Van Buuren and Ellinas impress on Day 3 of Jerez F.Renault 3.5 testing

Pons Racing closed the F.Renault 3.5 pre-season spell on a high as both Meindert Van Buuren and Tio Ellinas shone on the third and final day of testing in Jerez. The talented Dutchman closed the morning session with a performance that was just 4 tenths off the day’s best laptime and two tenths short of the top ten, proving beyond any doubt that the work he did so far with the team paid off and that he’s ready for the Monza season opener. On the team’s other car, GP3 graduate Ellinas was a newcomer to Pons Racing but despite that and the lack of experience on an hi-performance car such as the Zytekpowered Dallara he immediately found the right pace, closing the morning session without any mistake and then raising the bar in the afternoon, when he raised a lot of eyebrows posting the second quickest performance. Emilio De Villota (Team Manager): “I’m really happy with Meindert’s performance over the three days: he’s a rookie but he’s a fast learner and he proved that today with that amazing laptime, just two tenths shy of the top ten. In the afternoon we did just a couple of race simulations on very old rubber to keep some good tyres for Monza, they’ll surely prove useful. With Ellinas we had a busy very busy day, trying to fit a comprehensive programme in just two sessions. Tio blended into the team like a pro, working hard with the engineers to improve both the car and his driving style. That P2 time he did in the afternoon proves that the work paid dividends, and we really hope to have him with us for the season”. Meindert Van Buuren: S1 – P15; S2 – P16 “I’m really happy with our job in these three days. On each day we found something to improve on the car and at the same time my driving got better and better. This morning I was really happy to see that my pace was so close to the frontrunners’, I was just four tenths off the quickest lap overall which I believe is a great achievement for a rookie. The top ten is really close and as that’s our aim for my debut season in F.Renault 3.5 I feel satisfied and pretty confident for Monza”.

Tio Ellinas: S1 – P17; S2 – P2 “The F.Renault 3.5 car is really mindboggling, in the corners it’s much quicker than anything I’ve driven so far. Obviously I needed some mileage to feel at ease with, but once I understood the limit I really enjoyed it, as well as my time with Pons Racing. Despite having only one day to work together, we managed to change the car quite a lot to suit my driving stile, and late in the session we made a final improvement that allowed me to clinch P2. I really hope I’ll be able to enter the season, I’ll keep working hard with my sponsors to make that possible”.