TRACK RECORD TESTING PERFORMANCE AT GELLES RACING
Front Royal, Virginia – Testing season for Gelles Racing is in full swing with five drivers having tested last week in Savannah and more to come this week in Houston. The team is very busy getting both the Champ Car Atlantic and BMW USA race cars ready for new drivers and the results have been very exciting thus far. Team owner Bob Gelles will not announce any drivers before the Holiday Season; some already signed while negotiations are almost completed for others in both series. Meanwhile, there are still seats to be filled and more interesting drivers to evaluate. And as thrilling as car racing is, you could also make money while supporting your favorite athlete simply by playing 오즈포탈 online.
“It’s amazing how well those young drivers are ready,” said team owner Bob Gelles. “They come to us physically fit with years of experience in motorsports. Within a session they are racing at full speed and clocking unbelievably fast times. This was the story in Savannah with the five drivers we had. Overall the weather was perfect for Jonathan Goring, Philip Major, Ian Costa and Pier-Luc Ouellette logging in more than a thousand miles in the FB02 machines while Jesper Wulff Laursen took the helm of the Atlantic Swift .016a single seater and was flirting with the lap record by end of the first day.
“Our driver line-up is rapidly coming together but it is too early to announce a final team of drivers but we know we will be very competitive in both Formula BMW USA and Champ car Atlantic.”
Goring, Major, Costa, Ouellette and Laursen
2006 Skip Barber National Champion, Jonathan Goring was very impressive. Jonathan adapted to the BMW FB02 race car extremely well, he was quick within the first eight laps and was at the track record by lap 12. ”I have been watching Jonathan closely and attended several of the Skip Barber National Championship races watching with high interest this fine young man,” added Gelles. “He is amazingly mature and has a sparkle in his eye that I rarely see. Jonathan knows how to win and has the full support of his family, having grown up surrounded by racing machines. His father has a fine collection of racing cars and clearly Jonathan has what it takes. A champion is always a champion.”
Jonathan quoted as saying regarding his experience with Gelles. “This team is highly structured, well organized and very fast. They worked swiftly and made me feel very welcome upon my arrival. The BMW race car was very balanced and I really liked driving it. It suited my style very well and I know I can go even faster. I feel a personal connection with Gelles; it was as if I was a part of the Gelles team for a long time but really only a brief time and this is where I want to be winning a Championship in 2007. I would like to stay with a team and build a relationship that carries my career all the way to Champ Car and I can do this with Gelles.”
Philip Major did an exceptional job; he was at the track record quickly and maintained his pace the balance of the test while finishing the test at the track record on his last lap on the final day. ”I was thoroughly impressed by Philip’s conditioning,” said Gelles. “He drove a spotless Indy 500 equivalent over the two days, remained focused each and every lap with amazing consistency. The eloquence of his feedback was remarkable; I look forward to working with this impressive driver for the next seasons.” Major quoted: “I was very impressed by the Gelles race car and preparation. I had no mechanical issues and my engineer was outstanding. When I completed a session and requested some changes, my car was always better, never did it slip back, something which I have never experienced before.”
Ian Costa showed why he was a 2007 BMW USA Scholarship Award recipient. Ian approached his testing exactly as he was trained by the BMW Staff in Valencia during his licensing and shoot-out evaluations. ”Ian’s technical merit is well founded,” believed Gelles. “He approached the test in a very deliberate manner and made continual progress constantly improving his times. I know he will prove BMW USA they made a fine choice in their award. Ian is scheduled to continue testing with Gelles in January as we refine his skills to win the Rookie Championship together.”
Pier-Luc Ouellette did a good job steadily improving his times. He showed why he was the karting champion in Quebec last season. Pier-Luc possesses a lot of talent and with more testing can be very competitive in his rookie year in BMW USA.
Jesper Wulff Laursen was everything expected from a Champion. Formula Renault has been the proving ground for successful drivers and the Great Dane is another fine example. ”Jesper proved is country proud,” held Gelles. “He was very technical and professional in his approach to the Swift .016a. In top physical condition, Jesper was capable to pace quickly on par with the data we secured last week at Savannah. We have made great strides with the Cooper tires and I look for Gelles to continue at the forefront of Champ Car Atlantic.”
A pause for the Holiday Season
There will be another two-day session this week at Houston MSR facility before the crews take a break for the Holiday season. ”We have been in full swing the last month, as if the race schedule had begun,” concluded Gelles. “The ten-day break will give us some time with our families before we take to the track in Sebring on January 2nd. Meanwhile, I wish the motorsports community the very best at this time of the year and a very competitive 2007 racing season.”
“There will be more sessions added to this calendar for the drivers who want to get their hands on either of these beautiful BMW or Swift racing machines. The team still has some openings for those who want to inquire about the upcoming sessions or others about to to released.”
