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Formula Sprint 2
Japanese Grand Prix
Suzuka International Racing Course
Tuesday 2nd of April 2024 19:00:00
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February 01, 2011
Published on tags: Superleague
Williamson Dynamics have announced that their pre-season testing programme is proceeding as hoped, with early results outweighing even optimistic estimations set by the team themselves. "The WDF1.11/B has worked flawlessly right from the word go." Stated Tom Eley, the team's director of race engineering.

"Already we are seeing marked improvements in performance compared with last seasons car, and as yet have experienced no failures or technical issues in any area of the car. Internal components are working as expected with no signs of excessive wear. It's simply been a case of dialling in the right settings for the guys to get the most from the chassis."

Team Owner Ben Williamson continued the press conference, coming out to defend the cars Mercedes-Benz powerplant, which is seemingly outperformed in most aspect by the unit supplied by Renault. "I would like to categorically state I am more than happy with the power our engine provides. While the Renault has certain advantages in some terms of performance, it is no cause for concern now anymore than ever. Some engines will have advantages in some areas, and tail off in others where others excel."

Continuing he went on to add; " I still believe, that with the right setup, and the right use and understanding of the package we have an exceptional engine this season, and we feel increasingly confident of being competetive and right at the front of things. I still feel 3rd or 4th this season in terms of Constructor's performance is a possibility."

Most tellingly was the input of the two drivers in the team to get their hands on the machines fresh from the factory first, who were tester Adam Smith and race driver Ojay Smith. Smith was the first to engage the press with his thoughts; "I was happy to be offered the chance to test the car at such an early stage, last season we left development until it was too late to make any difference, so we know we need to keep progress at the front of our minds. The team have managed to design a very stable car but have left a large margin for improvement. I couldn't ask more from the car at this early stage and the team have done well considering late changes to rules. Comparing the car and our position now to last year, I'm optimistic about the coming season."

Aalthough perhaps expectedly, it was Clark who enthused most about the machine he hopes will help him fight for glory in 2011; "My first impression upon seeing the WDF1.11/B was a very good one. I liked the design of the car and particularly how German brands were used to create the red, white and blue colours of the British flag. For me the livery represents the foundations of the team and what Williamson Dynamics are about."

Continuing, Clark revealed his thoughts on the car's abilities; "When I first tested the car I struggled a lot for grip and suffered with oversteer. We started developing the setup by making small tweaks to the ride height, anti-roll bar and camber settings which helped a bit. Since then I decided to go for a bold move by completely changing the front and rear wing settings and it? really made a difference. I found 1.7 seconds of performance in a day and now the car feels great. It goes where I want it to go rather than where it wants to go. From the times I have seen so far we are very competitive and should be up the sharp end of the field come Thursday? test. This is very promising as I never expected us to perform well round Jerez because the twisty corners don? suit my driving style. Obviously we have the issue of the Mercedes engine possibly being underpowered compared to the Reanualt in some parts of the power band but we will have to see if anything changes and if not, just make the best of things. Either way things are looking very promising at the moment."