Kazuki's Column from Spa
18 September 07
Spa-Francorchamps is a fantastic track. I'd never raced there prior to last weekend and I was not disappointed. It's a long lap and there are a lot of challenging corners.
With GP2 practice lasting only 30 minutes, I went out of my way to learn the circuit beforehand. I used the ATT Williams simulator at Grove and I did a few laps of the track in a Formula Renault V6 a couple of weeks ago. I completed 12 laps, after which I felt ready to get down to business in the GP2 car.
My Dams Dallara was quick from the outset. We made a few small changes to the set-up during practice, which helped to improve the balance, but mileage was limited for everyone because there were a couple of red flags.
I was quite pleased to qualify eighth. My team-mate Nicolas Lapierre was quicker than me, but he knows the track well having raced there many times and I learnt a lot from looking at his data. He gained all of his time through one corner, so I knew where to focus my attention!
Unfortunately, the first race was a disaster. I was one of four guys in the top eight to stall on the grid, which meant my race was effectively over before it had begun. My start procedure was the same as ever and I'm still not sure why the engine stalled.
When I got going, my only hope of scoring a point was by setting the fastest lap. To do this, I made my compulsory pitstop late in the race so that I'd be on fresh rubber with a light fuel load. But before I had a chance to set a time, the suspension failed and I was forced to retire.
I started race two from 22nd on the grid and managed to make a really good getaway. I passed five cars before the first corner and ended the opening lap in 13th place. When the race had settled down it became harder to overtake, but I was pleased to finish in ninth place, albeit out of the points. It was one of my best drives of the season.
It's now very tight in the Championship, with me, Javier Villa and Adam Carroll all tied in fifth place on 36 points. That means the final round of the series at Valencia in two weeks will be crucial. We had a good test there last winter, so I hope I can get two good results.
Before then, however, I'm heading to Jerez to test the Williams FW29. It's an important test because we're trying some parts that will be raced for the first time at Fuji Speedway. Let's hope they give us another performance step forward.
Until next time,
Kazuki
With GP2 practice lasting only 30 minutes, I went out of my way to learn the circuit beforehand. I used the ATT Williams simulator at Grove and I did a few laps of the track in a Formula Renault V6 a couple of weeks ago. I completed 12 laps, after which I felt ready to get down to business in the GP2 car.
My Dams Dallara was quick from the outset. We made a few small changes to the set-up during practice, which helped to improve the balance, but mileage was limited for everyone because there were a couple of red flags.
I was quite pleased to qualify eighth. My team-mate Nicolas Lapierre was quicker than me, but he knows the track well having raced there many times and I learnt a lot from looking at his data. He gained all of his time through one corner, so I knew where to focus my attention!
Unfortunately, the first race was a disaster. I was one of four guys in the top eight to stall on the grid, which meant my race was effectively over before it had begun. My start procedure was the same as ever and I'm still not sure why the engine stalled.
When I got going, my only hope of scoring a point was by setting the fastest lap. To do this, I made my compulsory pitstop late in the race so that I'd be on fresh rubber with a light fuel load. But before I had a chance to set a time, the suspension failed and I was forced to retire.
I started race two from 22nd on the grid and managed to make a really good getaway. I passed five cars before the first corner and ended the opening lap in 13th place. When the race had settled down it became harder to overtake, but I was pleased to finish in ninth place, albeit out of the points. It was one of my best drives of the season.
It's now very tight in the Championship, with me, Javier Villa and Adam Carroll all tied in fifth place on 36 points. That means the final round of the series at Valencia in two weeks will be crucial. We had a good test there last winter, so I hope I can get two good results.
Before then, however, I'm heading to Jerez to test the Williams FW29. It's an important test because we're trying some parts that will be raced for the first time at Fuji Speedway. Let's hope they give us another performance step forward.
Until next time,
Kazuki
