Philips winner drives FW29

Rob Tarlton, a 21-year old student of Aerospace Engineering from Chicago, Illinois, drove five laps at Silverstone on Wednesday in an AT&T Williams Formula One car, as the winner of the 2009 Philips Driving Academy.

Tarlton set one of the fastest lap times around the Philips Driving Academy’s online test track to ensure his place at the competition’s global final in the UK, beating over 15,000 entrants from around the world. During a grueling three-day assessment programme, Tarlton held off finalists from ten countries, including his twin brother, to land his dream prize of driving a Formula One car

Reaching 288kph down the pit straight, Tarlton said: “It was incredible. I knew it was going to be fast, but I didn’t expect it to be that fast!”

Rob’s day at Silverstone started with a number of practice laps of the national circuit in a Lotus Exige under the tutelage of AT&T Williams driver, Kazuki Nakajima. He then progressed to driving a Formula 3 car for 15 laps to get a feel for the extra power, speed and grip that he could expect from the Formula One car. After a series of briefings from the AT&T Williams team and a final one-to-one briefing from Nakajima, Tarlton took to the track for five unforgettable laps at the controls of a Williams FW29.

He went on to say: “By the time I got in the F1 car, I felt very comfortable with the track and available grip levels so began to work way my way up safely without having to worry about going over the limit or going off the track. I was focused on working my way up slowly and not trying to do too much too fast, and also to have a good time.”

“I felt really safe in the car and ready for the experience. The AT&T Williams team did a great job of preparing me. The previous day we had done a lot of simulator work (at Grove) where the guys there were able to keep a really close eye on you and give a lot of instruction. They really helped instruct on the racing line and turned down the grip levels so I could experience realistic track conditions as we knew Silverstone would be cold and damp.”

“The Philips Driving Academy was an outstanding opportunity to take part in something that I would not have normally been able to; it has been a fantastic experience” he concluded.

Patrick Overwijk, Global Sponsorship Manager, Philips Consumer Lifestyle, commented: “The Philips Driving Academy has again unearthed some fantastic driving talent. The competition was very tough and all of our finalists showed great driving skill. It was very close up until the final assessment where Rob’s ability and calmness under pressure shone through. He did exceptionally well and literally demonstrated that he has what it takes to drive a Formula One car.”