Toyota pleased with progress

Panasonic Toyota Racing continued its preparations for 2008 with Timo Glock and Kamui Kobayashi again clocking up the kilometres at Jerez in Spain. Another sunny day gave the team plenty of opportunity to try out 2008 development parts and both drivers were quickly in the groove after making their TF107 testing debuts yesterday.

Once again, Kamui was charged with completing as many laps as possible in his car, which features a revised rear end and the 2008 standard ECU. Timo had a more standard TF107 at his disposal, with electronic driver aids disabled, and he focused on understanding mechanical and aerodynamic set-up with the 2008 traction control ban in mind. Both drivers enjoyed a largely trouble-free day. Timo made solid progress but his programme ended around 90 minutes before the chequered flag as the team is closing in on the 30,000-kilometre annual testing limit. Kamui continued to test out 2008 development parts to the chequered flag and once again he was among the busiest drivers of the day, completing 118 laps. Timo will continue in the car for day three, when he will be joined by Jarno Trulli.

Timo Glock - Chassis TF107/03
Best Lap Time: 1min 20.523s
Position: 11th
Total laps: 54
Total distance: 239.112km

Kamui Kobayashi- Chassis TF107/06
Best Lap Time: 1min 21.699s
Position: 19th
Total laps: 118
Total distance: 522.504km
“That was another very busy day for me! Once again I did a lot of laps but I keep fit and my neck is strong so it was not a problem. It was quite a smooth day without any big problems and I was able to complete my programme of long runs. This week was my first Formula 1 test for a long time so it was a good experience and I think it went well. Everything about a Formula 1 car, braking, power and cornering speed is so much more impressive than other cars I have raced and I have really enjoyed these two days. Now I am looking forward to next year when I will be third driver. I will work hard to improve the car with the team and I am confident we will work well together.”

Pascal Vasselon, Senior General Manager Chassis: “We can be pleased with our progress today because we have completed all the work we expected to and the results look promising. Timo has continued to impress us with his feedback and pace. He has made some very valuable observations which will help us in 2008 and he has already contributed to an immediate improvement. He has put a tremendous amount of effort into understanding the characteristics of the car and suggesting how we can make improvements. We will continue to work on set-up with him tomorrow and begin investigating the 2009 tyre specification. Kamui has also worked hard and for such a young driver to complete so many laps without mistakes, and without any fitness problems, is very impressive indeed. He can be very happy with his contribution and we thank him for his efforts. I am sure he will do a good job as our third driver next year.”