 [10-06-2007]
CARBONE CAUGHT OUT BY CIRCUMSTANCES AT OKAYAMA
[Full Article]
 [10-06-2007]
MORTARA TAKES DEBUT WIN AT BRANDS HATCH!
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 [09-06-2007]
MORTARA IN POINTS AND ON POLE AT BRANDS HATCH
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 [03-06-2007]
PIERRE RAGUES SHINES AT PAU
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 [22-05-2007]
UNLUCKY MOTEGI FOR CARBONE
[Full Article]
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[22-05-2007]
UNLUCKY MOTEGI FOR CARBONE
 Brazilian ace Fabio Carbone was hit by bad luck during round three of this year’s Formula Nippon Championship at Motegi.
Although the 26 year-old enjoys the challenging Japanese circuit, the weather conditions conspired against him – preventing the Dandelion Racing driver from showing his full potential.
For this race, single-lap qualifying was introduced: meaning that every driver would have just one lap to set the time that would determine his grid position. Unfortunately, just as Fabio was about to start his lap, a sudden downpour flooded the track and his chances were ruined. Fabio ended up 19th – one of just a handful of drivers who lost out because of the variable weather conditions.
Once the race started, Fabio rightly decided that he had nothing to lose and embarked on an aggressive strategy. For a while it worked well: he made up seven places on the first lap alone to end up 12th. On lap two, he was determined to continue his charge, but another competitor closed the door on him during an overtaking manoeuvre and sent Fabio into the gravel trap. The Brazilian had no option but to retire.
Fabio commented: “It’s been a disastrous weekend for me, and the fact that none of it was really my fault is of little consolation. This was one of those weekends that you just have to put down to experience. The moment it started to rain during qualifying, our chances were seriously compromised. That forced us into an aggressive race strategy, and we did our best to overtake as many cars as we could. Then during one manoeuvre, the car in front closed the door on me and there was nowhere left to go apart from the gravel trap. Anyway, I’m glad that the Motegi weekend is consigned to history, so that we can get on with our test programme and focus on the next race.”
Straight after the Motegi race, Fabio had a two-day test at the circuit that provided him with valuable data for the future. “It was a very useful test in which everything went well,” he explained. “In some ways though it made our experiences over the weekend all the more frustrating, as we clearly had the fundamental pace to do well.”
The fourth round of the Formula Nippon Championship takes place at Okayama from June 8-10 and then Fabio will be in action with the Nakajima Racing team, at the fourth round of the Japanese Super GT Championship from June 22-24 at Sepang in Malaysia.
For more information please contact: media@quadrasports.com
www.fabiocarbone.com
Geneva, 23/05/07
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