Monthly Archives: April 2011
Richert Ready to Race at Imola
Canadian race car driver, David Richert, is set to contest this weekend’s Formula Renault Italia race in Imola, Italy. Richert, sponsored by Silver Jeans Co, will be Canada’s lone representative at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari as 25 drivers from 5 nationalities will compete in the race weekend.
For the farm kid from Manitoba, competing in a single-seater race in Italy will be a dream come true. “Around 10 years ago I developed a passion for racing while living in a part of the world where it is not a common thing…” states Richert, “…so to be able to compete in Italy where the country is extremely passionate about motorsports, especially Ferrari, it is a huge privilege for me.”
Many of today’s top drivers have spent time in the Formula Renault category around the world including World Champions like Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen. The Formula Renault Italia series has graduated it’s share of drivers as well, three current Formula 1 drivers, including Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, are on the list, as is Ryan Briscoe who is racing in North America for Roger Penske in IndyCar.
With so much young talent in the series, Richert is expecting the weekend to be a serious challenge. Many of the other drivers in the series have not only more experience in the cars and on the Imola track, but also much larger budgets to work with. “I am here to work hard, learn and hopefully do well, but it will be very difficult as I have not even been able to afford new tires to test with, so this weekend will be the first time I get to experience them” says Richert.
The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari is near the Italian town of Imola, east of Bologna and just 80 kilometers from the Ferrari factory in Maranello. The circuit has hosted many years of Formula 1 World Championship events and was the location of a weekend of tragic events in 1994 which took the life of F1 legend Ayrton Senna.
After a day of testing on Friday, official practice and qualifying sessions will go on Saturday with the two races being run on Sunday, May 8th. Visit RenaultSport Italia (http://www.renaultsportitalia.it/campionato/challenge-f-renault/) for full coverage of the race weekend.
Test Day at Franciacorta
Richert Fastest at Franciacorta
In just his first day of testing this season, Canadian born race car driver David Richert was able to post the fastest lap time of the day while driving at Autodromo di Franciacorta in Italy. Richert, sponsored by Silver Jeans Co, was one of six Formula Renault cars that took part in yesterday’s test day in preparation for the upcoming races at Imola on May 1st.
Working with Team Torino Motorsport engineer Giacomo Notarrigo, who has 5 years experience with Ferrari F1, Richert was able to complete 110 laps during the day and consistantly improve his time while gaining confidence with the race car. “It is very difficult to post fast lap times in this car when you don’t have the same budget as other drivers because the consequences are expensive if you make a mistake on track ..” states Richert, “…but i’m very happy to see that our hard work throughout the day paid off”.
Richert will now head to Austria on April 27th with Team Torino Motorsport as they complete testing at the famous Red Bull Ring, formerly known as the A1 Ring which hosted the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix. After Austria the team will immediately head to the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola for Richert’s first two races of the season on May 1st.