Persistent rain ruins Toyota's day

Panasonic Toyota Racing completed its first test of 2009 with a fourth day of running at Algarve Motor Park in Portimao, Portugal. Timo Glock was once again behind the wheel for a planned programme of set-up and mechanical testing, however persistent rain throughout the day ruined those plans.

Despite a soaking track he completed an installation lap at 9am and more running was planned an hour later, but when the medical helicopter could not take off, the red lights came on and halted the session. The teams waited for an improvement in conditions but that never came and it was decided to abandon the day's testing at 4pm. Toyota's next test starts at the Bahrain International Circuit on February 10.

Timo Glock - Chassis TF109-01
Best lap time: n/a
Position: n/a
Total laps: 1
"It's a pity to end the test like this but there is nothing we can do about it; that's just the way it is and it is the same for all the teams here. At least at our next test in Bahrain we can expect much better weather and many more laps, which is what we need to develop the new car."

Pascal Vasselon, Senior General Manager Chassis
"Today we had no chance to do any testing at all because the helicopter could not take off, otherwise we would have done some work even in these difficult conditions. So we were stuck in the pits and it was not a very productive day. Overall our first pre-season test has been positive in that we have appeared competitive in the wet and dry conditions, although obviously it is far too early to make any predictions. It is just a pity we had so little dry track time this week."