 [30-07-2007]
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 [29-07-2007]
RAGUES SHOWS HIS SPEED AT ANDERSTORP
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 [17-07-2007]
MORTARA ENCOURAGED DESPITE TRYING WEEKEND AT MUGELLO
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 [09-07-2007]
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 [08-07-2007]
MAIDEN POINTS IN NIPPON AT SUZUKA FOR CARBONE
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[17-07-2007]
MORTARA ENCOURAGED DESPITE TRYING WEEKEND AT MUGELLO
 The Italian circuit of Mugello is where French-Italian Edoardo Mortara made his race debut in Formula Renault last year – but it has not always been kind to him.
Now driving for the Signature team in the F3 Euroseries, Mortara had a mixed weekend at the latest round of the Championship there – which was ultimately compromised by a rare mechanical failure.
Although the tight and twisty circuit – used extensively for testing – is not best suited to Edoardo’s flowing driving style, he was able to set third-fastest fastest time during pre-event testing on the Thursday before the race.
When it came to free practice on Friday, Edoardo concentrated on finding a good set-up on part-worn tyres, so did not try for a quick time. Qualifying was all-important, as the high ambient temperatures meant that it was vital to set a time within two laps in order to get the best out of a set of tyres. Unfortunately, while Edoardo was extremely quick in individual sectors, he was unable to set his best time until the tyres were past their prime. Consequently, he lined up 16th on the grid for race one.
Nonetheless, Edoardo refused to give up and pushed very hard during the race. He made up seven places to finish ninth – but this was a disastrous position, as under the Euroseries rules the top eight finishers are reversed to form the grid for race two. This meant that Edoardo just missed out on pole position.
In any case, the 20 year-old would not have been able to take advantage of it. After just seven laps of race two he had to pit from seventh place because of a fuel pump problem. The Signature mechanics switched his car to another fuel pump and sent him off again. Now at the back of the field, Edoardo was the quickest man on track at the time. But then the problem recurred a few laps later, forcing Edoardo back into the pits. Eventually he finished the race in 18th position. Edoardo is currently ninth in the overall championship and second in the rookie championship, just one point behind the leader Mailleux – who won race two at Mugello.
Edoardo commented: “It’s not been an easy weekend, but on the positive side, we’ve proved by the end of the week end that we’ve definitely got the pace even if I can’t hide my frustration of not be in position to reiterate my Thursday’s performance. With just a little bit more luck, things could have been quite different: we came very close to having pole position for race two, which would have given us an excellent chance of fighting for the win. As far as the championship goes, we’re still in the top 10 overall and second in the rookie standings by just one point – so there is everything still to play for.”
The next round of the Formula 3 Euroseries takes place at Zandvoort from July 28-29
For more information please contact: media@quadrasports.com
www.edoardomortara.com
www.signature-team.com
www.f3euroseries.com
Mugello 16/07/07
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