Novinky
Na letošní druhé oficiální testy Světové série F Renault 3.5 nebude jezdec týmu ISR Filip Salaquarda rád vzpomínat. V rychlosti 240 km/h mu přestaly fungovat brzdy na zadních kolech. Stalo se tak na konci dlouhé rovinky. Následoval průjezd únikovou zónou a pak náraz do zdi. Štěstím v neštěstí bylo pro Filipa to, že zeď byla obložena třemi řadami pneumatik, které náraz částečně utlumily. Český jezdec navíc zachoval chladnou hlavu, díky brzdnému účinku předních kol snížil nárazovou rychlost a zbytečně netočil volantem. Čelní náraz, kdy se formule zabořila na metr do bariéry z pneumatik, přestál Filip Salaquarda bez zranění, naštěstí jen s potlučeninami prakticky po celém těle. A přitom se vše zpočátku vyvíjelo podle představ týmu i jezdce.
„První den dopoledne jsem ujel asi pětadvacet kol. Auto fungovalo výborně, přestože jsme použili starší pneumatiky. Nové gumy jsme šetřili na odpoledne, protože trať se stále zrychlovala,“ připomíná úvodní část testování Salaquarda. „Zajeté časy slibovaly pro odpolední část testů další zrychlení. Bohužel kvůli závadě na převodovce jsme ujeli jen pár kol. A na neděli je lepší zapomenout.“
Druhým jezdcem, který se v Jerezu objevil v barvách ISR, byl domácí Sergio Canamasas. Nevedl si nijak špatně, když v konkurenci čtyřiadvaceti jezdců obsadil 9. místo, což je oproti Barceloně, kde testoval s jiným týmem, posun o třináct míst kupředu.
Tým teď čeká oprava Filipovy formule a pak cesta do španělského Motorlandu Aragon na poslední testy před ostrým startem Světové serie F Renault 3.5.
20. 06. 10 - Filip’s Second Podium Finish!
Filip Salaquarda managed to repeat his Brno success at the Magny-Cours circuit in France. The Sunday race of the World Series by Renault brought him his second third-place finish during this season. Thus, the Czech driver proved his potential even outside his “domestic” racing track.
The starting grid saw the two ISR Racing team drivers standing behind each other. Salaquarda clocked the fourth fastest time in qualifying while Esteban Guerrieri was the fifth fastest. The weather played peek-a-boo with the drivers. It rained one moment whereas it did not the other moment so that the choice of tyres was a brain teaser. Finally, everybody emerged from the pits on wet tyres but several teams including the ISR changed to slicks just before the start. It was a wise decision, yet accompanied by an undesirable side effect on the Czech team’s part. Work on Guerrieri’s car overran above the limit, which resulted in the Argentine being punished by a drive-through penalty.
Having started off with deliberation on the slippery track, Filip preferred to let Guerrieri and subsequently Costa, a wild Spaniard, past. But then he found himself in the lead as a result of a correct team strategy. This is when he gathered the strength to show a unique performance and record one excellent time after another. He returned from a mandatory pit-stop, which went off absolutely without a hitch this time, in third place, for which he had battled with Ricciardo of Australia.
In the meantime, it started raining again, and running on wet tyres became a great adventure. Salaquarda kept a cool head even under these conditions: “There was no need to pull into the pits and change to wet tyres. I knew that the surface would dry up within two or three laps. All I had to do was hang on.” Everything turned out well even though Ricciardo eventually overcame the Czech driver. But Salaquarda returned to the bronze position moments later as Aleshin, running second up to that point, made an involuntary off-course excursion into the gravel dropping down just behind Salaquarda. Then Aleshin tried to move heaven and earth in order to come back. Nevertheless, he came to grief. “I remained calm because I was convinced that my car was running better”, Filip said after the finish. “Aleshin kept attacking me on the straights but it was me who was clearly faster through the corners”, he added.
Soon, the Russian formula racing matador had to start paying attention to what was happening behind him as he was chased by Guerrieri driving like hell. Although the Argentine had dropped to ninth for a while after getting through his penalty, he began to push forward uncompromisingly. He overtook Costa in a battle for fifth and made an attack on Aleshin in the penultimate lap. However, the manoeuvre resulted in a collision that caused damage to the South American driver’s car: a tyre was cut through. In spite of that, Esteban managed to finish ninth and score two valuable points.
16. 06. 10 - The World Series Continues in France
After their brilliant performance on the Masaryk Circuit in Brno, Filip Salaquarda and his ISR Racing team head for central France where another round of the World Series by Renault takes place at Magny-Cours over the weekend of 19–20 June.
“I know Magny-Cours through my own experience acquired during my involvement in F3. I raced there in 2007. I sort of like the track. It features a lot of high-speed corners and chicanes, which is convenient to us. It’s important for us to find a proper set-up during the Friday free practice sessions”, said Salaquarda lying twelfth in the current standings at the moment. He makes no secret of his desire to reach the top ten: “It will be very hard to repeat the fantastic success achieved in Brno, but I’m confident a lot!”
Team Principal Igor Salaquarda, too, is cautiously optimistic about the event in the land of the Gallic rooster: “The reality is that we haven’t tested in Magny-Cours unlike most of the others. We’d preferred Brno. It’s our handicap a bit, but we have the chance to find the right set-up on the Friday practice sessions. Besides, we’re on a roll; after all, Esteban Guerrieri is third overall and our team has worked its way to fourth place. What’s more, we’re just two points behind the second-placed team. If anyone had predicted this after the first round in Aragón, I wouldn’t have believed him.”
The Saturday race of the World Series by Renault starts at 3 p.m. while the Sunday race, at 12.50 p.m. Both races can be watched by TV viewers as they will be broadcast live on Eurosport 2.
06. 06. 10 - Filip in pole position again!
The fantasy continues in
The race, part of which is a mandatory pit-stop with tyre changing, starts at 1 p.m. and is broadcast live on Eurosport.
06. 06. 10 - The Golden and Bronze Sunday
Nothing new under the sun. This is how we could evaluate the ISR Racing team’s achievements in the Sunday race of the World Series by Renault with a bit of an exaggeration. On the Masaryk Circuit in Brno, the Czech Republic, Esteban Guerrieri claimed his second victory of the weekend while Filip Salaquarda celebrated his debut podium finish.
It sounds like a fairy-tale. Refusing to play the part of a wide-eyed greenhorn, the team from Čestlice near Prague has already three triumphs under its belt even though it competes with rivals such as Epsilon Euskadi or Carlin. Now it attacks the top places in both driver and team rankings!
The two ISR Racing team drivers started today’s race from the first row on the grid. The first corner saw Guerrieri assert himself while Salaquarda had to defend his position against Coletti. However, the Monegasque opted for a very wrong way of attacking and ran out of course.
Thus, Guerrieri built a solid cushion, but it was Berthon who now began to push Salaquarda. The mandatory pit-stops really scrambled the order. Unfortunately, Filip’s stop didn’t go very smoothly. His car fell from the jack during the tyre changing, which resulted in his dropping to third place. In addition, Filip found himself under strong pressure from Grubmüller. All the same, he mastered the situation without substantial problems: “If it were not for the failure during my pitstop, I might have retained my position ahead of Natan (Berthon). But the reality is that his car worked really well from the middle of the race. Grubmüller was catching up with me when cornering, but I got the upper hand on the straights. The third-place finish is the greatest success in my life. I slowly begin to realize what I’ve actually achieved. I’d like to express my thanks to the dozens of thousands of spectators in the stands as well as people watching the event on television and crossing their fingers. I’ll try not to disappoint them next time either.”
The extremely well equipped Berthon troubled even Guerrieri during the final phase, but the experienced Argentinian kept him at arm’s length: “Maybe I came in for new tyres too early and then I struggled with the car with slight understeer. As Berthon was closing up on me, I tried to keep a cool head. I concentrated on exits out of the turns so that he couldn’t catch up with me on the straight and outbrake me.” Team Principal Igor Salaquarda, too, felt pretty giddy with delight: “I’ve been doing this work for a long time, but this is the ultimate pinnacle for me as well. We’ve won the two doubles within two days. What’s more, as rookies and in one of the most recognized formula series. Although deployment of the safety car right in the beginning and the failure during Filip’s pit-stop affected our strategy a little bit today, the race result is very beautiful.”
05. 06. 10 - A Dreamy Beginning
The Saturday morning qualifying for a World Series by Renault race seemed almost incredible to the ISR Racing team as Filip Salaquarda won the session at the Masaryk Circuit in
This, of course, lifted everybody’s spirits in the ISR Racing team box. “I think we did everything right already yesterday including finding a “light” set-up for today. This is a result of our continuous work as well as good knowledge of the local track”, said Team Principal Igor Salaquarda.
Now everything is under preparation for the Saturday race that starts at 1 p.m.
05. 06. 10 - Guerrieri brings victory № 2 to ISR while Filip is slowed down in a gravel trap
Filip Salaquarda would rather put the beginning of lap 2 of the Saturday race of the World Series by Renault on the Masaryk Circuit in
Thus, Filip Salaquarda started from scratch again, that is, from the last spot. Nevertheless, he didn’t give up, but staggered along. He moved up to fifteenth position, but that was it. “The car collected a plenty of mess, and the coolers were getting clogged. That’s why the engine was losing performance”, explained Team Principal Igor Salaquarda.
All the same, he had cause for great joy. Esteban Guerrieri led from the first metres and wouldn’t let anything change this situation at all. Second-placed Brendon Hartley unsuccessfully tried to threaten his position. Whenever the New Zealander came up quite close, the South American raised his pace. “I could drive even faster. But there was no reason to. The start was a key moment. I must appreciate that my duel with Filip was absolutely fair. Both of us were aware of the fact that it would be a stupid mistake to shunt each other out of the race. It’s a pity Filip came short of his expectations because I think that nobody was equal to us today”, Guerrieri said convincingly after turning his last two races in the World Series into victories.
The Sunday race starts at 1 p.m. and will be variegated with a mandatory pit-stop. Live coverage on Eurosport starts at 12.45 p.m. Central European Daylight Saving Time.
