11th May 2006
The reigning Cosworth Caterham Masters Champion, Jon Barnes made a welcome return to the cockpit of a racing car yesterday afternoon (Wednesday 10th May), when he tested a Formula Palmer Audi single seater.
It was the first time that the 22-year-old had even sat in a race car for over seven months, and also the first time that he had ever driven a single seater, but it took him no time at all to get used to the Audi Turbo engined 360bhp machine.
Barnes said "I was very pleased with how quickly I got to grips with the car. Having only driven Caterham's and a Porsche on track before, I expected to be quite slow to begin with. The car seemed to suit me well and by the end of the session I was able to push the car very hard and put in some consistantly quick laps."
Palmersport staff were extremely impressed by Barnes's pace, and at the end of the test they confirmed that he had set the fastest laptime recorded around the Bedford West Circuit this year.
Said Jon, "I would love to race in the Formula Palmer Audi Championship, it offers an incredible level of exposure for talented drivers and their sponsors. It also supports the DTM and the World Touring Car Championship this year. I really hope that I can find sponsorship to enable me race in this series. The prize for the champion is a Formula Three test with Carlin, aswell as the chance to be nominated for the BRDC/Autosport Young Driver of the Year Award which has been one of my ambitions since I began my career."
The Formula Palmer Audi Championship kicks off next weekend (21-22 May) at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in Kent, UK. This season FPA supports the DTM, World Touring Car Championship and the FIA GT Championship with TV coverage all of the races shown on Sky Sports.
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