In practice for the Mexican V-Prix, it was Westwood's Will Hoskins that was fastest, continuing the impressive form of both the Englishman and his team in recent times. He was three tenths clear of second placed Puccio Giodano, who in turn was in front of Nikolai Milkovich for Ingram. The Franklins were fourth and fifth fastest respectively, with the in-form Ruiz ahead of championship leader Elroy Wagner by a single tenth of a second. The second Westwood of Tumo Kinnumen took the sixth fastest time, while Liverpool seem to have fallen even further behind the frontrunners, only managing 7th and 12th. Enzo Domenicalli was a full six tenths slower than his team mate in 9th, while it was a horrible session for Nathaniel Powers - having never scored a point in Mexico, his bad luck continued with a gearbox problem only three laps into his first run. Full standings below:
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North Star Racing have confirmed that FV2 race winner Alesky Nowosinki will make his Formula Virtual debut alongside Judson Sikes in the 2016 season, while the team's line-up is completed by Jacinto van Slooten taking the role of test and reserve driver.
"We've been very impressed with his rate of progress through the junior ranks," stated Team Principal Nick Forrest. "If he can continue that throughout his time with us, then I imagine we'll be seeing some great performance from him before too long." "I'm incredibly grateful to the guys at North Star for giving me this opportunity," Nowosinki told reporters, "I can't wait to get into the car and see what it's capable of, and I'm really looking forward to giving Judson a good fight this time!" This will not be the first time that Sikes and Nowosinki have been team-mates. The duo both raced for the Holmqvist team in the 2014 Formula Single-Seater Championship, now known as the Virtual World Racing Series. During that season, Nowosinki fell short of the Russian's performance, but Forrest believes there will not be such a disparity next season. "It is beneficial, I'd say, that they've raced together in the past." he explained, "They already have the experience working alongisde one another, they both know each other's driving style, so that'll help us with regards to development, and with Aleksy's current form, I'd expect him to give Judson a run for his money this time around." "Best of luck to him." was all Sikes had to say on the matter. The first Polish driver to enter the series has been joined by the experienced Jacinto van Slooten, who started six raced for the Downton team in 2013, before moving into a reserve driver role at Team 23 and later Lucas. "It's definitely exciting, being a part of a brand new team entering the sport," the Dutchman said, "I'm hoping I can help the team build a good car for the other guys, and I'm sure they're hoping the same." Nowosinki will get his first taste of Formula Virtual machinery at the 2016 Young Driver Test, where he will be joined by North Star's development driver, Lowell Hamm. Enrique Ruiz will remain at Franklin in 2016 as many suspected after Jamie Franklin - a guest commentator at today's Italian V-Prix - confirmed the news during his commentary stint, however the team principal did also announce the team were still evaluating options for an engine supplier for next season.
Joining Johan Halvosen and Stuart Harrison at Meteor for the 2016 will be Jamie Gerrard, Emma Wilson and Luke Stokey.
The announcement comes to follow the prior agreement between Meteor and FIRST, stating that Gerrard will be FIRST’s test driver on a loan-based deal for 2016. Meteor confirmed that whilst Gerrard is still under contract with the Meteor team, he will not be actively developing and working with the team.
Milan, Italy --- Meteor and FIRST have agreed to a loan deal that will see Jamie Gerrard handling the test driver responsibilities at FIRST for next season.
We are told that the deal includes a provision that FIRST must run the Briton in two V-Prix practice sessions of Meteor’s choosing next season. Gerrard finished 12th in the drivers’ championship while driving for FIRST in FV2 this season. He has completed three seasons in the category, and has picked up one victory in each of his three seasons. He finished as the runner-up in the championship in 2013, while he was a member of the Liverpool/Mathershaw driver academy. Gerrard has also previously participated in an official Formula Virtual practice session in 2014 at the Belgian V-Prix with the Liverpool team. We were able to get a statements from Meteor’s Richard Peluso and FIRST’s Adam Blocker. Jamie Gerrard was unavailable to comment. Richard Peluso: “Meteor are fortunate to have a wealth of young talent, and at present we are limited as to how we can use and develop the talented drivers available to us. This opportunity with FIRST will not only act as the foundations for knowledge and development within the Meteor team, but also a chance for Jamie to gain the experience he so greatly deserves, that we cannot offer at Meteor as of yet, and demonstrate the ability that we see in him.” Adam Blocker: “FIRST are pleased to welcome Jamie on board as our test driver for 2016. We know Jamie already from his campaign with us in FV2 this season, and we expect that his intelligence, good work ethic, and driving ability will translate well into his new role.” The agreement comes as a bit of a shock after the recent disputes between Meteor and FIRST over the signing of Arden Hutchinson by FIRST and his subsequent sacking from Meteor. This agreement signifies that although the teams may be rivals, they appear to be willing to negotiate with one another when it is in their mutual interest. FIRST’s driver lineup is now complete with Arden Hutchinson and Douglas Bacon serving as race drivers and Gerrard filling the role of test driver. Meteor have yet to confirm the identity of their test driver, but have already confirmed Johan Halvosen and Stuart Harrison as their race drivers for 2016. They also have both Luke Stokey and Emma Wilson under contract for next season, but neither have a confirmed role at the moment.
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