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P1 Motorsport third in the Teams Championship 19/10/08

P1 Motorsport has ended the 2008 year in third place in the team’s championship, having lost their season-long lead at the penultimate race in Estoril.  With newly crowned champion Giedo van der Garde’s weekend severely compromised by his GP2 Asia commitments, the team was unable to score points in the last race of the year in Barcelona, and subsequently lost out to winners Tech 1 Racing and runners-up Ultimate Signature. 

Nonetheless, in their first year in the World Series by Renault, P1 Motorsport has taken Van der Garde to the driver’s title, claimed two pole positions throughout the year, a dominant five wins, and the Norfolk-based team, led by Roly Vincini, controlled the team’s title race for seven of the nine championship rounds.

Van der Garde returned from Saturday’s GP2 race in China to start from the pitlane in the last race from Barcelona.  The Dutchman had a tough challenge, having failed to turn a wheel at the Circuit de Catalunya prior to his drive out to the grid, and unfortunately for Van der Garde, he lost control on lap one and retired from the race.

The 2008 World Series by Renault Champion said: “It’s been a really fantastic season – I’m very pleased to have worked with the P1 Motorsport team.  They are the best team I have ever worked with and should be extremely proud of what we’ve achieved together this year.  I’d like to thank everyone at P1 - we were by far the strongest team out there, and it’s just been a great year.”

Meanwhile British racer Pippa Mann claimed yet another top 15 finish as she brought her P1 car across the line in 13th position, for the second time at the final round of the WSR 3.5 season in Barcelona.  This signifies the end of her time with Renault, P1 Motorsport, and her European racing career, as she now heads to the U.S. to begin a new chapter with Indy Lights team Panther Racing.

Looking back over the year, the young Briton commented: “It’s been a tough season, and I’ve struggled more in ’08 than I think we did in my debut year in FR 3.5.  I think it is character building and I’ve certainly learnt a lot.  The team has been fantastic to work with and I’ll be sorry to move on having spent two years with P1 and Roly Vincini.  I’m sorry we weren’t able to clinch the team’s championship but very pleased for Giedo (van der Garde) and the driver’s title.  I have no doubt P1 will continue the success they’ve enjoyed this year, and I wish them all the very best.”

P1 Motorsport just outside the Points 18/10/08

The team’s only driver Pippa Mann put in a solid performance in the first race from Barcelona to take 13th position, just outside the points.  The team’s expectations may not have been overly high for the afternoon - following a disappointing qualifying, changeable weather conditions and a 23rd place grid slot - however Mann gained a staggering ten places during the race, and will therefore start Sunday’s feature race in 18th place.  

Having made a good initial start off the line, Mann managed to stay clear of trouble and complete lap one without issue.  The safety car was then deployed immediately following a first corner incident, and Mann was lying in 18th position as the field accelerated away on the re-start.  There was some confusion as the cars approached the line, and through this Mann was able to gain an advantage over her peers, and move herself up into 13th place. 

On lap eleven, Marco Bonanomi (Red Devil Team Comtec) touched wheels with race leader Mikhail Aleshin (Carlin Motorsport), pitching the Italian’s car high into the air and causing a spectacular collision with the pitlane.  Fortunately, Bonanomi walked away from the incident without serious injury, but the safety car came back onto the circuit while the wreckage was cleared.

On the re-start Mann snatched 12th position, and was tucked in behind RC Motorsport’s Duncan Tappy, with Aleix Alcaraz (Pons Racing) just behind the British duo.  Coming into the final corner of the last lap, Alcaraz was hugely late on the brakes and soared past Mann in a strangely optimistic maneuver.  Cutting the chicane, he managed to exit the corner ahead of the P1 car, thereby taking 12th position in the closing seconds of the race.  The team disputed the move but it was rejected, and Mann’s P1 Motorsport car was classified in 13th.

This result will see the series’ only female driver start her last race in the championship from 17th position.  Speaking about the afternoon, Mann said: “It’s been a frustrating day and I’m not happy with the decision not to penalize Alcaraz for the move he made at the end of the race.  Overall I made up a lot of places and I have to again be pleased with our race performance, but it’s never going to be easy starting from the back of the field.

P1 Motorsport will be represented by both of their 2008 drivers in the final race of the year, as the team prepare to welcome back newly crowned champion Giedo van der Garde. The Dutchman was forced to miss Race One due to GP2 Asia commitments, but will rightfully re-join his WSR 3.5 team as they put forward their best efforts for a final bid for the team’s championship.

P1 Outside Top 20 in Rainy Spain 18/10/08

P1 Motorsport sole driver Pippa Mann qualified in 23rd position after a disappointing session where she struggled for pace on a wet circuit.  The track conditions were causing problems all over the course, with various yellows interrupting the qualifying for all concerned. 

Mann’s new tyre run was dashed after a full yellow caused the P1 Motorsport car to back off, and the P1 entry was down in 12th position in group.  In the closing minutes of the session, Mann found some extra pace and jumped ahead of Interwetten.com’s Pablo Sanchez.  However the Mexican driver fought back, just managing to inch in front of Mann, pushing the Briton back down the order - resulting in a 23rd place gird slot for Race One.
 
A pragmatic Mann commented on the situation: “Obviously we needed to be higher up the order today, as the team’s championship is on the line and I would really like to be able to score some points here.  We were running well here in testing, and I think it would have been more than possible to try and get into Super Pole, but unfortunately with the rain we went out relatively blind.  It’s really disappointing but we’ll see what feedback I can give the team before Race One and depending on what the weather does, we’ll just have to see what happens!”

P1 Motorsport arrived in Barcelona for the final round of the season with just one driver, after recently crowned champion Giedo van der Garde elected to pursue other commitments with the GP2 Asia Series, and unfortunately this clashed with the end of the World Series by Renault year.  Nevertheless, the team’s title is still up for grabs and all P1’s efforts will be focused on remaining driver Mann. 

Van Der Garde crowned 2008 World series by Renault Champion 28/09/08

P1 Motorsport driver Giedo Van der Garde has won the 2008 World Series by Renault Championship.  Having the led from the first weekend of the season in Monza, Van der Garde dominated the year and seemingly always had an answer for his rivals.  Wrapping up the championship at the penultimate race of the season in Estoril, both team and driver deservedly celebrated their achievements in P1 Motorsport’s debut season in the championship.

Van der Garde needed just a couple of points in order to take the Formula Renault 3.5 title in Portugal, however as soon as the race got underway, the Dutchman was informed over the radio that his only championship rival – Fabio Carbone (Ultimate Signature) – was out of the race.  Regardless of where he finished, Van der Garde would take the title - even with three races to go, nobody could catch him.

However, Van der Garde kept his head and remained focused on the race.  The P1 crew executed a faultless pitstop, and the Dutchman re-joined the race in seventh position.  Under pressure from Ultimate Signature driver Esteban Guerrieri, the new champion conceded his position to the Brazilian, accepting eighth place and three more championship points.

Van der Garde crossed the line applauded by his team on the pitwall, and parked up outside the teams garage in front of a banner held by his family and friends.  Speaking about the achievement, Van der Garde said, “The race wasn’t easy and we were struggling for pace, but I knew I had the title and so just wanted to bring the car home.  It feels great to finally be here and I’m delighted to have won the championship.”

Commenting on the year, he said, “The team worked really hard in preparation for the start of the season, and it really showed when we arrived in Monza.  We had the perfect start, but gradually the other teams began to catch us around Silverstone and Hungary.  However the team worked super hard over the summer break and we came back strong at Nürburgring.  We deserve to be in this position – we led from the start and I’m thankful to everyone who has been involved this season.”

Van Der Garde inching closer towards Championship 27/09/08

Giedo van der Garde took yet another step towards his goal of clinching the World Series by Renault 3.5 Championship at Estoril when he brought his P1 Motorsport car home in eighth position.  The Dutchman now needs just two points to take the title, which he could well do in Sunday’s race from the Portuguese circuit of Estoril. 

Race One saw the championship leader quick off the line – making up four places into the first corner.  However Van der Garde, still struggling for his usual pace was unable to stay with the lead pack.  On lap nine, Marco Barba (International Draco Racing) was all over the back of the No.21 car, and van der Garde was unable to keep the Spaniard behind him.  Conceding eighth place to Barba, van der Garde continued to push and drove a solid race to claim two championship points.  However, following a later penalty awarded to Marcos Martinez (Pons Racing), van der Garde inherited eighth position and a further championship point.

Speaking about the race, van der Garde said, “It was the toughest race of the year, and I was really struggling for pace.  I’m not sure whether it’s the circuit, or whether we’ve just not got the car for working for us here, but it was certainly a difficult race.  We just have to look at the data and hope for an improvement tomorrow.”

Unfortunately it was Ultimate Signature driver Fabio Carbone - van der Garde’s only title rival – who won the race.  Nevertheless, van der Garde needs only to finish ninth or higher in Sunday’s race to take the title and wrap up the championship at the penultimate race weekend of the series. 

Team mate Pippa Mann had another disappointing race when she retired on lap three after a collision with Charles Pic (Tech 1 Racing).  Commenting on the incident, Mann said: “The right rear wheel took a heavy knock and it likely damaged the tracking.  I came into the pitlane, the team looked at the car and sent me back out to check the situation, but it didn’t feel right at all.  Being a couple of laps down it just wasn’t worth the risk, so we called it a day.  I think Charles (Pic) simply braked too late and we inevitably made contact – he came and found me after the race and I really appreciate his apology.  Tomorrow’s another day…” 

As one of the first retirements from Race One, Mann will unfortunately start Race Two back in 25th position, with van der Garde further forward in 12th place. 

P1 Motorsport just miss out on Super Pole 27/09/08

P1 Motorsport’s Giedo Van der Garde missed out on Super Pole by the narrowest of margins, leaving him down in 13th position for Race One at Estoril.  The Dutchman had been looking in a comfortable position halfway through the session, but for the first time this season was just inched out of contention in the last few minutes. 

Commenting on the situation, Van der Garde said: “We’ve been struggling for overall pace all weekend, and now we’re starting from the seventh row which is disappointing.  We’ll just have to see what happens – we need to finish, get some points, and then see where Carbone ends up.  From where I’m starting it is possible to move up towards the front, so we’ll just have to see.”

Van der Garde’s only rival for the championship title is Ultimate Signature’s Fabio Carbone, who needs to finish this race weekend more than 22 points ahead of the P1 Motorsport driver in order to prevent the Dutchman from taking the title in Portugal.  Carbone will start Race One from fourth on the grid and Race Two from fifth.

Van der Garde’s team mate Pippa Mann was down in 20th position after an incident at the start of qualifying bent the front tracking.  The young Briton could manage only tenth place in group, however was encouraged by the improvements made after their disappointing practice sessions on Friday.

Mann said: “I made contact with one of the Prema Powerteam cars at the start of the session – I thought they were letting me through but at the last minute they turned in.  Unfortunately this bent the front tracking and from them on the car was drifting to the left on the straights and also making the tight right-hand corners more difficult.  I was therefore losing a lot of time in the first sector, but despite this the car did feel much better and the improvement we have made since yesterday is significant.  I’m hopeful we can improve even further during the race.”

Van Der Garde holds off Carbone to win at Le Mans 07/09/08

Giedo Van der Garde took a thrilling victory for P1 Motorsport at Le Mans, despite a fierce mid-race challenge from Ultimate-Signature’s Fabio Carbone.  The Dutchman’s fifth win of the year see’s him remain in control of the championship, with the title now firmly in his grasp.

Van der Garde got a fantastic launch off the line and from second on the grid he managed to inch ahead of pole-sitter Esteban Guerrieri (Ultimate-Signature).  Taking the lead into the first corner, the P1 Motorsport car pulled away from the field and by the end of lap one had a clear gap to the second placed car of Carbone.  By lap four, Van der Garde was almost two seconds ahead and had just set the fastest lap of the race, however Carbone responded and began quickly to close the gap.

Carbone then pitted, followed on the proceeding lap by Van der Garde – with the P1 Motorsport team executing their tyre change with precision.  The No.21 car re-joined back in 10th position, and importantly ahead of Carbone. 

Traffic ahead was yet to pit and Van der Garde again began to lose time to Carbone.  By the time the cars in front had peeled off into the pitlane for their mandatory stop, the Brazilian was just 0.3 seconds behind the race leader with ten laps to go.  Carbone fought hard but to no avail, with Van der Garde putting in an impressive performance under pressure.  The Dutchman crossed the line in first place to take 15 more championship points, and a well deserved victory for the P1 Motorsport team.

Van der Garde spoke about the weekend: “Yesterday we had a clutch failure before the race and there was no time to fix it, so a very disappointing day for the team.  Today I got a great start and we took the lead.  After we had changed the front tyres in the pitstop, the car was suffering from bad oversteer, and Fabio (Carbone) was pushing us for the lead.  We managed to stay ahead and about six laps from the end the tyres wore off enough to improve the balance of the car.  The team worked really hard over the summer break – we knew some of the other teams were starting to catch us and P1 have again done a fantastic job this weekend.”

A race to forget for P1 Motorsport 06/09/08

P1 Motorsport suffered their worst race of the year at Le Mans, when championship leader Giedo Van der Garde failed to make the start after his car suffered a clutch failure, and team mate Pippa Mann retired from the race on lap three after an incident with Fortec Motorsport’s Fairuz Fauzy.

The disappointment was made worse by the fact that Tech 1 Racing - the team’s main rival in the championship – managed to capitalize on the situation with driver Charles Pic snatching victory in the sprint race and another 12 points.  With the gap down to just seven points, P1 Motorsport will be as determined as ever when they line-up second on the grid for Sunday’s feature race - despite an incredibly disappointing day, they remain out ahead in both the team and driver’s championships.

Van Der Garde puts P1 Motorsport on the front row 06/09/08

P1 Motorsport’s Giedo Van der Garde put in a solid performance to take another deserved front row grid position in Formula Renault 3.5, lining up in second place for the first race from the French round of the World Series by Renault at Le Mans.  Having made it through into the Super Pole session, Van der Garde looked like he had pole position sewn up, but unfortunately for the Dutchman, Ultimate Signature’s Esteban Guerrieri came through in the last seconds of qualifying to snatch pole position by a couple of tenths. 

Reverse grid regulations will see the championship leader start from seventh in the first race, then take his guaranteed second position in Sunday’s feature race.   Commenting on the result, Van der Garde said: “We were unlucky with traffic as we went out a little early, so to be honest I am pleased that we managed to get second.  Front row for tomorrow’s race is good for us, and we’ll have to see what happens in Race One.”

Team mate Pippa Mann however had another frustrating qualifying session - the young Brit finding herself down in 11th place in group, unable to better her time and therefore forced to accept a lowly 22nd position for Race One. 

Mann said: “I’m really disappointed with that – I actually thought we might have enough pace to challenge for a place in Super Pole, but I just couldn’t get the car working across an entire lap.  We’ve had a problem in the slower corners, so changed the set-up in an attempt to combat whatever was causing the issue.  The car responded much better in the slower turns, but we compromised the overall performance – we’ll have to look at our options for the race.”

Back on the 11th row Mann will have a lot of ground to make up, but knows anything is possible, “As Race One from the Nürburgring demonstrated, a lot can happen across a race distance and it doesn’t matter so much where you start from, but where you are at the end.  We’ll give it our best shot – every point counts for the championship right now so we have to approach it with that in mind.”

More Points for P1 31/08/08

P1 Motorsport finished a successful weekend at the Nurburgring in Germany, scoring four more points to add to their championship tally despite a troubled pitstop for Giedo Van der Garde, which cost the team a likely podium. 

All was looking promising for the Norfolk-based World Series by Renault team, with Dutchman Van der Garde lined up in pole position for Race Two and team mate Pippa Mann in a competitive 12th spot on the grid.  However as the lights went out and the field powered off the line and down to the first corner, Mann was left on the grid while Van der Garde got jumped by Salvador Duran (Interwetten.com Racing) and exited the first turn in second. 

Van der Garde was determined to take back his lead, and by lap six was starting to make an impression on Duran.  The P1 Motorsport team chose this time to bring their man in for the mandatory pitstop, but a wheel gun failure delayed the team and Van der Garde’s position was compromised.  Although the P1 crew worked around the problem in perfect order, the No.21 car lost time and when the field re-organised itself following the round of pitstops, the Dutchman was back in eighth position where he finished the race. 

Mann eventually got the car re-started with no further problems – albeit some way off the back of the pack, and managed to put the disappointment behind her and push hard to close the gap to the rest of the field.  With a clean pitstop by the P1 Motorsport crew combined with Mann’s consistent pace, the No.22 car came across the line in 20th position – not the desired result but a fantastic drive nonetheless, and one which Mann is confident shows their improved performance.

Commenting on the afternoon, Mann said: “I stalled the engine at the start, but at least we got going again and I managed to catch the field. We should have finished much higher than 20th but regardless, I’m really pleased with our performance and the car was just great today. I feel like we’ve finally got it working for us and my pace proved that - something we can take with us to Le Mans and hopefully build on.”

A Good Team Effort 30/08/08

The P1 Motorsport duo of Giedo Van der Garde and Pippa Mann put in a solid performance in the first race at the Nürburgring, with the Dutchman snatching second and his team mate coming home in seventh place – a personal best for the series only female driver. 

It was an eventful race, with drama off the starting line as Alvaro Barba (Prema Powerteam) got pitched into the air at the first corner, provoking chaos behind him as the field vied for position to avoid getting caught up in the debris and confusion.  Van der Garde narrowly missed the carnage and escaped through the corner, with Mann diving down the inside and managing to do the same. 

Having started eighth and last respectively, Van der Garde and Mann were lying in a solid fifth and eleventh at the halfway point of the race.  However the P1 Motorsport pair both continued to push and managed to gain a couple more places – Van der Garde stealing fourth place from Salvador Duran (Interwetten.com Racing) and then third from a troubled Esteban Guerrieri (Ultimate Signature), while Mann moved herself up into the points as she took tenth. 

With just six laps to go, the safety car was deployed following another incident, and the field now waited to see whether the race would finish under yellow flag conditions.  But the safety car came in and a two-lap dash ensued, with Van der Garde maintaining a fantastic third place and team mate Mann passing Marcos Martinez (Pons Racing) on the re-start to climb to ninth position, score two points, and achieve her best finish in the series to date. However following the race, second placed Fairuz Fauzy (Fortec Racing) and fourth placed Esteban Guerrieri of Ultimate Signature were penalized, handing second position to Van der Garde and a fantastic seventh position to Mann.

Van der Garde: “It was close at the start and fortunately I managed to avoid what happened at the first corner.  Then I was seventh, and I just kept pushing and a lot of the cars ahead made mistakes – we didn’t.  Good points for the championship, and we start from pole position tomorrow so a positive day for us.”

Pippa Mann: “Considering where we started I’m surprised and of course very happy with the result!  I kept out of trouble, made some good overtaking moves and the team did a great job with both cars today.  This result also gives me a much better starting point for tomorrow so hopefully we can have another strong race.”

Van der Garde will start Sunday’s race from pole position, with team mate Mann earning herself a 12th place grid position for the Nürburgring feature race. P1 Motorsport still remain in the lead of the team’s championship, with Van der Garde maintaining top spot in the driver’s title chase.

Van Der Garde takes commanding second pole of the Season 30/08/08

P1 Motorsport’s Giedo Van der Garde has claimed his second pole of the 2008 World Series by Renault season at the Nürburgring - the Dutchman having dominated Friday’s practice sessions at the historic German circuit.  Having made it through to the Super Pole session, Van der Garde had a slow start and it looked as though he might miss out on a top grid position, but a new set of tyres gave him the edge over his rivals, and he posted the fastest lap time.

Commenting on the qualifying session, Van der Garde said: “The first run in Super Pole didn’t go well at all and we were about one second off the pace.  We changed tyres and with this set it was much better.  We did two flying laps with a light fuel load, and that was enough for pole.”

Reverse grid regulations will see the championship leader start from eighth on the grid for Race One, where Van der Garde will be looking to score valuable points for his title bid.  “For this afternoon’s race we’ll have to see what happens – it’s quite difficult to overtake around here but we’ll aim to get as many points as possible, without taking too many risks.  The more points the better of course, but we’ll see what happens.”

In stark contrast to her team mate, Pippa Mann’s weekend got off to a troublesome start when the British driver was forced to pull off the track and out of qualifying after her World Series by Renault car suffered an alternator failure. 

“By the time I was on my best lap, I could really feel that the engine had very little power,” said Mann.  “I knew we had some sort of problem but it soon became apparent I would have to pull off the circuit.  It’s really disappointing as we’ve made some major steps forward this weekend and I was hoping this would show in qualifying, but it wasn’t to be.”

Mann’s incident brought out a red flag, instantly resulting in the loss of her quickest time.  Since she took no further part in qualifying, Mann was pushed to the back of the grid and will therefore start 26th and last for the first race from the Nürburgring. 

P1 Motorsport remain in lead of Championship 06/07/08

P1 Motorsport suffered a frustrating second race from the Hungaroring, after both drivers spun off the circuit and out of the race.  Championship leader Giedo Van der Garde retired from fourth with just two laps to go, while team mate Mann tangled with Frenchman Guillaume Moreau (KTR) at the first corner, and both were forced to retire from the race.

“This was just a standard first lap incident – unfortunately there were just too many cars, not enough track, and something was going to have to give,” said a pragmatic Mann.  “I got a great launch off the line and made up so much ground that I was forced to go around the outside to maintain my track position.  I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Van der Garde meanwhile made a good start off the line and passed Robert Wickens (Carlin Motorsport) for fourth position.  Coming into the pits on lap five, the P1 Motorsport team made quick stop and sent the Dutchman back out still ahead of Wickens, with Van der Garde able to hold his position comfortably as the rest of the field gradually pitted.

With two laps remaining, P1 Motorsport were looking to just miss out on a podium but take home some valuable championship points for fourth place, when the No.21 car spun off the circuit and their race was suddenly over.

However P1 Motorsport leave Hungary still firmly in the lead of both the team and drivers championships.  The World Series by Renault takes a break for the summer now, but will return at the end of August with back-to-back race weekends at Nurburgring and Le Mans.

Van Der Garde takes fourth win of the season 05/07/08

Giedo Van der Garde has taken his fourth win of the 2008 season, driving a faultless race at the Hungaroring despite the chaos that unraveled behind him, in what turned out to be an incident-packed race.  In doing so, the 23 year-old Dutchman retains the lead of the driver’s championship, with P1 Motorsport also staying ahead in the team’s title chase.

With a good start from third on the grid, Van der Garde moved across and passed pole-sitter Charles Pic (Tech 1 Racing).  However, Epsilon’s Alexandre Marsoin got an even better start and the P1 Motorsport car slotted in behind him, with Pic and team mate Julien Jousse in third and fourth respectively - dangerously close to Van der Garde’s rear-wing.   The Dutchman settled into a good pace and pulled out a small gap from the Tech 1 Racing duo, only for the safety car to be deployed causing the field to bunch up again.  Dismissing pressure from Pic on the re-start and later from a charging Jousse, Van der Garde remained in second position - composed and ahead of his championship rivals.

With just over ten laps to go, Marsoin’s quick getaway was deemed by stewards to have been a jump-start, and the Frenchman was forced to come into the pits for a drive-through penalty.  Van der Garde inherited the lead that should have been his from the start, and drove an exceptional remainder of the race to take victory in Hungary.  

An elated Van der Garde said: “We were a bit lucky with Marsoin because he jumped the start, but that was his mistake, so we took our fourth victory and that’s more points for the championship.  Tomorrow we start on row three but as you can see, anything can happen in the race.  Jousse started in seventh this afternoon and finished second, so it’s certainly possible to do that here.  There will also be pitstops tomorrow so it will be interesting, and we definitely have a good race pace, so we’ll see what happens.”

Having made a good start off the line from 21st, team mate Mann sat comfortably in 16th position until an unfortunate spin left her back in 23rd.  Determined as ever, she kept her focus and slowly started moving back up the order, eventually crossing the line to take a solid 15th place.

Commenting on her afternoon, Mann said: “We experienced pretty severe oversteer on the car and unfortunately the handling was affected and I lost control a couple of times.  It’s unusual for me to do that under race conditions so I’m frustrated with the situation, but I did my best and hopefully we can have a look at the data and see if we can make some improvements for tomorrow.“

Mixed Qualifying for P1 05/07/08

Dutchman Giedo Van der Garde put in a fantastic effort to make it into Super Pole, securing third on the grid for Race One and a solid sixth position for Race Two.  However team mate PIppa Mann was involved in an incident with Tech 1 Racing’s Julien Jousse, giving the championship leaders a mixed result with Mann down in 21st position.

Van der Garde was positive about their prospects for the race: “We’re in a good position for the first race starting on row two, and tomorrow on row three we also have pitstops which should come into play.  I believe we will have a good race pace so I’m confident we can come away with some points.”

In 21st place, Mann will start the Race One from the Budapest circuit in the middle of the pack, and will be hoping for a good start and a clean race to ensure she lines up better for Race Two.

“Testing went really well yesterday and I was looking forward to qualifying this morning,” said Mann, “but the incident with Jousse wasted my first tyre run.  I went back out and did the best lap time I have done all weekend, however everyone seemed to find a second on yesterday, and for some reason I was unable to keep up with that.  It’s frustrating because we’ve been quite quick here, but with the changeable track conditions you can never quite anticipate how the car is going to feel.”

P1 Motorsport on the Podium 08/06/08

Giedo Van der Garde claimed a close second position in Silverstone’s feature race behind Carlin Motorsport’s Robert Wickens.  The two battled it out for the victory and it could have gone either way, but unfortunately for Van der Garde, Wickens just beat him to the chequered flag.  However, Van der Garde remains very much in control of the championship, leaving the Silverstone round having added 18 points to his total.

Van der Garde got a fantastic start off the line and eased ahead of pole sitter Wickens.  The P1 Motorsport car led from the first corner and pulled away from the field to have a comfortable lead.  As the cars peeled into the pitlane for the mandatory stop, the Dutchman was catching back-markers and this was costing him valuable time.  The team made the call to bring the No.21 car into the pits on lap ten.  The team managed a great stop, and sent the race leader back out onto the circuit, re-joining down in fifth position.  When the cars ahead stopped for their tyre changes, Van der Garde crossed the line in the lead, but Wickens was exiting the pitlane and it was a race to be first to the corner.  The crowds held their breath as the two cars were almost side by side, but Wickens had the line and took the lead from Van der Garde. 

Although the Dutchman was catching Wickens in the closing stages, he was unable to find a safe way past the Canadian, and settled for a strong second position.  Reflecting on the race, Van der Garde said, “I was unlucky with traffic on my in laps, and subsequently lost some time to Robert (Wickens), but overall I’m pleased to take second position.” 

British female Pippa Mann drove a solid and consistent second race to take a deserved 20th position.  The 23 year-old jostled for position and endured a couple of fantastic battles with fellow Brit Duncan Tappy (RC Motorsport) but in the end, after much hard work and sensational racing, Mann finished where she had begun. 

“It was quite nice to beat another Brit at our home race,” said Mann, “as we had a really good battle.  It was another tough race and again I’m pleased I do put the effort in at the gym!  This wasn’t the result I was looking for here at Silverstone, but with two top 20 finishes, no DNF’s, and the team got a second place with Giedo and are still leading the championship, I cannot complain too much.  However, I’ll be looking for some more points when we head to Hungary in a couple of weeks time.”

Giedo and P1 Motorsport extend their Champion lead 07/06/08

Giedo Van der Garde took a deserved fifth position at Silverstone, to extend his championship lead and also move P1 Motorsport further into the lead of the team’s title chase.  Having qualified second in the Super Pole Qualifying, Van der Garde started the reverse grid race from seventh, but with some excellent overtaking the Dutchman managed to collect some valuable extra points for himself and P1.

“This afternoon’s race was quite hard, but we finished fifth with no mistakes so I’m pleased.  I think we might have gone a little the wrong way with the setup, but we’ll change that for tomorrow’s race.  We almost had fourth but it was too great a risk and I’m happy to take the points.

“Tomorrow we start second so we’ll aim to keep that place and maybe try for a win.  Robert Wickens (Carlin Motorsport) is on pole and he was pretty quick today, so we’ll have to see what happens once we’ve changed the car for tomorrow.”  

Meanwhile team mate Pippa Mann finished the first race from Silverstone in 19th position, having climbed back from a disappointing 23rd position in qualifying.  After a solid start, Mann was still lying in 23rd place, with Aleix Alcaraz (RC Motorsport) on her rear wing and chasing.  On lap three, Alcaraz got past the P1 Motorsport car, but Mann was determined to fight back and kept on the pace.  With sixteen laps to go, Mann was catching Alcaraz and as the two crossed the start/finish line, the World Series’ only female driver dived down the inside of the Spaniard as they entered Copse.  The move held, and Mann was now up to 22nd.  With some retirements and other drivers succumbing to mistakes, Mann finished the race in 19th position and will now start Race Two from 20th on the grid.

Mann commented on her race: “As I drove the car out to the grid, I noticed there was a vibration from the set of new tyres we had put on the car for Race One, and this got worse as the race got underway.  It affects the car very badly on the brakes, so I was fighting all the way round to keep the car facing in the right direction.  This was the kind of race that explains why racing drivers go to the gym!  If I didn’t train so hard, I would have found that very difficult.  I felt like I was racing against people who had more grip than I did, and it took a lot of concentration and effort to stay with them.”

Giedo narrowly misses out on pole position 07/06/08

Giedo Van der Garde claimed a solid second position in qualifying for the first World Series by Renault 3.5 race at Silverstone.  The Dutchman was fastest in group and it was looking promising for another pole position, but Carlin Motorsport’s Robert Wickens managed to gain a couple of tenths over the championship leader, and P1 Motorsport were forced to settle for second.

With the 2008 reverse grid regulations, Van der Garde will start Race One from seventh with Wickens beside him in eighth, but the two will line-up on the front row for Sunday’s feature Race Two.

Van der Garde was content with the morning’s results:  “We went well in qualifying and second is good for us and good for the championship.  I’m happy to take two more points and hopefully starting from seventh this afternoon I can pick up some more.  My focus is the championship.”

P1 Motorsport team mate Pippa Mann qualified in 23rd position, having had a good run on the first set of tyres, but then struggled to post a quicker lap with the second set.  Mann unfortunately fell back down the order as qualifying drew to a close, and could not hide her disappointment: “That’s going to make both races pretty tough for me I think, which is really frustrating. I thought we would be a lot higher up here but when it came to it, I was just unable to get the speed out of it. It’s a setback, but I’ll do my best in Race One and hopefully be starting from further forward in Race Two.”

Giedo takes second in Monaco 25/05/08

Giedo van der Garde finished Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix in second place, further extending his lead in the championship. On the wet streets of Monaco, the Dutchman kept a cool head and resisted the opportunity to push for the lead and risk his podium position. The P1 Motorsport car crossed the line just behind Charles Pic (Tech 1 Racing), leaving Van der Garde and the team still in control of both title chases.

Commenting on his race, Van der Garde said: "A second place in Monaco is a good result. We scored the points we needed to extend the lead in the championship and that'is all that matters. We started the race behind the safety car and also finished the race behind the safety car, which made it a bit of a boring race. In between, I tried to overtake Charles (Pic) once but it was risky. I didn't want to lose my second place so I brought the car home safely.

"The next race will be at Silverstone and I can't wait to go there - Silverstone is a great circuit to race at, and the team's home race, so I'm looking forward to it."

Meanwhile Van der Garde's team mate Pippa Mann had a solid race too, finishing in 18th position. After a setback in qualifying, Mann had a lot of ground to make up, but she kept calm despite the abundance of rain around the twisty Monaco circuit, and climbed back up into the mid field.

Speaking about her weekend, the young British driver said: ""Overall I'm actually pleased. Starting from the back was always going to be tough, and Monaco in the rain with standing water at the start of the race is not something to be taken lightly! I actually really enjoyed driving the car around here in the rain, it was good fun, but just a pity I couldn't make more progress and get a better result. The first and second placed drivers were a couple of seconds quicker than the rest of the field, but after them it was actually pretty even. I've definitely gained some confidence driving in full wet conditions, and all in all, I think we did a good job here.

Giedo Wins on the Track and in the Pitlane 04/05/2008

P1 Motorsport took their third win in the World Series by Renault with Dutchman Giedo van der Garde coming back from third place to take a faultless victory at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Van der Garde commanded the race from the early stages, and a superb team effort in the pitstop ensured that his position was not compromised.

Starting from second on the grid, Van der Garde got a good start off the line, but was on the outside of the track coming into the La Source hairpin. With Marco Bonanomi (Red Devil Team Comtec) on the inside, and Carlin Motorsport's Mikhail Aleshin right behind him, the P1 Motorsport car held ground but exited the corner just short of Aleshin's rear wing. Ending the first lap in third, it seemed the 23 year-old championship leader had a lot of work ahead of him, but he made it look easy. Clearly quicker than Aleshin, Van der Garde passed the Russian with ease and took second position on the second lap. Instantly he was on the tail of Bonanomi, catching him by half a second per lap until he was within striking distance. In a perfect manoeuvre, Van der Garde took the lead around the outside of the Comtec car, and pulled away from the field.

However the team still had to execute the mandatory pitstop, and on lap eight the leader was called in. With a stop of just 4.8 seconds, the P1 Motorsport crew sent Van der Garde on his way, and he re-joined in sixth position ahead of Bonanomi. Once the cars ahead who were yet to make their stop had also pulled into the pitlane, P1 Motorsport were back in the lead and remained there comfortably, crossing the line to take their third 2008 win out of four races.

An elated Van der Garde said, "The team delivered the perfect strategy, and did a fantastic job in the pitstop. What can I say - I'm really happy to take this win for P1 Motorsport, especially after the disappointment of yesterday. Now we look to Monaco, which will be totally different once again - the circuit is very bumpy with little grip, and qualifying will be the key to a good result. I'm looking forward to it."

It was a very different story for Van der Garde's team mate Pippa Mann, who suffered a problem during her pitstop and was forced to retire on lap seven. Team Director Roly Vincini commented: "Pippa had a difficult weekend - yesterday her car collected some debris on the first lap and this made her race very difficult. Today - we'll have to have a look at the data and see what happened. The engine stalled as the car went up on the front jack, and from some reason it wouldn't re-start in first gear. A great result for Giedo though - overall a fantastic team effort."

P1 Motorsport will be back in action on 24th/25th of May at the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, as the World Series by Renault 3.5 is the support series for the FIA Formula One World Championship.

Misfortune for P1 Motorsport 03/05/2008

P1 Motorsport had an unfortunate time in the first race from Spa-Francorchamps, as they failed to add to their points tally in the World Series by Renault. Dutchman Giedo van der Garde crashed out of the race as he was passing Julien Jousse (Tech 1 Racing) for second position, while Britain's Pippa Mann collected some debris at the first corner, which compromised her entire race.

Van der Garde made a fantastic start from seventh on the grid, and managed to inch his way through the first corner hairpin having made up a couple of places. Lying in fifth position, the 23 year-old passed Bertrand Baguette (International Draco Racing) with ease and found himself starting lap two in 4th place. From there he continued to push, posting fastest lap of the race and looking strong for some good points. Miguel Molina (Prema Powerteam) was given a drive-through penalty, and was forced to relinquish the lead, moving Van der Garde up into third position. The safety car was deployed for an accident, and on the re-start with just nine laps to go, Van der Garde was closing in on second-placed man Jousse. The Dutchman got a good run on Jousse as they approached Blanchimont, and carving his way around the sweeping left-hander, Van der Garde eased the P1 car ahead and into second position. However as he was almost clear, Jousse seemed to drift into the left rear of Van der Garde's car, sending them both spinning off the circuit and into retirement.

Van der Garde rued the incident: "The race started quite well - everyone's tyres seemed to be wearing quickly and so I backed off to conserve them for later in the race. On the re-start after the safety car, I was much quicker than Jousse and tried to pass him around the outside. He drove into me, which absolutely cost me the race."

Meanwhile Mann, who had it all to do from 21st position, was back down the order hampered by poor handling and massive understeer, She fought throughout the race to keep the P1 Motorsport car on the circuit, and coupled with a mid-race pitstop to check for damage, she eventually crossed the finish line in 16th place. It was only when the car was back in the garage that the team could see the problem. Someone's front wing was lodged beneath Mann's World Series machine - which must have been collected at the first corner incident despite the fact that Mann had managed to avoid contact with anyone. The debris caused the front of Mann's car to be slightly raised which was the reason for the understeer.

Speaking about the race, Mann said: "I didn't know why I couldn't take Eau Rouge flat or what the problem was - all I knew was that the car was incredibly difficult to drive and I almost put it in the wall a couple of times. Knowing what I do now, I'm very pleased to have finished the race, and starting from 16th on the grid tomorrow is not a bad result considering."

Front Row for Van Der Garde 03/05/2008

P1 Motorsport were again at the front of the field in Spa-Francorchamps, with championship leader Giedo van der Garde taking a close-run second position in the Super Pole Qualifying. Having gone fastest in group by a couple of tenths, Van der Garde narrowly missed out on taking his second consecutive pole of the year as he was nudged off the top spot by Marco Bonanomi (Red Devil Team Comtec).

Both P1 Motorsport drivers were in the second qualifying group, and the competition was high. Van der Garde's team mate - British female Pippa Mann - struggled with her first set of tyres before going back out on a new set to put in a quick lap. Unfortunately for the 23-year old, because the 13 cars were all at the top of their game, this was only good enough for eleventh quickest in group. Mann was cut from the Super Pole session, and will start Race One from 21st on the grid.

Commenting on her efforts, Mann said: ""It's just unfortunate but there's nothing I can do. I struggled on my first set of tyres and then was finally able to put a good lap in on the second set. I'm still relatively new to this circuit so I can't be too disappointed with the result. I would have started in the top 15 had Iqualified in the other group, but I'm happy to settle for 21st and we'll just see what we can do in the first race."

Meanwhile Van der Garde had topped the timing sheets in the same group, which meant he would have to compete for pole position with the eleven other quickest drivers. When the session began, the Dutchman went straight out and set the fastest time. He then went quicker still and all was looking good for P1 Motorsport on pole! However, Comtec's Bonanomi went just three-hundredths quicker and unable to respond to this, Van der Garde took second place.

"There was nothing in it at all," said Van der Garde, "he just managed to get a little ahead and there was nothing I could do. Still, starting on the front row is great for us, and we know we have the pace which is the main thing."

Due to the reserve grid regulations, Van der Garde will start Race One from seventh on the grid with Mann in 21st. Race Two will see Van der Garde on the front row in second position, and Mann's starting position will be dependant on where she finishes in the first race.

Maximum points for Geido 27/04/2008

Giedo van der Garde made the best possible start to his 2008 season, by qualifying on pole, winning Saturday’s race and taking another superb victory in Race Two.  The 23 year-old, who also celebrated his birthday over the weekend, has taken the maximum amount of points possible at Monza and both he and P1 Motorsport are leading both the Driver and Constructor Championships. 

Starting from pole, Van der Garde got off the line beautifully, and despite tough competition from Marco Bonanomi (Red Devil Team Comtec) and Carlin Motorsport’s Robert Wickens, he exited the chicane in the lead.   An incident on the first lap brought out the safety car, and for three laps Van der Garde led the field in anticipation of the re-start.  As the green flag waved the Dutchman crossed the line with Bonanomi right up on his rear wing – Van der Garde locked his brakes on entry into the chicane but maintained track position over the Comtec car.  Unfortunately he had flat-spotted his tyres, resulting in a poorly handling car.  However he was able to take control of the race and led from start to finish, crossing the line to take his second win of the weekend.

Van der Garde said, “It was my mistake on the re-start and from then on I just had to push hard and keep ahead of Bonanomi and later Alvaro (Barba, Prema Powerteam).  The team did a fantastic job this weekend, and worked some long hours.  I cannot thank them enough for making this possible and I’m obviously very pleased with our results this weekend.  It’s a great start to the year.”

Team mate Pippa Mann just missed out on equaling her tenth position from Saturday’s race, finishing just outside the points in 12th position.  Despite a good initial start off the line, Mann was sandwiched between two cars coming into the first chicane and was forced to back off to avoid an incident.  Though she managed to climb back up the field from 19th position, the British female driver finished without points: “I’m really disappointed with the result because we were easily fast enough to get points today.  I tried to recover from losing track position at the first corner, but also encountering groups of traffic ahead made overtaking even more difficult.”

Team Director Roly Vincini said, “The team have done such a great job, they really deserve these two victories.  Giedo did exactly what he had to do and has managed to come away from Monza with maximum points.  With the new car it’s very much a level playing field, and even more important to arrive at the first race prepared - I think we demonstrated that this weekend.”

P1 Take Pole Position in Opening Qualifying 26/04/2008

P1 Motorsport certainly lived up to their name at the opening race weekend of the 2008 World Series by Renault at Monza, as Dutchman Giedo van der Garde put in a stunning performance to win the first pole of the year! The team had been quick in pre-season testing, and arrived in Monza looking strong with the 23 year-old topping the time sheets for both morning and afternoon practice sessions.

In a qualifying session - interrupted by a yellow flag due to RC Motorsport's Aleix Alcaraz crashing out of his flying lap - Van der Garde had to remain focused on the task at hand. When the session re-started, he put in an incredible lap and was now clearly the driver to beat. However try as they did, nobody was able to top the Dutchman's time, and he celebrated his birthday in style by taking pole position for Sunday's race.

The qualifying format at Monza will see the fastest eight (four from each of the two groups) reversed for Race One, then the remaining cars in the order in which they qualified. Race Two's grid will comprise of the top eight from qualifying as they were, and the remaining cars in the order in which they will finish Saturday's race. Therefore Van der Garde will start from eighth on the grid in Race One, and from pole position on Sunday.

Speaking about qualifying, Van der Garde said: "It was a nice way to celebrate my birthday, and it's also just reward for P1 Motorsport. Everyone has worked really hard to make sure we were ready for today. Race One will be a challenge to win, but hopefully I can make it onto the podium, and then I'll definitely be going out there to win the second race."

P1 Motorsport just narrowly missed out on each of it's drivers taking one of the pole positions, after Pippa Mann put in a sensational effort in qualifying to be fourth in group. This would have seen the British female start from pole in Race One and eighth in Race Two - the exact opposite of her team mate. However, an unfortunate red flag infringement penalty meant that her best two times were deleted, and she will be forced to battle it out from 20th position.

Mann spoke about the start to her 2008 year: "I'm really pleased that we finally got to grips with the new car, albeit in qualifying! It felt good, and I was confident that we had the pace to do something here. I'm disappointed with the decision on my lap time, but that's the rules, and now we have all the work to do. I'll give it my best shot."

Perfect Start 26/04/2008

P1 Motorsport had a perfect start to their 2008 campaign for the World Series by Renault 3.5 Championship, with Dutchman Giedo van der Garde putting in a thrilling performance to take his, and the team’s first win in the series.  Having started from seventh position, a determined Van der Garde moved through the field in an impressive display of speed and composure, to take a deserved victory at Monza and an early lead in the championship.

Having avoided any chaos coming into the first corner, Van der Garde made up a couple of places on the first lap, and within no time was chasing Pasquale DiSabitino (Red Devil Team Comtec) for the lead.  Gaining a couple of tenths each lap, Van der Garde put the Italian after pressure and on lap ten grabbed the lead after carving his way around the outside of DiSabitino.  From then, the Dutchman began to pull away from the rest of the field and faultlessly maintained the lead to take the chequered flag.

Commenting after the race, an elated Van der Garde said, “I’m really pleased with how we performed this afternoon – I got a good start and managed to avoid the trouble at the first chicane, then kept pushing to get second position.  The car felt great and I was able to be late on the brakes and gain a lot of time on DiSabitino.  We got close coming into the chicane, but then I was able to hold track position and drive around the outside of him to get ahead.  The whole team did a stunning job - it’s a great result.”

Van der Garde took pole position for Race Two, so the 23 year-old is in an enviable position for Sunday’s race: “We’ll just have to see what happens – we need to get a good start and stay out of trouble, but I’m looking forward to it, and am confident that we can put in another strong performance.”

Team mate Pippa Mann also added to the team’s points tally, as she crossed the line in tenth position having started from 20th.  The British female got a good start and had a clean race, producing some stunning overtaking into the first chicane.  Mann was happy with the result: “It’s a fantastic day for P1 Motorsport, and I thought we did well to come from the back and take a point.  I was disappointed with my grid position after being penalized in qualifying, but we didn’t give up, and I’m certainly ready to get back out there tomorrow and see what we can do.”

Team Director Roly Vincini said, “Giedo drove a great race this afternoon and he thoroughly deserved the win.  Pippa also put in a solid performance and a strong result for her.  It’s always nice to get that first win out of the way, and to do so at the first race of the year is fantastic.  Obviously there’s a long way to go, but we’ve put in a lot of effort over the winter and I really couldn’t have asked more from the team - great job.”


P1 Motorsport Launches 2008 World Series Campaign

British racing team P1 Motorsport today launched it’s 2008 campaign for the World Series by Renault 3.5 Championship, with drivers Giedo van der Garde and Pippa Mann.  The team invited sponsors, guests and media to P1’s workshop in Norfolk, where they presented the brand new cars, new livery and innovative, designer team kit.

On an unusually sunny day in April, the drivers, mechanics, engineers and Team Director Roly Vincini all posed with the car in front of their new transporter, also painted in the team’s new colour scheme.  Designed by lifestyle fashion brand McGregor and inspired by racing and style legend Steve McQueen, the new livery and team clothing has a distinctly retro feel to it - sporting red, white and blue striping.  However, the team are definitely looking ahead to the coming season, notably the end of this month when their 2008 campaign for victory begins.

P1 Motorsport will be returning to the World Series by Renault having successfully completed their debut year in 2007.  Having scored podiums and pole positions, the team achieved strong results last season but are now chasing their illusive first win in the series, and are hopeful they will not only attain this but also challenge for the title.

Dutchman Giedo van der Garde joins the team as an experienced race winner and former Karting World Champion.  Having consistently finished last season in the points with Victory Engineering, he has the speed and determination to take up the title challenge with P1 Motorsport, and is looking forward to the year ahead: “The team really impressed me throughout the winter testing and pre-season preparations, and I’m confident that together we can compete at the front of this championship.  Roly (Vincini) has plenty of experience which is so important in a series such as this one, and I think both myself and team are hungry for and ready to win.”

British racing driver Pippa Mann re-signed with P1 Motorsport for her second year in January, following an impressive debut season in the series which saw the 23 year-old score points in her first race and start from pole position in her second.  Mann is set to return with the P1 squad for what promises to be her best year yet: “I'm under no illusion that it's going to be easy, but as long as I can continue in the same way that I finished 2007, then I should be able to achieve the goals of regularly scoring points. There are some changes – a new car, and I have a new team mate in Giedo, but I’m excited about everything and basically cannot wait to get back out onto the circuit!”

The first round of the World Series by Renault 3.5 will take place at Monza in Italy on 26th April, while the team’s final test is scheduled for next week at the Circuit de Catalunya, just outside Barcelona.


Update on Pippa Mann

Born in London but now resident in Ipswich, Suffolk, Pippa Mann started competing in karting aged 13, racing in the categories of Junior TKM, JICA and Formula A, competing in the British Championships and selected races in Europe.  In 2001 she decided to concentrate full time on karting and moved to Italy, the home of karting, and by 2003 Pippa was driving for one of the leading kart teams, CRG, and taking part in the highly competitive Italian, European and World Championship Kart races.  In a field dominated by male drivers (maybe two or three women in every 80 drivers), Pippa is the only British female to have won an international kart race.

In 2004 Pippa returned to the UK and started racing in the UK Formula Renault Championship.  During her first season Pippa held her ground in a very competitive field, racing against drivers with two or more years’ experience in single seaters.  In 2005 Pippa secured a two-year contract to drive for Comtec Racing in the Formula Renault Eurocup, adding the Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship as well as the Eurocup in 2006.  She had a frustrating season but managed to achieve some of her best results ever, which led to her participating in some World Series by Renault tests over the winter.

In January 2007, Pippa signed for Cram by P1 Europe to become the first female to race in the World Series by Renault 3.5 Championship. Pippa was pragmatic about her expectations for the season, and in her debut year she managed to score a point and also start from pole position.  Having achieved some consistent finishes despite a troubled second half of the year, Mann re-signed with P1 Motorsport and Roly Vinicini in January 2008.  Pippa will now return to the World Series by Renault Championship with a year’s experience and is hoping the knowledge she and the team gained in 2007 will help them to achieve greater heights in 2008.

Away from the track Pippa enjoys music, squash and following the fortunes of AC Milan.

Update on Giedo Van der Garde

Giedo Van der Garde began his racing career in karting with much success, winning the 1998 Dutch Championship, first rookie in 2001 Super A, and being crowned the 2002 World Champion. Graduating to Formula Renault, he finished 6th in his first year with Van Amersfoot Racing, and subsequently was approached by Renault F1 to be part of their Driver Development Programme. In 2004, Van der Garde joined the F3 Euroseries with Signature-Plus finishing 9th, and following a move to Team Rosberg in 2005, he finished 9th in the championship for the second year in succession. In 2006 he joined ASM, finishing the year in a respectable 6th position in the championship have claimed one victory during the season. The year was a frustrating one for the young Dutch driver, having experienced bad fortune and mechanical problems throughout – not even being able to start one race from pole when he was forced to retire on the warm-up lap.

However his talent and ability did not go unnoticed, and he was brought into the McLaren Young Drivers Programme, before being confirmed as the Super Aguri Formula One team’s test and reserve driver for the 2007 season, and later switching to the Spyker F1 team.
Aside from his F1 commitments, Van der Garde spent 2007 competing in the World Series by Renault for Victory Engineering. The Dutchman put in a strong and consistent performance through the year, and although he narrowly missed out on a podium finish, he ended the year in 6th position overall.

2008 has seen Van der Garde move to P1 Motorsport, following successful winter testing with the British team which saw him top the testing times at Valencia. Both driver and team are looking forward to the ’08 season with strong expectations for a competitive year.

Away from the circuit, Van der Garde spends much of his time working on his fitness levels and through training, especially mounting biking.

Formula Renault 3.5 Championship Official Racing Calendar for 2008

Date	Country	Circuit
27 April	Italy	Monza
04 May (TBC)	Belgium	Spa Francorchamps
25 May	Monaco	Montecarlo
08 June	United Kingdom	Silverstone
06 July	Hungary	Hungaroring
31 August	Germany	Nürburgring
07 September	France	Le Mans
28 September	Portugal	Estoril
19 October	Spain	Catalunya

As you can see the main novelties for 2008 are:
• Spa Francorchamps, which will not be contested as a single Forumla Renault 3.5 meeting but a World Series by Renault one.
• Silverstone, which replaces Donington Park.
At the same time, the championships will be back to Le Mans that will replace the circuit of Magny Cours, which hosted the Franch meeting of the World Series by Renault in 2007.

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01 JANUARY 2008 » P1 MOTORSPORT COMPETE IN WORLD SERIES
P1 Motorsport, the successful raceteam, founded by Roly Vincini in 1990, and dutch racedriver Giedo van der Garde will join forces in order to win the World Series by Renault in 2008. P1 Motorsport signed Giedo van der Garde after 2 very positive test days in Valencia where P1 Motorsport was a frontrunner. Giedo will enter his second year in the World Series by Renault after finishing 5th last season.

Giedo van der Garde: “First of all I like to say happy new year to all my fans. I am very proud to announce on the first day of the new year that I signed a contract with P1 Motorsport. It was a very difficult decision because I had several options in World Series as well as GP2. But the 2 test days in Valencia convinced me. It was my personal decision to make this step.I want to win again and I am convinced that I can achieve this with P1 Motorsport. The team is very professional and ambitious. And the set-up of the race car fits me perfectly. That’s why we were very guick during testing. I have only one goal and that is winning the World Series by Renault in 2008. I like to thank the team and my management for the support in recent months and I am looking forward to the first race.”

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2007

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30 OCTOBER 2007 » MORE POINTS FOR CRAM BY P1 ENSURES TEAM FINISH DEBUT SEASON ON A HIGH
The Norfolk-based Cram by P1 Europe - World Series by Renault team, ended the 2007 season on a high, as they scored more valuable points to add to both the team and drivers championships.

Cram by P1’s Fairuz Fauzy took a solid twelfth position in the penultimate race of the 2007 World Series by Renault Championship, when he and the team put in a great performance in Barcelona to catapult themselves from 20th on the grid to just outside the top ten. Narrowly missing out on the coveted tenth place, and therefore pole position for Race Two, the team were nonetheless thrilled with the progress made during the 26-lap race by the No.19 car.

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22 OCTOBER 2007 » MORE SILVERWARE FOR CRAM BY P1 EUROPE
The Norfolk-based Cram by P1 Europe - World Series by Renault team, left the Portuguese circuit of Estoril with more silverware to add to their growing collection, following a fantastic drive from Fairuz Fauzy to take third place in the second race of the weekend.

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25 SEPTEMBER 2007 » FAIRUZ FAUZY TOOK A WELL-DESERVED 5TH PLACE IN QUALIFYING

The Norfolk-based Cram by P1 Europe - World Series by Renault team, had a difficult weekend in France at the historic Magny-Cours circuit, when the team not only failed to score any points, but to add further insult to injury, had both drivers retire from the two races, ensuring the team walked away with nothing.

Initially, it had seemed that Cram by P1 Europe would have something to celebrate, with Fairuz Fauzy taking a well-deserved fifth place in qualifying, and although team mate Pippa Mann was to start from 24th on the grid,
had been quick throughout and the team were confident they had good race pace.

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09 SEPTEMBER 2007 » FAIRUZ FAUZY SCORES POLE IN QUALIFYING GROUP

Fairuz Fauzy secured a front row grid position for Race One of the Donington Park, World Series by Renault event. Quickest in-group and just narrowly missing out to Alvaro Parente (Tech 1 Racing), Fauzy and Cram by P1 Europe will be looking to score their maiden victory in front of the team’s home crowd.

Fauzy was immediately on the pace in the first of the two qualifying groups, just ahead of Julien Jousse (Tech 1 Racing). Both men continued to improve on their subsequent laps, and were still sitting at the top on the time sheets mid-way through the session.

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18 AUGUST 2007 » BRILLIANT PODIUM FOR FAIRUZ FAUZY AT SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS

Spa, Belgium – August 18, 2007. After starting from a superb pole position, Malaysian Fairuz Fauzy followed up his front-row start with a fantastic second place finish at the Spa-Francorchamps round of World Series by Renault 3.5. Fairuz led away at the green light and avoided the mayhem that ensued behind him, as Miguel Molina launched over the back of Alvaro Barba at the first corner, La Source. Fairuz built up a commanding lead in his Cram Competition machine before he was overtaken by Tech 1 driver Alvaro Parente, under braking for the Bus Stop chicane, at the end of the sixth lap.

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18 AUGUST 2007 » PIPPA MANN SECURES TOP 20 IN SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS DEBUT

Pippa Mann claimed a credible 18th position in her first race-outing at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium when she crossed the finish line in the top 20, having started from 27th position on the grid. Managing to stay clear of the chaos around her, Mann drove her Cram by P1 car home unscathed, ready for Race Two on Sunday.

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17 AUGUST 2007 » FANTASTIC FAIRUZ ON POLE POSITION!

Spa, Belgium – August 17, 2007. A stunning lap by Fairuz Fauzy netted the Malaysian his first ever pole position at Spa-Francorchamps for the latest round of World Series by Renault 3.5. The 24-year-old punched the air with delight as he stepped out of his Cram Competition machine, knowing he’ll head the field in Saturday’s 20-lap encounter.

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16 AUGUST 2007 » FAIRUZ FAUZY QUICKEST IN SPA RENAULT WORLD SERIES TESTING

Spa, Belgium – August, 16 2007. At the world famous Spa-Francorchamps grand prix circuit Malaysian ace Fairuz Fauzy underlined his pace and potential for victory with the fastest lap time in testing ahead of the latest round of World Series by Renault 3.5.

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15 JULY 2007 » TERRIFIC SECOND PLACE FINISH FOR FAIRUZ IN HUNGARY

Budapest, Hungary – July 15, 2007. Fairuz Fauzy scored his best result of the season with a fantastic second place for the Cram Competition team at the Hungaroring at the weekend. In the feature race for the latest round of the Formula World Series Renault 3.5, the Malaysian finished just half a second behind Filipe Albuquerque at the chequered flag.

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14 JULY 2007 » BEST QUALIFYING RESULT OF THE YEAR FOR FAIRUZ AND PIPPA (CIRCUIT DEBUT)

Budapest, Hungary – July 14, 2007. In a thrilling qualifying session, Malaysian Fairuz Fauzy claimed his best grid position of the season to line up fourth in the latest round of World Series by Renault at the tricky Hungaroring circuit, near Budapest. Pippa Mann managed to claim a promising 25th position for Race One at the Hungaroring in Budapest – a circuit she had no prior experience of before arriving at the track on Thursday. Her best qualifying result of the season sets the Suffolk driver in good stead for both the weekend’s races, as she is historically a better racer than qualifier.

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12 JULY 2007 » FAIRUZ FAUZY BACK ON TRACK IN HUNGARY

Budapest, Hungary – July 12, 2007. After a seven week break Formula World Series by Renault 3.5 roars back into life at the Hungaroring this coming weekend and Cram Competition’s Fairuz Fauzy can’t wait to get back in the cockpit.

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28 JUNE 2007 » OVER ONE HUNDRED LAPS OF PEMBREY

Pembrey – June 28, 2007. Pippa Mann completed an estimated 120 laps around the Welsh circuit of Pembrey today, in a shake-down test ahead of her next event at the Hungaroring in a fortnight. Working on the setup, some pitstop practice and standing starts, Mann had yet another positive day in her Cram by P1 car, and is now eager to take to the track in Budapest - the first World Series by Renault race following a six-week gap in the calendar.

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27 MAY 2007 » DISAPPOINTMENT ON THE STREETS OF MONACO

Monte Carlo – May 27, 2007. Fairuz Fauzy’s Monaco World Series by Renault race lasted only a handful of laps after he was forced to retire with a mechanical problem.

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26 MAY 2007 » MONACO START WILL BE CRUCIAL FOR FAIRUZ FAUZY

Monte Carlo – May 26, 2007. Cram Competition’s Fairuz Fauzy will be looking to make a strong start tomorrow knowing that overtaking is virtually impossible on the tight, twisty streets of Monte Carlo.