I’m glad we’re back to racing and I’m looking forward to a strong clean weekend here in Belgium. Spa is one of my favourite tracks on the calendar because of the nature of the corners - it is a fast and flowing track and Eau Rouge is always fun to drive through! The corners are high speed here, like in Monza, and both venues make for an exciting race for the fans so I am looking forward to getting back out there and giving it my best shot.”
Giedo van der Garde “It is always good to be here in Spa. It is the closest track to Holland so for me it is like a home race with lots of Dutch fans in the grandstands. It is especially good to be at the track after a four week break from racing. I have been to the Olympics, had a week on holiday and moved house so I have been busy but I am happy to be back! I am normally quite quick here so let’s hope we can get another good result, collect some points and see where we stand after the weekend. The weather can be very mixed here but in Hockenheim we proved we have a good wet set up so now we’ll just have to wait and see. There is always a bit of luck involved but whatever happens we have to perform well and attack from the start!”
Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer “We are looking forward to getting back on track after a good four week summer break. We have had a skeleton crew at the factory since Budapest and I am very happy to see the cars roll out of the truck here in good shape and I feel as optimistic as ever. The forecast here is looking good so all being well we can continue the success we have had here in Spa and with six more races this season still to be won I think the whole team is looking forward to consolidating our points and wrapping up the season in a positive way.”
Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett “I am glad to be back racing after our break and very happy to be at one of the best circuits in the world! Spa is a very challenging circuit for the drivers - if you are quick around here you must be good. The weather forecast doesn’t look too bad either so we have prepared a good setup for both wet and dry conditions because you never can tell what the weather will do here. We will be running a little less downforce than normal because of the long straight and although the mighty Eau Rouge is quite challenging nowadays, unless you get the entry wrong, you go at it flat out so it is a very good test of the cars and the drivers. I just can’t wait to hear some racing engines again - I love it here, bring it on!”

maocheng

Spa Qualifying

by Caterham Racing on Saturday, September 1, 2012 at 2:36am ·

Giedo van der Garde made it into the top ten in the GP2 Spa qualifications after torrential rain delayed the opening sessions of round ten of the
championship.
In tough conditions Giedo completed eleven qualifying laps which were split into two runs. The Dutchman’s first outing looked promising as he topped the timesheets, putting in a quickest lap time of 2:18.930, but unfortunately he was not able to get the best from his second set of tyres and ended the 30-minute session tenth on the grid for Saturday’s feature race.
His teammate Rodolfo Gonzalez recorded a quickest lap time of 2:20.7520, putting him P20 for race one in Spa, but a grid place penalty handed to Fabio Onidi in Budapest means Rodolfo will start tomorrow’s race from P19.
Giedo van der Garde - P10 “For various reasons the session this morning did not quite go to plan. We had a problem with the car and red flags disrupted the runs we had scheduled so we were not able to complete our program. When we went out for qualifying the car seemed to behave really well in the wet, we were quick in the early part of the session but as the track started to dry I lost grip. I think it had something to do with our tyre pressures and on our second set of tyres I struggled a bit and so we will start the feature race P10. I was hoping for better but there are lots of good overtaking opportunities here and I believe we have a good setup for tyre management so hopefully we can have a strong start and make up some positions.”
Rodolfo Gonzalez - P19 “I struggled with understeer in the early part of the qualifying session but we made a change midsession and afterwards the car felt a lot better. I instantly improved my lap time but I think by then we had missed the best time to be out on track and unfortunately it was not enough to put me up towards the front. I hope the conditions will be better tomorrow. It would be good to have a dry start and from there hopefully we can have a strong race.”
Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer “With qualifying over I have to admit I am a little disappointed as we were hoping to qualify higher up the field. The weather no doubt played a part in it today, it has been diabolical but of course it has been the same for everybody. Pole-sitter Haryanto got lucky today - he seemed to stay out on the same set of tyres for the entire session and put his best lap together when the track was at its quickest. But looking on the positive side we have two cars back in one piece so we will focus on having a solid race tomorrow. The weather forecast is brighter for the weekend so we will set the cars up accordingly and aim to go out there and score some points.”
Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett “Things did not go according to plan today so of course I am a little disheartened. I thought we could do much better here so we have our work cut out to see where things went wrong for us this afternoon. I believe our tyre strategy was right but perhaps it was to do with our tyre pressures. Giedo missed out when he had to back off on a quick lap because of traffic but still I am confident we can score points from P10 on the grid. We do have two major contenders ahead of us so we have some work to do but you can overtake here. It is expected to be dry tomorrow so the pressure is on to get our dry setup right and hopefully we can collect some points at the chequered flag.”

maocheng

Spa Race One

by Caterham Racing on Monday, September 3, 2012 at 8:10am ·

Caterham Racing's pit stop strategy paid off in Saturday's GP2 race in Spa after Giedo van der Garde drove a storming race to gain five positions in the opening lap and finish fifth overall from P10 on the grid.
The eventful race was stopped for an hour to allow marshals time to clear up an incident involving an Ocean Racing Technology car. After one aborted restart the cars waited on the grid until the lights turned green to allow them to complete the final 17 laps of the race. With Giedo starting in front he had to push hard to pull away from the group before the team brought him in for his compulsory pit stop with six laps to go. Giedo rejoined in ninth and then drove faultlessly, finishing fifth and collecting twelve points including two for fastest lap.
Unfortunately for teammate Rodolfo Gonzalez his race ended early when the Venezuelan lost control of the car and went into the barriers in Eau Rouge on lap one. Investigations are continuing to determine the reasons for the incident and his team worked hard overnight to repair the car so that is ready for Sunday's sprint race.
Giedo van der Garde P5 "We knew we had some work to do starting from P10 but I had a rocket start and my first few laps felt really good. The team took the to decision to keep me out when most of the field came in for their pit stops and after that we got red flagged so there was only one thing left we could do when the race restarted and that was to push like crazy! After our pit stop we really showed what we are capable of. The pace was good and I really enjoyed overtaking several cars to finished P5. It's also great to get some more points in the bag, hopefully we can collect more in Sunday's race to help solidify our place in the championship."
Rodolfo Gonzalez "We still do not know exactly what happened in the race. From video footage it's clear that going through Eau Rouge there is a big cloud of smoke from the front left wheel as I turn and it felt like the car just didn't want to go right and as a result I went straight into the wall, ending my race early. The team continue to investigate the incident and I have faith they have done all they can so we can come back fighting in Sunday's race. "
Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer "The first race of the weekend has been a mixed one for us again. Losing Rodolfo on the first lap after an incident at Eau Rouge was very unfortunate and we will continue to look at it to see exactly what happened. Contrasting that Giedo made up several places at the start and was driving a superb race when the session was red flagged. Having opted not to pit with everyone else Giedo was in front when the race restarted with a pit stop still to make so the only strategy we had was to put fresh tyres on and push hard. The team did a fantastic job in the pit stop and from there Giedo drove like a demon to take P5 and twelve points. With some good tyres still left for the sprint race I am looking forward to seeing what we can achieve in our second race here in Spa."
Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett "We will find out what happened with Rodolfo. Sadly his lap one incident left the car in a bit of a mess but fortunately he is ok so the team have had a lot of work to do to turn the car around ready for Sunday's race. As for Giedo, we took a gamble not pitting him with the rest of the crowd but he drove incredibly well. It was a risky strategy and with a few more laps I think he could have been on the podium, but he kept a cool head and drove some quick qualifying laps to finish P5, aided by an excellent pit stop by the crew. So all in all I am very happy for him and the team and look forward to another strong performance to conclude our Belgium grand prix weekend this year."

maocheng

Spa Race Two

by Caterham Racing on Monday, September 3, 2012 at 8:14am ·

Both Caterham Racing cars went into the GP2 sprint in Spa with good race pace but unfortunately the team were not able to convert this into points after a lap one incident involving Giedo van der Garde took him out of the points positions. Teammate Rodolfo Gonzalez made good progress through the field, gaining an impressive eleven positions after a series of exciting battles on track and finished P14 at the chequered flag..
Giedo van der Garde was unlucky at the start, being squeezed between two cars on the opening lap, forcing him into the pit lane for a new nose and fresh tyres and dashing any hopes of a podium finish. He rejoined the track after good work in the pits and set a number of blistering lap times, albeit from the back of the grid and he finished P21. Giedo,
Rodolfo and the team now head to round 11 in Monza from 7th - 9th September.
Giedo van der Garde "I made a decent start but I was pushed out in turn one. On the exit a car to the left of me came back towards me hard and on my right there was Valsecchi. I was sandwiched between the two cars and was pushed up into the air, coming back down hard and that impact broke my front wing. The only thing I could do was return to the pit lane and when we came out we were nowhere. On the plus side our pace was incredible today. We made up about 20 seconds on the leader but unfortunately we finished out of the points today. In these last few rounds of the championship points and results are crucial so hopefully we can carry over our fantastic race pace in Monza and convert that into results."
Rodolfo Gonzalez "The car felt quite good today, although in the last few laps my tyres started to go off and I was overtaken by two cars purely because of the tyre degradation - up until then I had been fighting for a top ten position. It is shame we had to start from the back of the grid again but we did the best we could and made up eleven positions which is very positive, but we still have a way to go. Our main aim now is to score points in the last rounds of the season."
Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer "Giedo's first lap incident was very unfortunate as we could have won the race easily with his pace today. He was on it right until the very end of the race when other cars were dropping back so I am disappointed for him and the team as we didn't get the points we deserved today. On the other hand Rodolfo had a strong race starting from the back of the grid and had a good run to finish P14. Both cars had really good pace today and it is just a shame we could not convert that into points. After Rodolfo's accident yesterday the team worked incredibly hard overnight to prepare for this race so a big thank you to everyone who helped and now we will turn our focus onto Monza this coming weekend."
Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett "Rodolfo had a very good start today, making up a lot of places to finish P14 after some really good battles. It was good to see him challenge safely and all credit to him that he did a good job throughout the race. With Giedo we were unlucky. He was sandwiched between two cars in the first corner and it was a racing incident so there was nothing we could do about it, but his pace after his stop was excellent. We were a second a lap quicker than the leaders, sometimes two seconds, so we think we could have won the race convincingly today. It is all if, buts and maybes and unfortunately we have scored no points today, so now I am looking ahead on to Monza where I hope we can fight for points and podiums."

maocheng

Monza race preview

by Caterham Racing on Wednesday, September 5, 2012 at 10:04pm ·

Caterham Racing prepares for the fastest race of the year at the penultimate round of the 2012 GP2 season at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza circuit near Milan.
In the last European race before the GP2 series heads to Singapore for the season finale the drivers will take on the challenges of the long straights and tight chicanes that characterise the historic Italian circuit. With the Pirelli P Zero hard and soft tyres as the compound choices in Monza a number of different race strategy options will be available to teams and a notable speed differential between the two compounds will put a strong emphasis on choosing the correct tyre strategy.
GP2 Schedule:
Friday 7th September
12.00 – 12.30hrs                Practice Session
16.00 – 16.30hrs                Qualifying Session

Saturday 8th September
15.25 / 15.30hrs                Pit Lane opens / closes
GP2 Race 1: 15.40hrs       30 laps (excl. formation)/ 60 mins.

Sunday 9th September
10.20 / 10.25hrs                Pit Lane opens / closes
GP2 Race 2: 10.35hrs       21 laps (excl. formation)/ 45 mins.

Rodolfo Gonzalez “My main focus for Monza is to have a good clean qualifying session on Friday to maximise the chance of scoring points over the weekend. Monza is a fast, high speed track with lots of overtaking opportunities. The first corner at the start of the race will no doubt be quite busy so my aim will be to stay out of trouble there and get my head down so we can have a good strong race on Saturday to put us in the best position to score points on Sunday.”
Giedo van der Garde “We had really good race pace in the Spa sprint race and I hope we can keep that momentum going in Monza for the penultimate round of our season. I feel confident our standard setup will work well for us in Italy so we must stay sharp and make no mistakes so we can gain from every opportunity and score some points. There is always an element of luck involved in racing but I believe we have the potential to challenge for a win here which has to be our main goal. I really like Monza - it’s a technical track and it's always an exciting race so I am looking forward to getting out there and giving it everything I’ve got!”
Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer “We move on from Spa to Monza for the second part of our double header and the last European round of the championship. As usual we are optimistic and hoping to do well. This is a very different track to most we go to - the cars reach high speeds on the long straights and there are heavy braking areas into the turns but both Giedo and Rodolfo like the track and are keen to get going. There is a lot of history ib Monza and the atmosphere is always great so let’s hope we can give the fans a good show and leave Italy with some decent points and another trophy for the cabinet.”
Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett “This is one of my favourite tracks on the calendar. It might look like a combination of straights and tight chicanes but it is quite technical too. You need low downforce and a car that’s good over the kerbs, but it is heavy on the brakes so you must be careful and have good stability under braking. The weather looks set to be fine for all three days on track which is good news and after Giedo’s race in Spa we are all up for the challenge and feeling quite confident. As the season comes to a close our main aim must be to close the gap in the championship so really nothing less than a win will do.”

maocheng

Monza Qualifying

by Caterham Racing on Saturday, September 8, 2012 at 3:54am ·

Caterham Racing set the pace in the first half of qualifying in Monza with a strong showing from Giedo van der Garde, the Dutchman initially looking set to have claimed pole position for Saturday’s race. However, with only six minutes of the session remaining, Carlin’s Max Chilton knocked him off top spot in a late push for pole. Van der Garde then replied by posting an improved lap time of 1:31.953, but despite this valiant effort, it still left him just 0.067 seconds behind Chilton meaning he starts in a strong P2 on the grid for race one.

With contrasting fortunes teammate Rodolfo Gonzalez was unfortunate once again in his attempts to make his way up the grid. Despite driving well, the Venezuelan failed to put a consistently fast lap time together and after 14 determined attempts he qualified P25 for Saturday's GP2 feature race.

Giedo van der Garde – P2 “We set the fastest lap on our third attempt, and were then a little unlucky in the second half of the session with timing and yellow flags. Right at the end Chilton posted a quicker lap than me but overall I am happy with our position. It is a pity we didn’t make pole after such a strong start, but the car is in great shape and the whole team are all really focused. It would be fantastic to have something to celebrate tomorrow night, and I am confident we can do something from P2.”

Rodolfo Gonzalez P25 “I am obviously very disappointed with my performance. It was a very close session but I lost time in two corners which is crucial on this circuit. The balance of the car felt good but I just couldn’t put a lap together. We start in a difficult position, but I am confident in my ability and will do the best I can.”

Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer “Today was a mixed bag. Giedo did a fantastic job to finish in P2, he is really happy with the car and the result speaks for itself. Rodolfo on the other hand just could not get into a groove and unfortunately starts 25th and has his work cut out to put himself in the points. He is very disappointed of course, but we will do all we can to give both our drivers a good car, and the support they need for the feature race tomorrow.”

Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett “I am very pleased to have qualified so well in Monza today. Everything went to plan. Giedo did a great job and although it is a shame to miss out on pole it was incredibly close. Unfortunately Rodolfo seemed a little lost, I am not sure what went wrong for him as both cars were set up the same. Rodolfo needs to take some time to look through all the data and at himself and come back fresh tomorrow. He will have a tough job from the back of the grid tomorrow but perhaps he can turn it around for the Sunday race. As for Giedo we have high hopes of a podium finish.”