Brazilian Felipe Cesar led the final day of the Young Driver Test driving the championship winning 2015 Franklin. Cesar's best time of 1.12.399 was good enough for the quickest time of the day. Once it again it was a Westwood who finished runner up to a Franklin - this time being Will Taylor who was just under three tenths away from Cesar.
Ingram have today confirmed an unchanged line up for the 2016 season. Diego Campos, who drove for the team in 2013 and 2014, will continue on in his test driver role, extending his contract by a year. This means that Ingram keep an unchanged line up - Nikolai Milkovich will drive #37 car, Jean Mattson #38 car and Campos #39. Campos famously won Ingram's first ever victory at the hectic 2014 US GP but struggled for consistency and it is believed no other team were interested in Formula V's most successful Spanish driver.
As the 2015 Formula Virtual World Championship came to end last weekend in Fuji - the teams flew over to Portugal to prepare for the two days of the young driver test. It was Aron Einarrson who led the first day of the test driving the 2015 Franklin.
Less than 24 hours removed from the 2015 Chinese V-Prix, it was announced that Michelin will be the official tyre supplier for North Star in the upcoming 2016 Formula Virtual season.
"Michelin have a tremendous pedigree in motorsport," team principal Nick Forrest told reporters, "And over the course of the 2015 season they have shown an immediate understanding for the demands of the sport. We are very pleased to have them on board for our debut season, and we look forward to seeing first-hand what they can deliver." According to Forrest, the announcement was prompted by the ruling on tyres for next season, put forward by Formula Virtual CEO Nic Morley. Re-fueling will be banned for the 2016 season, and each driver will race on one of four types of tyre throught a race. "It certainly threw us a curveball," explained Forrest, "So we've taken the decision to expedite that particular area of our program. It hasn't caused any major problems to the preperations for our debut season, however, and we are still on course for our car to make pre-season testing."
Nathaniel Powers and Will Hoskins will swap seats for the remaining two races of 2015, in a dual announcement from Downton and Westwood that has stunned the paddock.
The two teams are currently embroiled in a battle for fourth place in the Constructors' Championship. In a low key press conference following the Mexican GP, Ingram have annnounced that they have extended the contract of Nikolai Milkovich. "We are delighted Nikolai has agreed to stay with us for next season, and doubly pleased that he has signed for 2 years!" exclaimed Ingram, "We believe we have one of the strongest driver pairings on the grid, and if we can give them a car to fight for podiums we are confident they will secure them".
"I have driven for William for the last two seasons, and I've been very happy here, two more years hopefully fighting towards the front". said Milkovich. Will Hoskins has taken a stunning pole position for the Mexican V-Prix in Mexico City, with a lap time almost two tenths faster than closest rival, Rossi's Puccio Giodano. Despite his recent good form, Enrique Ruiz could only manage third place with a time 6 tenths shy of the leading Westwood, and Nikolai Milkovich continued Ingram's impressive weekend in fourth. Championship leader Elroy Wagner took fifth, while the second of the Ingrams, Rossis and Westwoods sit in 6th, 7th and 8th respectively. Following that, Liverpool, Downton, AMR, FUN and Meteor are all in Noah's Ark formation, with Ocelot and Warrior in a hard fought scrap at the back. Be sure to join us for what is sure to be another fascinating V-Prix in Mexico! Full times below: Downton have signed 2015 Virtual European Racing Series champion Dmytro Kovalenko as their reserve and test driver for 2016, after the loan deal that will see Kip Maxwell leave the team for the first time in the series' history.
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