Faster Than Speed's Florian Pechon crowned a fantastic season which made him the WS Advanced World Drivers' Champion with 9 races victories. In Brazil, the team also secured the Constructors' Championship in the division, making it the first double title for the team. We caught up with Florian to ask him about his feelings about the season and his future plans.

Q: Florian, in only your first year in FSR, you were crowned WS Advanced World Champion in a fantastic season with 9 race wins, talk us through your season.

A: It’s been an incredible season. First, I started in my own team, but I was already able to obtain great results, as I always finished in the top 5 in first 4 races. For the 5th race, I joined Faster Than Speed and we could inmediately see the change in my pace, as I was able to fight again for the podium and even for the race win. In Monaco and Montreal, we did two perfect races. In fact, we won both races with a great gap to our main rivals. During the summer, we did not do as well as expected, specially in France and Hockenheim, but fortunately it was not a lack of pace, but rather a chain of technical issues related to my computer. Nevertheless, we were able to secure the win in Silverstone, taking 25 points to our main rival Jorge Maenen who had blown his engine in the final laps of this race. Valencia was a fantastic win, as I had to start from 5th position and I must admit that I had great fun during that race, as there was a lot of action on the track. In Spa, we missed a win that should have been an easy one, mainly due to a driving mistake. Finally, in the last races we got the job done, as Jorge Maenen was disqualified for refuelling after Q2. Nevertheless I’m sure that without this controversy, the result would have been the same, as we were looking very strong in China and Brazil specially.

Q: You started the season with your own team and you then moved to Faster Than Speed, where you went on to win the double, after securing the Constructors' Championship in Brazil, what are you feelings about that?

A: Joining the Faster Than Speed Team was certainly the best thing to do for me. With their help, I was able to push harder and harder to finally achieve what I aimed to do: win races. After a few races with Faster Than Speed, I realised that it was possible to challenge Jorge Maenen in the championship and maybe eventually win it. Therefore, it was very helpful to practise with the team as I was constantly increasing my pace during the season. I had various team-mates this season, but without them the Constructors’ Championship would not even have been a possibility for us, as they scored points when we needed.

Q: If you had to choose one of your 9 victories, which one do you think was your best and most important one?

A: Valencia was certainly one of my best races this season. I had to start from 5th because of a grid penalty, and as it was pretty clear that I wanted to challenge Jorge Maenen in the championship, I had to finish just behind him, in order to avoid losing too many points. I did overtake some cars on the track, but the strategy was also perfect, because as we could see, I overtook Jorge Maenen during a pitstop.

Concerning the most important race this season, I would choose the Brazilian GP. During the whole weekend we knew that we had great chances to get the Constructors’ Championship, but you never know what can happen in a race. Thus, I knew that I had to score at least 8 points, but after my bad Fuji race, I wanted to finish the season in beauty by winning the last race. Therefore, I was not sure how many risks I had to take with the strategy and at the start. Finally, it all went perfectly as I was able to win dominantly.

Q: In Valencia and Spa-Francorchamps, the team awarded you with the chance to make your first WC experiences, how did you feel in those races and how is WC related to your future ambitions?

A: I was very surprised when Christian asked me if I could race World Championship in Valencia and I was very excited to race, as the guys that run there are the best of the world. At the start of that European GP, everything went right, and I was even able to race for an 8th place. Unfortunately, one afternoon had not been enough practice to get used to driving without traction control, which eventually put me in the wall. On the next race, Christian again asked me if I wanted to drive in WC, and of course I accepted. Again, I had a great start, and again I was fighting for 8th postion, until I got hit from behind at La Source. I was still able to finish the race, and in the last few laps I set the 10th fastest lap of the race with a damaged car, which proves that maybe with a bit of luck, I would have been in the top 10 at least.

Concerning my future ambitions, WC is certainly one of them, but I don’t want to get there too early, as I want to get some experience in WS Ace. Next year is certainly going to be an important season, because now I need to show that this year was not only luck. Maybe next year I’ll be able to race a few races in WC, but I don’t count on it. I will concentrate on my championship in WS Ace next season, and afterwards we will see whether going to WC is an option for me.

Q: What are your plans and expectations for 2009?

A: As I already said, my main plan is to achieve great results in WS Ace, but we need to wait, because it will depend on so many factors, like how fast I will be able to get used to the new mod. Sure I want to battle for podiums next year, but it will certainly be very difficult, as in that division all the guys are very fast. Thus, I do not really have set plans for 2009, because I need to see after a few races what the situation both in the championship and my overall pace looks like.

Faster Than Speed enjoyed an unforgettable weekend in Brazil as the team secured the WS Advanced Constructors' Championship, which together with Florian Pechon's Drivers' crown, marks the team's first ever double title. To so with a commanding win had a sweet special taste, as Florian was able to celebrate his title with a well-deserved on-track victory, after being unable to do so in Shanghai.

World Series Advanced

World Drivers' Champion Florian Pechon was was 2nd fastest in the Q1 session, while team-mate Marko Buhin was 11th. Roy Wachtmeester had his maiden Q2 entry after setting the 9th quickest laptime. In Q2, Florian secured 3rd on the grid while Roy took 10th.

Florian had a great start, inmediately taking the lead from poleman Maenen. Marko was very unlucky however, as he was hit by Assojaa and sent to the wall. After a long pitstop for repairs, he was never able to fully recover and finished down in 15th. Roy's race was also troubled as he lost his front wing in a collission with Balilionis on lap 3. After the early pitstop and despite having to deal with a damaged car for the rest of the race, Roy had a great recovery, pulling off some spectacular overtaking moves to finish 12th.

With team-mate Marko having a difficult race, Florian had the task of fighting for victory while having the responsibility of scoring the necessary points for the team to win the Constructors' Championship. Despite the pressure, Florian delivered a perfect performance, constantly and quietly increasing the gap over the hard-battling trio of Maenen, Griffin and Spoljaric. In the second half of the race, Florian managed his gap masterfully to take his ninth victory of the season, his eight one aboard the FTS-P8.

In this way, he crowned an incredible year in which he scored 326 points, 58 more than rival Jorge Maenen. With his 25 race-winning points, Faster Than Speed clinched the Constructors' Championship with 312 points, 33 more than runner-up Bracciano Racing! The achievement is even more spectacular as FTS didn't participate in the Advanced division until the fourth race in Spain, and didn't score points until the fifth round in Turkey. Before that race, championship runner-up Bracciano Racing led FTS by 81 points to 0.

This championship marks the team's second team title, after the one taken in 2005 in the WS Ace division. These double titles are the 4th and 5th championships overall in the team's history and the first time the team takes both Drivers' and Constructors' titles in the same season.

We wish to thank everyone at Bracciano Racing and Rothmans F1 Racing for the great challenge and we hope for another battle in the future!

World Championship

Sergio Casalins made his comeback to the cockpit this weekend. Unfortunately, after taking part in Qualifying, the team decided to withdraw Sergio from the race as a wheel centering problem meant he could be a danger for his fellow drivers. Giuseppe Marconi, meanwhile, qualified 18th but couldn't see the checkered flag, ending a disappointing WC season for the team, with Sergio's Australian podium as highlight.

World Series Ace

Mauricio Gomez hoped to make a comeback to the points in Interlagos. However, he was pushed into another car in turn 1, causing him to lose his front wing. After a first-lap pitstop, he was determined to climb back through the field but a technical problem ended his race prematurely a few laps later.

World Series Amateur

Juan Nicola secured his place in Q2 with the 7th fastest time, while team-mate Heinz Vanderhoydonck qualified 16th. In Q2, Juan gained a place, starting 6th on the grid.

Juan had a very strong performance, fighting for a podium spot and setting the second-quickest laptime of the race, when he was again struck by bad luck, as a disconnection frustratingly left him out of the race. Heinz was able to finish, but recieving damage after being hit from behind, he was never able to fully attack and took the last point in 14th.

The 2008 season is now over. Our congratulations to the other season champions Bruno Marques, Fred Gosling, Mikko Puumalainen, Borna Spoljaric, GhostSpeed Racing Team, Roaldo Racing, Twister-Racing and Bracciano Racing!

Overjoyed with this season's double title success, the team will be looking forward to another strong season in 2009! Stay tuned for our season review, more on our championship-winning campaign and, of course, announcements about our 2009 preparations and FTS-P9 challenger!

Despite enduring a difficult race at WS Advanced's postponed Pacific GP, Faster Than Speed left Fuji Speedway with the Constructors' Championship lead. Next weekend's season finale at Brazil will feature a three-way championship battle between FTS, Rothmans F1 Racing and Bracciano Racing.

World Series Advanced

Newly-crowned WS Advanced champion Florian Pechon dominated both Qualifying sessions to take his seventh Pole Position of the season. His team-mate Simon Moog, was 9th fastest in Q1, before securing 10th on the grid during the Q2 session.

Despite a great getaway off the grid, Florian had a troubled start. Suffering from some brake balance issues, he spun under braking into the first corner and dropped from the lead to 14th. He recovered very strongly, overtaking several cars, and although a technical problem and a further mistake prevented him from fighting for the top positions, he battled to enter the podium in the final laps. The race was, however, a few laps too short for Florian to be able to overtake, so he finished in 4th position, making the best out of a difficult day and scoring some crucial points for the championship.

Dropping to 17th position after a start incident, Simon's race wasn't any easier. Despite suffering again from the same technical issues which delayed him in Shanghai, he also scored important points by finishing in 10th place.

Faster Than Speed now goes to the last race of the season in Interlagos, with a 38-point gap over 2nd placed Rothmans F1 Racing, and 44 points over 3rd placed Bracciano Racing. FTS will secure the title and the WS Advanced double scoring 8 points or more during the Brazilian GP, independently of the competitors' results. Fingers crossed!

Faster Than Speed driver Florian Pechon wrote a part of the team's history as he became the third FTS driver to win an FSR World Drivers' Championship, after the titles obtained by Faisal Niazi (WS Pro) and Christian Smirnoff (WS Ace) in 2006. Florian inherited the Shanghai victory, his eight one of the season to clinch the championship title with two races remaining.

World Series Advanced

Florian Pechon, reached China with a 6 points gap over rival Jorge Maenen. In Q1 he set the fastest laptime, with his team-mate Simon Moog, from France, making his FTS debut, in 6th place. Roy Wachtmeester and Marko Buhin were 19th and 24th quickest respectively. In the Q2 session, which would later prove controversial, Florian secured 2nd on the grid, while Simon took 7th.

Florian started from 6th on the grid due to a +5 places grid penalty he was carrying from the Suzuka Qualifying. He made a great start to the race as he climbed up to P2 after the first few corners. He soon started hunting down leader Maenen and caught up with him a few laps later. Florian tried two unsuccessful moves to overtake Maenen, suffering a small spin under braking in his second attempt. Pitting a few laps earlier, pitstops didn't go in Florian's favour and he crossed the line in 2nd place.

The race was eventually won by Jorge Maenen. Soon after the race, however, there was clear evidence that Maenen had illegally refuelled his car during Q2, allowing him to clinch pole with a light car while then going into the race with a heavier and strategically-stronger fuel load. After an investigation, the Race Director found out that the same had also happened during the previous race at Suzuka. As the Directors deemed that Maenen could have gained a competitive advantage, they decided to disqualify him from both the Pacific and Chinese GPs.

As a result, Florian inherited the race win, his eight victory of the season, seventh aboard the FTS-P8. Maenen's disqualification also meant that the championship gap between them increased to 52 points, handing Florian the World Drivers' Championship with two races remaining! A well-deserved prize for an incredible season, combining fantastic performances with very few mistakes, winning half of the season's races up to date. An amazing job from Florian, in only his first year in FSR!

Simon Moog had a great performance. Despite dropping from 7th to 14th due to a technical problem which delayed him several seconds, Simon recovered very strongly with a very heavy car to finish the race in 6th place, scoring some key points. Marko Buhin struggled for balance but also drove a great race, even pulling off a final-corner overtaking move to finish 7th. Roy Wachtmeester had a tough race as he was hit during the first lap, which meant he had to pit for repairs and drive the whole race with a damaged car. He never gave up, though, and was awarded with a point for his 14th place finish.

This great result moved the team to the lead of the Constructors' Championship for the first time this season, leading Bracciano Racing by 24 points. The title will most likely only have a champion after the last race, however, as Faster Than Speed would need to outscore Bracciano Racing by 23 points and Rothmans F1 Racing by 8 points to celebrate early in Fuji.

World Championship

Giuseppe Marconi qualified in 17th place, while Gabriel Montanes had his first WC experience of the year, qualifying in 20th. Giuseppe's race was unfortunately very short, retiring early due to a disconnection. Gabriel had a much better race, driving competitively before an engine failure ended his race with only a lap remaining. He was still classified in 12th position.

World Series Pro

Mindaugas Latisenka had a difficult race after qualifying 21st. An early mistake cost him dearly, as he needed a long pitstop for repairs. However, he didn't give up, until he was hit while defending from Wezenberg, which unfortunately meant the end of his race.

World Series Amateur

Juan Nicola was 7th fastest in Q1, while his team-mate Heinz Vanderhoydonck was very close to repeating his Fuji performance, but this time just missed entering Q2 as he qualified 11th. In Q2, Juan secured 5th place on the grid.

Despite his strong grid position, Juan had another disappointing race however, as he was pushed off track by Fields and later was also involved in a first-lap collission, causing his early retirement. Heinz showed another great performance, even running in 4th place in the first laps. Despite a spin that cost him precious seconds, Heinz took his best result of the season with a 10th place finish.

Thrilled with Florian's championship crown, Faster Than Speed's WS Advanced drivers will be taking part in the postponed Japanese GP at Fuji next Sunday, while a week later, everyone will be pushing for a strong finish in the season ending Brazilian GP at Interlagos!

While our WS Advanced drivers had its own Fuji race postponed for November 2nd, the rest of the Faster Than Speed drivers took part in the Japanese GP. The weekend marked the return to the points from both Mindaugas Latisenka, making his race comeback, and Heinz Vanderhoydonck, showing a strong performance after a few tough races.

World Championship

Giuseppe Marconi and Mauricio Gomez qualified in 15th and 17th places respectively. Both had hard work during to race, with a couple of mistakes and incidents dropping them away from the battle for points. Despite the disappointment of not scoring, Mauricio finished in 11th place, while Giuseppe's race ended three laps from home but he was still classified 13th.

World Series Ace

Mauricio Gomez and Gabriel Montanes endured very tough races at Fuji Speedway. After making a fantastic start, climbing to the top-8, he collided with Cyril Werdmuller when the Roaldo Racing driver made a mistake on track. Mauricio had to pit for a new front wing and his race was highly compromised from there, finishing 4 laps down in 16th. Gabriel had a slightly more successful race, but finished outside the points in 15th.

World Series Pro

Mindaugas Latisenka made his comeback for the team. After qualifying 20th, his eagerness to race again probably didn't help him as he spun off the line, having to pit for a new front wing at the end of the first lap after clipping the barriers. From there, Mindaugas ran a very competitive recovery drive, picking up points with an 11th place finish.

World Series Amateur

Heinz Vanderhoyndock surprized everyone by entering Q2 for the first time, after setting the 7th quickest time in Q1. He repeated his strong performance in Q2, where he secured 8th on the grid, easily his best Qualifying effort of the season. While a few errors didn't allow him to finish in a higher position, Heinz showed strong pace and took points after many difficult races, finishing in 12th place.

Stay tuned for our Shanghai race reviews, for the penultimate race of the season. The WS Advanced division, where Faster Than Speed is battling for the championship titles, will be taking part in the Japanese GP at Fuji Speedway after racing in China.