Doornbos coming to grips with Champ Car

Robert Doornbos (pictured right talking to Europe race owner Bart Rietbergen) is clearly getting to grips with Champ Car. On only his third pre-season appearance for Minardi Team USA, the 25-year-old Dutch driver recorded the fifth fastest time during the opening day of Spring Training at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca, the final test for Champ Car World Series teams before the start of the 2007 season.

The Indianapolis-based squad was among the first on track, Doornbos and newly appointed test and reserve driver, Zsolt Baumgartner, both keen to familiarize themselves with the demanding 2.238-mile (3.602-km) road course and get under way with the day’s technical program. Under the guidance of the team’s engineering staff, the plan was for Doornbos and Baumgartner to work on continuing development of the Panoz DP01 chassis, focusing specifically on the evaluation of suspension geometry changes, as well as assessment of shock absorber settings and brake pad material.

With track conditions improving steadily during the morning, both drivers set encouraging lap times as the session progressed. Unfortunately, the afternoon was not as kind to Baumgartner, whose car ran off the track at Turn 6 not long after the start of the second session, and made contact with the barriers. The young Hungarian driver was uninjured in the incident, but damage to the chassis was such that it could not be repaired in the time available. Testing continues tomorrow, as teams prepare for the opening race of the new season, in Las Vegas, in just four weeks.

“It’s been a great day. This is an amazing circuit, as we found when we walked around it on Thursday, but to drive on it is absolutely fantastic. We made good progress this morning, and having set a time that put us in P1 for awhile, stopped before the end of the session in order to make further changes to the car. We had a pretty clear idea about set-up from early on, and we’ve been able to improve the car consistently, thanks to the hard work of all the guys. I think we can be pleased with our top-five time today, as it’s an indication we’re becoming competitive. There’s more work to do tomorrow, with some race simulation and heavy-fuel runs, as well as standing start practice at the end of the day, but we’re definitely going in the right direction."