John-Eric Saxen scored his first FTS points and Faster Than Speed's first WC points of the season with a very solid drive to 5th place in the Chinese GP at Shanghai. Kevin Clark and Sami Pesari also scored points for the team in the WT division, while Carlos Hernandez and Danny Lubbers completed a 1-2 finish in the WS Grid 2 race after a tough Pre-Qualifying.

In the World Championship, John-Eric Saxen drove a great lap in Q1 to set the 5th fastest time and guarantee himself a place on the top-ten session. In Q2, he was 9th quickest. Team-mate Giuseppe Marconi, meanwhile, struggled with technical issues on his steering wheel as he qualified 21st.

John-Eric lost a few places at the start, dropping to 11th, position he would keep throughout the whole first stint. After making the great call of stopping a lap earlier than planned to avoid losing time behind Brljak, John-Eric emerged from the pits in clear air and moved up to an impressive 4th place, closing in to 3rd-placed Mikkonen.

After his second stop, John-Eric lost time behind Gobbi who was yet to pit, losing touch with Mikkonen and finding himself under attack from Baldi. Running into traffic again proved costly after his third stop, as he lost the position to Baldi, who pitted a lap later, despite overtaking Van der Linden. John-Eric repassed Baldi into the hairpin after a small mistake from the Hungarian, but the NetRex driver retook the position with an agressive move the following lap. Managing the gap to Lapchin behind, John-Eric finished a strong race in 5th position, scoring his first 10 points for FTS and the team's maiden WC points of the year.

Giuseppe had a tough race as he had to deal with both sterring wheel and engine issues, plus damage sustained in his car as he was unable to avoid Kostadinov's car which was across the track after a collission with Nilsson in the opening lap. While Giuseppe was frustrated with the problems that didn't allow him to show the solid pace he had in testing, he still nursed the car home in 18th position to take his first finish of the season.

John-Eric Saxen (5th): "I'm very happy with this result, first points for FTS were long overdue! I had a solid Q1 lap and the Q2 lap began very well, but the race setup didn't feel as stable as the setup I used for Q1 and a few mistakes cost me a couple of positions, hence 9th place on grid.
During the start I again had latency issues and I lost 2 positions. With overtaking in the queue being nearly impossible, I made a calculated risk to pit one lap earlier than what my fuel allowed. This worked swiftly and suddenly I found myself in P4, just a couple of seconds behind Mikkonen.

In the remaining race I had to compromise somewhat because of my earlier first pitstop. I was able to keep Baldi behind until the final pitstops where he jumped me. Later he made a mistake making it easy for me to re-pass. The next lap we were alongside in turn 6, unfortunately I had no room and was forced wide over the kerb. I think the move was a bit against the rules, but I take it as a lack of experience from the driver, so I feel no need to protest it this time.

In the final laps I was a bit worried about Lapchin, but luckily he made a couple of mistakes which made it easy enough for me to finish 5th. Overall this was almost an optimal result, minus the one place lost, so this definitely increased my confidence after a difficult start to the season."

Giuseppe Marconi (18th): "Before today I was confident that I could do better here. Today it was another terrible day for me, and not only as a driver. I had great trouble with my downshifting paddle all day, causing me to be probably a second away from my personal best in Q1. However, my position could have only been better by 1 or 2 positions.

The race started very well, I gained 7 positions in first lap with some good battles. But some contact damaged my car. My pace wasn't there, about 0.5s away from Practice times, probably due to the damage and paddle troubles. I often had to drive Turns 3 and 11 in 5th gear, so I was losing a lot on corner exit. At the first pitstop I lost 9 seconds to repair some damage but the car remained damaged throughout the race. Second and third stints were similar to the first one so I lost a few positions. After the third stop I was 5 seconds behind the 17th-placed driver and with little engine life left, so I decided to drive easily, saving my engine and waiting for the finish."

In the World Series Grid 1 race, Martin Gosbee, now driving for GhostSpeed Racing, made a one-off FTS comeback. He unfortunately retired early after qualifying strongly. Carlos Hernandez and Danny Lubbers, meanwhile, endured a difficult Pre-Qualifying session, missing the cut and having to settle for the Grid 2 race. Their performance, however, definitely made up for their disappointment, as they dominated the race to take a 1-2 finish, with Carlos driving a faultless race to win, while Danny overcame fuel and engine issues to still take 2nd place.

In the World Trophy, Kevin Clark drove a strong race, recovering from a bad start and a small error halfway through the race to take his best finish to date in 12th position. Sami Pesari, meanwhile, unfortunately suffered an engine failure on the final lap of the race when he was 11th after a very solid drive. He was still classified a lap down in 14th place, scoring some valuable points.

Faster Than Speed now heads to twisty streets of Monte Carlo, Monaco, for the fourth round of the FSR season. FTS has good memories from the Principality, where last year Patrick De Wit took his FTS car to Pole Position and a podium in WC, repeating his race result of 2007. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@FTS_Racing) and Google+ for the latest news and live coverage from Monaco!

Faster Than Speed had a mixed race weekend in the second round of the FSR season at Sepang, Malaysia. John-Eric Saxen was on the verge of scoring his first FTS points in WC but missed out due to a couple of slow pitstops. Bryan Stark and Kevin Clark took their maiden FSR points in WS and WT respectively, while Danny Lubbers also scored WS points for the first time with FTS.

In the World Championship, John-Eric Saxen set the 11th fastest time in the Q1 session, just missing out on entering Q2 by 0.08s after being knocked out in the closing seconds of Qualifying. Giuseppe Marconi, on his first race of 2012, qualified 23rd.

Giuseppe's race, unfortunately, ended almost before it started. After making a good start and passing three cars, he was touched by Varga as the pair turned into Turn 1. The contact spun the Italian's car around, stalling the engine on his FTS-P12.

John-Eric, meanwhile, drove a solid race in contention for points. However, two slow pitstops compromised his chances, costing him precious seconds and specially, track position in a race where overtaking was extremely difficult. Stuck behind Brljak for most of the third stint, a very quick third pitstop allowed John-Eric to just leapfrog the Twister-Racing man, with both drivers exiting the pitlane next to each other before John-Eric prevailed. Despite a good last stint, catching the point-scoring finishers wasn't possible, meaning John-Eric finished in 11th place, missing out on points by only 3 seconds.

John-Eric Saxen (11th): "I was relatively pleased with my Qualifying lap, which was almost enough for Q2, but I got knocked out in the closing seconds.

The race turned out quite difficult, since I had to drive in a queue for most of the time, with very few overtaking opportunities. That means most of the results would be decided in the pits. Unfortunately, I was not able to have more than one good pitstop due to various issues, which at the end probably cost me a couple of positions. In the last pitstop I managed to pass Brljak after finally being lucky with a 6-second stop. The time lost behind him meant I was not able to catch the cars ahead anymore.

The end result was frustrating but in hindsight, I went wrong with the car setup in a few aspects. With that in mind, I'm confident to fight for higher positions and score the first points for FTS once I manage a 100% solid effort with preparations and the race."

Giuseppe Marconi (DNF): "Unlucky debut for me this year. Just like last year, my race here finished at the first turn. I worked a lot on race pace because I knew my qualifying pace was poor. I had quite a good, very consistent race pace. I started the race very well and my reaction was surely better than my opponents' in front. I was gaining 3 positions into Turn 1 but Varga put his front right tyre between my left tyres and the incident was sure to happen, together with my spin. Engine stalled and race was over in a few seconds. It was a race incident, but I got very angry. See you in China."

In the World Series, Bryan Stark scored his first FSR points with a strong drive to 15th from last on the grid, after being unable to set a time in Qualifying due to technical issues. Danny Lubbers, meanwhile, suffered a brake failure with 5 laps to go but also took his first points of the year being classified in 20th place.

In the World Trophy's Grid 1 race, Kevin Clark overcame an issue with starting fuel which required an extra pitstop plus a stop-and-go penalty for speeding in the pitlane to score his maiden FSR points in 19th position. Juan Nicola retired early after an incident. In the Grid 2 race, Sami Pesari was challenging leader Kunkel for victory when brake issues ended his chances, leaving him classified outside the points in 11th place. Francisco Oliveira also looked set to score when an engine problem ended his race with 4 laps remaining.

Faster Than Speed now heads to Shanghai, for the third round of the FSR season. FTS will be hoping to finally open its WC points tally while continuing to make progress in both WS and WT. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@FTS_Racing) and Google+ for the latest news and live coverage from China!

Faster Than Speed had a difficult season opener at Melbourne, Australia, with a combination of technical issues, disconnections, incidents and brake problems hampering the chances of the FTS drivers. Despite suffering a tough race, John-Eric Saxen took his first FTS finish in WC while Carlos Hernandez and Sami Pesari scored their maiden FTS points in WS and WT respectively.

In the World Championship, John-Eric Saxen qualified in 15th place on his first FTS outing, with a flying lap in the dying seconds of Qualifying 1. Jaakko Mikkonen, meanwhile, qualified 21st, replacing Giuseppe Marconi. We thank Precision Motorsports for allowing Jaakko to drive the FTS-P12 in Australia.

John-Eric had a difficult start to the race, with Eros Masciulli losing control of his car and spinning in front of him in Turn 4 on the opening lap. With nowhere to go and no time to react, John-Eric collided with the Silverline driver, damaging his FTS-P12, which required a visit to the pitlane at the end of the first lap for a new front wing. With a mountain to climb from the rear of the field, John-Eric drove a solid race, but with so much time lost on the opening lap, it was impossible to transform his strong pace into points. He saw the checkered flag for the first time driving for FTS, in 15th place.

Jaakko, meanwhile, also drove a good race, showing strong race pace. Jaakko pulled off a good move on Puumalainen, before spending many laps stuck behind the NetRex duo of Varga and Baldi. There was a big moment as Huis exited the pits right ahead of Jaakko and Puumalainen, with the pair making minor contact, costing Jaakko 3 places. He later recovered a position from Gosbee, with a bold outside pass into Turn 11. Unable to find his way through the NetRex duo, Jaakko finished the race in 13th position, despite struggling with brake issues on the final lap.

Jaakko Mikkonen (13th): "I was replacing Giuseppe Marconi for this race, driving for Faster Than Speed. My Qualifying was very poor. I did most of my testing on race setup and it seemed to be working OK, so I didn't worry about my starting position too much.

Race started and Oh wow, there were cars going off everywhere! I was lucky to avoid contacts there. After a few laps I was in 11th place until the first stops. Bono (Huis) had done his first stop on lap 14 and rejoined the track in front of me. I had to brake to avoid contact with him. Puumalainen was too close behind me and hit me, damaging my car. I lost a couple of places there and a few important seconds. I continued a couple extra laps since the car wasn't too damaged and I still had fuel left. I spent those laps considering whether we should fix the damage on the pitstop. We eventually decided to fix it, which cost around 3 extra seconds. I rejoined the track on 14th place. Rest of the race wasn't very interesting. I had the pace to be on the points, but the difficulties with passing and the time I lost earlier pushed me too far behind.

I'd like to thank Christian Smirnoff for giving me a seat for this race. Shame I couldn't score any points for the team. I won't be driving many races this season. Maybe a few more. See you later, maybe!"

John-Eric Saxen (15th): "My season starts have traditionally been poor and this year was no exception. I was struggling a lot with slower cars ahead in Qualifying and only managed to set one decent lap time on the final attempt, which unfortunately was a few tenths off the Top 10 this time.

In the race, my luck lasted two corners, after which Masciulli spun in front of me, leaving no room and time for reaction. After front wing repairs I was already 40 seconds behind the points battles, so I decided to drive safely and hope for retirements. Unfortunately none came, so I finished on the same position I started at.

It was a shame I couldn't score points for Faster Than Speed on my debut, but I think the next few tracks should suit my style better, as I struggle with riding the kerbs the proper way with this car at the moment."

In the World Series, Carlos Hernandez took his first FTS points despite having to pit for a new front wing early on in the race. He finished in 17th place. Bryan Stark's promising debut, meanwhile, ended after hitting the barriers following a small error. Alberto De Juan retired after suffering a disconnection, while Danny Lubbers had problems in the Pre-Qualifying session, which didn't allow him to pass the Top 26 cut.

In the World Trophy, Sami Pesari overcame being an unfortunate victim of an incident which required him to pit for a new front wing plus a brake failure with several laps to go to score his maiden FTS points in 13th position. Matteo Zandona and Juan Nicola retired also victim of brake problems. Kevin Clark, meanwhile, had to pit for a new front wing after making contact with the barriers and later retired as his car was too damaged to continue. Francisco Oliveira was unable to start in the Grid 2 race due to a disconnection on the Formation Lap, while Sebastian Nicola's great expectations on making his FSR debut will have to wait until Malaysia, as he was unable to participate due to connection problems.

Faster Than Speed now heads to the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, hoping for much better luck in the second round of the 2012 FSR season. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@FTS_Racing) and Google+ for the latest news and live coverage from Malaysia!

Faster Than Speed is proud to present its 2012 Formula SimRacing campaign. The time to unveil the incredible FTS-P12 has arrived, while it's also time to reveal our new driver lineups for the season! Ready for the panther to roar again? After returning to the first grid box and the WC podium in 2011, FTS now gets ready to kick off its 12th FSR season this weekend, with many new talents who have joined the team during the winter!

The Launch Video!

We are very proud to present our spectacular Full HD (1080p) launch videoclip of the FTS-P12, prepared by Gabriel Montañes and Christian Smirnoff to present Ernesto De Angelis' latest masterpiece. Please don't miss it!
You can watch the video here:

The FTS-P12!

FTS cars are always aggressive, right? Forget about everything you knew. Ernesto De Angelis has done it again! The FTS-P12 is the most striking, aggressive and detailed FTS car ever!

The FTS-P12, our latest beast, features an incredibly artistic mean-looking panther, in the most stunning livery of the field. There are three different versions of the FTS-P12 livery, with the traditional black colour scheme replaced by red for our Panthers teams and a silver edition for our Cheetahs team.

Exclusive shots of our FTS-P12 contender can be found here.

Driver Lineups

In the World Championship division, Faster Than Speed is happy to announce that Giuseppe Marconi will be driving in his seventh FTS season. Next to the experienced Italian, FTS is proud to confirm the signing of John-Eric Saxen, who will take part on his sixth full FSR season. The Finn will be hoping to add to his tally of 3 WC podiums to date. We thank our colleagues at Precision Motorsports for allowing him to join FTS. John's signing means that Patrick De Wit will no longer be part of the team after four seasons. We would like to wish Patrick well for the future and thank him for all his efforts!

Giuseppe Marconi (#16): "I'm looking forward to what will be already my eleventh FSR season and seventh one in Faster Than Speed. I can say that I feel a little bit like Rubens Barrichello! My aims for this season aren't different than in the previous ones. I want to show the best I can both as a driver and as a technical leader. I have total faith in our lineup, which this season is one of the biggest since I joined FTS and I hope one of a very high quality. The goal for this season is to bring the car home and score as many points as possible with my team-mate John and the other drivers in every division. The new car looks great and I hope it is as fast as it looks. Our graphical designer did a great job as usual. I can't wait for the racing to start!"

John-Eric Saxen (#17): "I'm happy to get the opportunity to drive in FSR WC for yet another season, making it my sixth. Faster Than Speed is a special team that has been running in FSR since its early years, so I'm especially satisfied to be driving for this team, as it was always a team I had great respect for as an opponent. Although I am driving on loan, technically speaking, I'll be keen to push FTS forwards and hope to contribute by scoring consistent point positions, with the aim of being back on the podium this year. But above all result-oriented goals, I hope to have fun on track and enjoy racing as I did thus far, as it's the spark that keeps me motivated and brings the best results for me."

In both the World Series and World Trophy divisions, FTS will present completely new lineups, with a mix of long-time members together with many new talents we believe will surprise many this season.

Our World Series lineup features newcomers Carlos Hernandez and Bryan Stark, from Spain and Scotland respectively, in our Faster Than Speed WS team. Meanwhile, Spaniard Alberto De Juan moves up a division to partner Danny Lubbers, from the Netherlands, who will be making his FTS debut in Melbourne for the FTS WS Panthers team.

In the World Trophy division, Faster Than Speed will feature newcomers Matteo Zandona from Italy and Kevin Clark from Scotland in our Faster Than Speed WT team. Our FTS WT Panthers team could also be called (Super) Nicola Bros. as Argentinian Juan Nicola will be partnered by his brother, Sebastian Nicola who will drive his first FSR race next Saturday. FTS debutants Sami Pesari, from Finland, and Brazil's Francisco Oliveira, will partner in our FTS WT Cheetahs team.

Christian Smirnoff (Team Manager): "As every year, launching a new car and campaign feels very special. I'm very happy with our WC lineup, which combines Giuseppe's experience and technical leadership with John's natural speed and what I consider one of the strongest race crafts in the whole field. He's a driver I always wanted to see driving our cars. I am also very excited with our lineups for WS and WT, as we worked hard to renew the team with many new talents we have a lot of faith on. We are working hard and pushing to achieve great results, while always maintaining our usual team spirit. Before I forget, I would like to thank Ernesto for yet another work of art with the FTS-P12, and Giuseppe, whose help in our season preparations has been invaluable. Thanks to all FTS members for their efforts!"

Follow us!

Please check out our Faster Than Speed fan pages on Facebook and Google+ where you will find the latest team news, exclusive photos and more. Also, stay up to date with the team following us on Twitter (@FTS_Racing)! The 2012 FSR season kicks off this weekend in Melbourne, Australia, and we are ready to go, so... ladies and gentlemen... start your engines!