Patrick salvages 4th out of a difficult weekend
Faster Than Speed - Malaysia Report
Category: Press-release
Patrick De Wit saved Faster Than Speed's  "Patrick 4th in Sepang"
In WS, the team had a difficult weekend, with only Drazen Cokor and Gabriel Montanes taking points away from Sepang.
World Championship
Patrick De Wit and Ernesto De Angelis had no problems in Q1, as they set the 8th and 15th fastest times respectively to secure a place in the following round. However, Sergio Casalins just missed the cut and had to start 19th. Giuseppe Marconi was also unable to go through, qualifying 22nd.
In Q2, Patrick improved his laptime, securing a place in Q3 with the 6th quickest time, while Ernesto missed the cut by just one tenth of a second and qualified 13th.
In Q3, Patrick drove a fantastic lap, taking his FTS-P9 to 3rd on the grid, despite carrying a heavier fuel load than front-row starters Kolbe and Marques.
The race start was disastrous for FTS, as Sergio had to start from the pitlane and was out of the race soon after, while Patrick stalled his engine in his P3 grid box. However, the team was lucky that two first-lap incidents triggered the Race Director to red flag the race and order a restart.
Despite the restart, it just wasn't Sergio's day, as a first-lap spin meant an early retirement. Giuseppe didn't have a lucky start either, as slight contact with another car caused his front wing to deattach, obliging him to pit at the end of the opening lap, destroying all his chances. With a few laps to go, an engine failure prevented him from reaching the finish.
The second start was, however, much better for Patrick. Despite some expected problems,  "http://www.fts-racing.net"
Ernesto drove another solid race for FTS NetRex, battling with other cars throughout the GP. A long second pitstop denied him points this time, as he finished 9th, right behind the last point-scorer.
World Series Ace
Gabriel Montanes and Mauricio Gomez qualified their FTS-P9 in 22nd and 23rd places respectively. Unfortunately, Mauricio's car was again damaged in a first-lap incident. With obvious difficulties to keep pushing, he spun out in the second part of the race. Gabriel was having a strong race, until a long pitstop and lack of grip caused him to go down the order. In the closing laps, Gabriel had to nurse his car home with a smoking engine, which just managed to survive to see the checkered flag, taking a few points home for 12th position.
World Series Pro
Pablo Tassano and Theo Gort were 19th and 23rd quickest in the Qualifying session. Despite this time being able to go further than the Formation Lap, Pablo was struck by plenty of bad luck, as he had to pit after a first-lap incident and wait behind another car until he could have his repaired. The pitstop was never-ending, as he was stopped for over a minute until he could go back on track, only to be later hit again by another car. Pablo didn't give up and reached the finish line, albeit 4 laps down,  "Patrick De Wit (FTS-P9)"
World Series Advanced
The WS Advanced division made its 2009 debut in Malaysia, with Faster Than Speed defending its double title from 2008. Roy Wachtmeester led the team's charge in Q1 as he set the 4th quickest time, while team mate Drazen Cokor qualified 16th. Roy had a difficult Q2, where he secured 9th on the grid.
Being hit on the second lap of the race, Roy was unable to extract his full pace with a damaged rear wing. However, he was recoverying strongly until, struggling for rear balance, he lost control of the car and had to retire. A stop-and-go penalty for speeding in the pitlane heavily compromised Drazen's chances of a strong result, but he still managed to take some useful points away from his 9th place finish.
World Series Amateur
Heinz Vanderhoydonck qualified 14th, while team mate Nick Oldenhuis was unable to take part in the event after being struck by technical problems. Heinz was running a very strong race, getting into the top 5 before his first pitstop. He never reached the pitlane, however, as he ran out of fuel, ending his race prematurely.
The WS Ace division will race its Chinese GP next Sunday, while the rest of the divisions will wait until the following weekend. In Shanghai, the team hopes to recover from its difficult Malaysian WS weekend, while continuing to fight at the very top of the World Championship!
Faster Than Speed
Press Release
http://www.fts-racing.net
Article by: Christian Smirnoff, 2009-04-18 06:04:00
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