Alexander Rossi.

Alexander Rossi charts European campaign

Czechs out Brno, Hungary for more.

 

Alexander Rossi, the 2008 Formula BMW Americas and World Finals Champion, had a busy month in April testing the waters of cut-throat European racing scene at four classic European venues. And quite a splash he made across the pond.

First stop in preparation for the 2009 International Formula Master series was Imola. Rossi tested with Trident racing in the heart of Italian motor racing country.

Next stop was Silverstone with Hi Tech Racing, a newcomer to Formula Master this year but established player in the British F3 championship.

The final two pre-season test sessions were held at Brno, the Czech Republic, and the Hungaroring.

Brno. Czech this!

Rossi was the top rookie on the opening day, April 20th, at Brno, setting an impressive pace which was only .31s off the fastest time and ahead of several experienced drivers.

An elated Rossi said, “Day 1 at Brno was very good for the entire team as it was our first test together and immediately in the morning we were P3, and ended the day P4 overall.”

Second day of testing on April 21st. saw Rossi again finished both the morning and afternoon sessions in the top half of the field.
Rossi explained, “We lost a little bit of pace on Day 2 as we were learning about the life span of the tire and we were not able to fully optimize the ‘miracle lap’ if you will. With that said we made a lot of progress on car set up and balance and were confident that we would be very competitive the following week in Hungary."

Danube delight.

"Arriving at the Hungaroring, the team and I were full of confidence after a very successful first test, but we also had the pressure of needing to back up the results of our initial pace,” cautioned Rossi.
Mechanical goulash sidelined Rossi on the first day of testing, April 27th, at Hungaroring, which is home to the only F1 race in Eastern Europe.
“On day 1 we struggled quite a bit with constant oversteer and as you know this is quite difficult to deal with, especially at a track full of long duration and high speed corners. We ended the day P11, but we put our heads down as a team and made some pretty radical changes overnight.”
On the second day, April 28th, Rossi was within striking distance of the fastest time, recording fourth fastest time at 1:37:551 which was less than half a second of the fastest time but again ahead of several second year drivers.
Rossi, “Coming out of the box in day 2 we were able to show what the rookie team HiTech Junior is really made of as we immediately leaped to P4, only 4 tenths off the leader. We ended the two days fourth overall and as we continue to sort through some technical issues we are learning every time the car goes out on track and at this point our progress is exponential.”

Good to go at Pau.

“I cannot wait to see what we can put together at the first event in Pau as we are making more large changes to the car; I am sure we will be very competitive."
With over 40% win ratio and two championships in last three years, Rossi is driving the American dream to his ultimate destination, Formula 1. The 2009 International Formula Master Championship starts this month in streets of historic Pau in southern France.

Please visit www.alexanderrossi.com for more information on this genuine home grown world class racing talent.