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.

Faster Than Speed started the three-race Asian season with a victory, as Florian Pechon took his seventh win of the year, his sixth with FTS, in the challenging circuit of Suzuka, in Japan. It wasn't the only positive result in the WS Advanced race, as Roy Wachtmeester took his first point-scoring finish while Marko Buhin was again in the points.

World Championship

Giuseppe Marconi qualified in 17th place, while Mauricio Gomez, replacing Sergio Casalins, whose connection problems returned, was 20th in the Qualifying session.

The drivers had mixed fortunes in the first start, as Mauricio climbed to the top-ten while Giuseppe was one of the victims of the start pile-up which caused the race to be red flagged by the Race Director. Giuseppe's car was quickly repaired for the restart, which was much cleaner.

Both drivers made good progress throughout the race, although Giuseppe's second stint was very difficult as he struggled with tyre overheating. His race ended 4 laps from home, when his engine expired, although he was still classified 12th. Mauricio's race was unfortunately over a few laps earlier, when he lost control at the end of the famous S-Curves. The contact with the barriers left the car beyond repair, in what disappointingly finished as another race without World Championship points scored.

World Series Ace

Mauricio Gomez had a very short race after starting 19th in the grid. Touched several times by rivals in the first few corners damaged his FTS-P8, leaving him without proper steering for the quick uphill S-Curve. After running off track, Mauricio hit the barriers, ending his race before completing the first lap.

World Series Advanced

Championship leader Florian Pechon dominated both Qualifying sessions once again, setting the quickest time in both Q1 and Q2 to clinch his sixth Pole Position of the season, the third one in a row. Marko Buhin also entered Q2, with the 7th fastest time. He later secured 9th on the grid. Meanwhile, Drazen Cokor and Roy Wachtmeester qualified 15th and 17th respectively.

Florian delivered yet another flawless performance, retaking the lead after passing Chris Griffin on lap 2 and leading 37 of the race's 40 laps. Despite a heartstopping moment with backmarker Niza, with whom he almost collides when Niza slowed down to be lapped inside the racing line, Florian took maximum points once again, winning his seventh race of the season, sixth one with FTS. With this victory, he increased the gap in the championship to 6 points, as rival Jorge Maenen finished right behind in 2nd.

Despite having to wait in queue in the pitlane, which robbed him the chance of a possible top-8 finish, Roy Wachtmeester took his first points for the team with a strong drive to 11th place. Marko Buhin had to pit for a new front wing on lap 10, after losing grip and spinning while trying to overtake Vicentijevic. While this compromised his chances, Marko still made it to the points in 12th position, just a few seconds behind his team-mate Roy.

Starting from the back due to carrying a grid penalty for Monza, Drazen had to start from the back. Unfortunately, he made contact with a car that surprized him braking early and damaged his front suspension. Unable to control his car correctly, Drazen touched the grass and slided to the barriers on lap 1, causing an early end to his last race for FTS.

World Series Amateur

Heinz Vanderhoyndock qualified his FTS-P8 in 19th place. He surprized with an uncommon no-pitstop strategy, running heavy but competitive, in 10th position and still able to gain positions from cars pitting ahead, when a power failure unfortunately ended his race prematurely on lap 17.

Faster Than Speed will remain in Japan, where all divisions except WS Advanced will take part in the Japanese GP at Fuji. The Advanced division will race at Fuji after the Chinese GP at Shanghai.

For the fourth year in succession, Faster Than Speed took a World Series victory away from the Monza weekend, as Florian Pechon took his sixth win of the season in Italy, his fifth one onboard the FTS-P8. With this result, he climbed back to the top of the standings, after losing the lead with his Spa retirement.

World Championship

Sergio Casalins was back in the cockpit after a few absences, and showed he definitely lost no speed. Sergio was 3rd fastest in both Q1 and Q2 sessions, placing the FTS-P8 in the front row after 2nd placed Kanitz recieved a grid penalty. A fantastic Qualifying effort which equalled his Montreal performance. Team-mate Giuseppe Marconi qualified 17th on home soil.

A less-than-ideal start dropped Sergio back to P5, but being the third strongest alternative after the dominant Marques and De Wit, Sergio's podium hopes were intact. It was soon all over though, as he turned normally into the Ascari chicane, but unexpectedly lost control of his car and smashed the barriers heavily on lap 16. Giuseppe´s race was compromised at the start, when he drove through the runoff area to avoid an incident and recieved a 10 seconds stop-and-go penalty. His day ended with a spin while trying to make up the lost ground, in another disappointing WC race for the team.

World Series Ace

Gabriel Montanes drove a good lap in Q1 to secure 12th on the grid. Unfortunately, his good race was compromised when Samuel Libeert passed him by cutting the first chicane. As the position wasn't given back, Gabriel tried to pass him, but went off in Parabolica, hampered by the smoke from Libeert's brake lockup. Gabriel recovered well to finish the race in 9th place.

World Series Pro

Faisal Niazi made his comeback to the Pro division after technical problems didn't allow him to participate in Spa. After securing 21st on the grid, Faisal had a difficult race, having to pit twice in the first two laps, which left him 20th and almost 2 minutes behind the leader by lap 3. However, he recovered well to finish 12th.

World Series Advanced

Florian Pechon and debutant Marko Buhin, from Croatia, entered Q2 by setting the 2nd and 4th quickest times respectively during the first Qualifying session. In the same order, they secured the front row of the grid, in what was an impressive first performance from Marko, 3rd in Q2. Drazen Cokor took 12th on the grid, while Roy Wachtmeester was unable to make the top-24 cut, with the 28th fastest time.

Florian kept the lead after a good start, while Marko lost a position but was still 3rd. Drazen had a difficult start, as he was hit by Salberg after a spin, that incident causing damage on his car.

Berdin took the fight to Florian from the start, but the Belgian led 39 out of the race's 40 laps, despite a mistake which caused him to race with the wrong tyre compound. It was another fantastic performance from Florian, fighting-back from his Spa DNF, winning his sixth race of the season and retaking the championship lead from Jorge Maenen in the proccess, by only 2 points with 4 races remaining.

Marko clearly showed the speed for a podium, but unfortunately spun in Lesmo on lap 10, requiring an unplanned pitstop for a new front wing. Despite being hit by Stankevicius later in the race, he recovered very well to take a couple of points on his debut, finishing in 13th place. Pushing hard with a damaged car, Drazen spun off the race on lap 24.

World Series Amateur

Juan Nicola took 9th place in the Q1 session, later securing 4th on the grid during Q2. Team-mate Heinz Vanderhoydonck couldn't have a clean lap and ended up missing the cut, with the 27th time. Juan's race was also very short, however, as he went off and hit the barriers in Parabolica at the end of the first lap, while running in P3.

Faster Than Speed will now go to Suzuka for the Pacific GP, in the return of the legendary circuit to FSR, after its absence in 2007. The team will be hoping to keep fighting for victories in WS while also returning to the points in the World Championship, in this challenging technical track.

Faster Than Speed driver Drazen Cokor had a difficult first half of the season after a highly successful end of his 2007 campaign. At Spa-Francorchamps, however, Drazen took his first podium of the season in the WS Advanced division with a 3rd-place finish. Unfortunately, it was the team's only highlight of the weekend, with no points scored in other divisions.

World Championship

With Sergio Casalins still struggling with connection issues, Florian Pechon had another chance to enjoy taking part in a WC event. He had to start from the back of grid after being unable to set a laptime in Q1, while team-mate Giuseppe Marconi qualified 16th.

First corner contact with other cars compromised Giuseppe's race, as his first pitstop lasted much longer than planned while the crew repaired his car. While trying to recover the lost ground, he put a wheel in the grass, spinning into the barriers and into retirement. Florian's race was also compromised by an incident with Piotr Karasiewicz, which meant he had to pit inmediately for repairs and run a very long second stint. However, he drove a great race, setting an impressive laptime in the last lap, to take his first WC finish in 12th position.

Sergio Casalins will return to the cockpit in Monza.

World Series Ace

Gabriel Montanes was able to qualify to the Q2 session for the first time, where he set the 10th fastest time. Unfortunately, a first-lap incident would quickly put him out of the race before completing the first lap.

World Series Advanced

Florian Pechon dominated both Qualifying sessions, taking his fourth Pole Position of the season. Team-mate Drazen Cokor was 9th quickest in Q1, later securing 8th on the grid.

Florian had a terrible start and dropped from 1st to 8th after lap 1. With his very strong pace, the chances to win were however, still intact. It wasn't his race though, as on lap 3, while lapping a backmarker, Florian lost control of his FTS-P8 in the famous Eau Rouge corner and stalled his engine, which handed the championship lead to rival Jorge Maenen and showed he is human, after all.

Drazen had a much better race, showing strong pace to take his first podium of the season, finishing in 3rd place. A well deserved result for the Croatian.

World Series Amateur

Juan Nicola was 4th fastest in the Q1 session, later taking 7th place in Q2. Team-mate Heinz Vanderhoydonck took 19th position on the grid.

In a very similar fashion to Valencia, both drivers had a very negative start. Heinz was hit hard at the back by Mindaugas Giedra, which caused Heinz's car to spin into the wall and having to pit for a new nose cone. Another unplanned pitstop after a spin didn't help, but the gap was too big as to fight back into the points, resulting in a 17th place finish. Juan, meanwhile, had a very short race, spinning out in Eau Rouge on lap 1.

With no break in between, FTS will be racing next weekend at Monza, Italy, a circuit with good memories for the team as Christian Smirnoff won the 2006 and 2007 WS Ace events. This year, the team will be hoping for more success at the temple of speed.

Faster Than Speed driver Florian Pechon will keep great memories of the Valencia race weekend, as he took his fifth victory of the season, fourth for FTS, in WS Advanced. With that result, he retook the championship lead, and recieved as a prize from the team, the chance to make his WC debut, replacing regular driver Sergio Casalins.

World Championship

With Sergio Casalins awaiting his nephew's birth, Florian Pechon was given the opportunity to have his first World Championship experience, well deserved after his several wins for the team. It wasn't an easy task for Florian, as apart from the pressure, he had to deal with the lack of the traction-control assistance he uses in WS Advanced. However, he was competitive right from Qualifying, where he was 0.002s faster than team-mate Giuseppe Marconi, as they set the 19th and 20th times respectively.

Victim of the unforgiving anti-cuts, Giuseppe had a short race, as his car took off and hit the concrete wall after landing. Florian had an impressive performance, battling for point-scoring positions throughout the race. Unfortunately, his hopes ended in the bridge's wall, but no-one will take the great experience away from him.

World Series Ace

Gabriel Montanes and Drazen Cokor qualified in 16th and 19th places respectively. Unfortunately, by the end of lap 5, both drivers were out of the race due to accidents, in a highly disappointing WS Ace race for the team.

World Series Advanced

After losing the championship lead with his no-participation in Hungary, Florian Pechon was determined to get back to the top. He quickly showed his intentions by setting the fastest time in Q1, while being 4th quickest in the Q2 session. Roy Wachtmeester qualified 20th.

After being hit by Francesco Berdin, Roy had to take an early pitstop for a new front wing. He retired soon after when a software problem caused him to lose control of his FTS-P8. Florian had a much better race. After overtaking a couple of drivers, the pitstop was the key of the race. Pitting a lap later than leader Jorge Maenen, Florian was able to take the lead of the race after his only stop. He would never look back again, taking his fifth victory of the season, the fourth one for the team, in another fantastic performance.

With this result, Florian retook the championship lead, and now is 2 points in front of Bracciano Racing's Jorge Maenen. The team remains 2nd in the standings.

World Series Amateur

Juan Nicola was 4th fastest in the Q1 session, later securing 8th in the grid during Q2. Juan was left disappointed with the grid position as he had to abort a lap where he was improving the pole-time by 3 tenths of a second. Team-mate Heinz Vanderhoydonck qualified 21st.

It wasn't a good start of the race for Juan and Heinz. In the second lap, Juan lost his front wing in the bridge, ending his race with suspension damage. Heinz, meanwhile, was hit from behind, leaving his car handling severely compromised. He recovered well but had to take a pitstop with a lap to go due to a fuel-miscalculation, which dropped him to 18th.

In less than two weeks time, Faster Than Speed will be racing in Spa Francorchamps, Belgium, arguably the best race circuit in the world, where the team will be looking forward to continue the success in WS while being back in the points in WC.

After experiencing a dissastrous Saturday, Faster Than Speed's Hungarian weekend turned around on Sunday with a Pole Position by Drazen Cokor in WS Adv, strong results in WS Ace and the 6th place finish by Mauricio Gomez in the World Championship, substituting regular driver Sergio Casalins.

World Championship

Giuseppe Marconi qualified in 16th position. Regular team-mate Sergio Casalins was unable to take part in the event due to connection issues. The team decided to give the chance to WS Ace driver Mauricio Gomez, who had his third WC experience, the first one aboard an FTS-P8. Mauricio was 18th fastest in the Q1 session.

Mauricio made a brilliant start, climbing twelve positions in the first corner to end the first lap in 6th position. Giuseppe, meanwhile, had a difficult start, spinning off the grid and having to race with a damaged car for the remaining laps. Giuseppe's race ended 5 laps from home when his engine gave up.

Mauricio, running an aggressive 3-stopper strategy, drove his best race to date, and despite eventually losing a long battle with Blair Disley, he took a fantastic 6th place finish, scoring his first WC points in only his third race in FSR's highest division.

World Series Ace

Mauricio Gomez and Gabriel Montanes qualified in 13th and 17th positions respectively in Q1 session. In the race, Mauricio took a 3-stopper strategy while Gabriel opted for a more conventional 2-stopper. Both scored strong points for the team, with Mauricio finishing in 8th place and his team-mate Gabriel two positions behind in 10th.

World Series Advanced

With Florian Pechon on holidays and unable to take part, Drazen Cokor and Roy Wachtmeester, from the Netherlands, making his absolute simracing debut, defended Faster Than Speed's colours. Drazen was 10th in the Q1 session, while Roy had a highly competitive maiden Qualifying session, taking 11th on the grid. Minutes later, Drazen shone in Q2, to take his first-ever Pole Position in FSR.

Drazen's satisfaction would however, only last a few minutes, as a technical problem before starting the formation lap would incredibly put him out of the race, unable to start his first race from Pole. Roy had a promising debut, racing competitively, but unfortunately had to retire after an accident.

With Florian not racing, Jorge Maenen won and took the lead in the championship, while FTS remains 2nd in the team standings.

World Series Amateur

Heinz Vanderhoydonck was again Faster Than Speed's only driver in the division as Juan Nicola suffered connection problems. Heinz qualified in 21st position. However, his race would only last a few metres, as he was unable to brake into Turn 1 and collided with another car, damaging his car beyond repair.

Faster Than Speed leaves the Hungaroring encouraged by the results obtained in WC and WS Ace and the promising performances in WS Adv. In Valencia's new Urban Circuit, Faster Than Speed will hope to score more WC points while achieving strong results in the WS divisions.

Faster Than Speed experienced a difficult weekend at Hockenheim, Germany. Despite showing competitive pace in all divisions, most FTS drivers suffered from unlucky events which put them out of the race or heavily compromised their efforts, through no fault of their own.

World Championship

Sergio Casalins and Giuseppe Marconi qualified in 13th and 20th positions respectively.

Unfortunately in the race, the team couldn't carry on the point-scoring momentum. Giuseppe had his race compromised from the first laps after unavoidably colliding with Ernesto De Angelis, whose car was struck across the track after contact with Igor Sicuro. Giuseppe pitted for a new front wing but later spun off while trying to recover ground with a damaged car. Sergio had a better race, being able to challenge for points, but an engine failure ended his day 7 laps from the checkered flag.

World Series Ace

Mauricio Gomez had a strong race and was set for an 8th place finish, when he unfortunately suffered an engine failure in the final lap of the race, which he believes might have been triggered by slight contact with Denis Kiriakopoulos. Mauricio was still classified in 11th place, 2 laps down on the winner. Hockenheim team-mate Gabriel Montanes had a low-key but steady race to 13th position.

World Series Pro

With Faisal Niazi injured and Mindaugas Latisenka absent due to other commitments, reserve driver Christian Smirnoff took the FTS-P8 to 9th in Q1, later setting the 8th fastest time in Q2. In the race, he was unfortunately one of the victims of Ruben Castro's poor driving on the first lap, which earned him a race ban from the administration. Christian remained on track but later went off track due to the heavily damaged rear end.

World Series Advanced

The team had a difficult Qualifying in the Advanced division. Championship leader Florian Pechon was 2nd fastest in the Q1 session, but suffered a disconnection in Q2 which left him without a time, 10th on the grid. Team-mate Drazen Cokor was unable to take part in Qualifying and started from the back.

Starting from unusual positions, the risks at the first corner were higher. Unfortunately, both drivers were victims of the big turn-1 pile-up which ended Drazen's race inmediately. Florian, despite losing his rear wing, was able to continue after a long pitstop, but with no chances to make his 5-race podium streak longer. With leader's pace but a lap down, Florian was given a debatable drive-through penalty for ignoring blue flags. However, he still managed to finish in 9th position and lapped just 0.001s shy of the race's fastest lap, showing he had the potential to win once again.

Despite the setback, Florian is still leading the championship, with the team 2nd in the Team standings.

World Series Amateur

With Juan Nicola suffering from food poisoning, Heinz Vanderhoydonck was the team's only challenger on track. Heinz qualified in 15th place and made a good start. He was battling with Malcolm Rice, after overtaking Ari Kesseli, when he suffered an early and unexpected engine failure, which left him out of the race.

Faster Than Speed will be hoping for much better luck in the following race at Budapest's Hungaroring, where the team will be trying to score strong points in both WC and WS!

Faster Than Speed enjoyed a great weekend in Great Britain, with Sergio Casalins getting back to the points in the World Championship for the first time since his podium in the Melbourne season opener. In the World Series, Florian Pechon returned to victory to take his third win out of the last four races in the Advanced division.

World Championship

Sergio Casalins just missed entering Q2, qualifying 11th. Due to penalties applied to competitors, he was allowed to start 9th, enjoying the possibility of starting in a top-10 grid position with a heavy fuel load. Team mate Giuseppe Marconi qualified 21st.

In the race, Sergio showed quick pace throughout the race. Unfortunately, he was also too quick in the pitlane, meaning he had to take a drive-through penalty which cost him 5th place. Despite this problem, Sergio delivered a strong drive to finish in 7th position, taking the first points for the team since his Melbourne podium.

Giuseppe had a short but eventful race, including being hit by Ondrej Kuncman and later being involved in a pit-incident with Christian Smirnoff. The team was quick to replace his broken front wing, but Giuseppe unfortunately retired a couple of laps later with a disconnection.

Sergio Casalins (7th): "Well, a strange weekend for me. My Qualifying was not good but with the penalties I managed to start 9th. My strategy was very clear, with more than 70L in the first two stints, to try to end with a short and fast stint. All was going as planned in 7th or 8th position during all the race, but with more or less the same strategy of the drivers around me, so I couldn´t get an advantage of that.
My personal dissaster came when going to the pits for my second stop. Something happened with the speed limiter and I had a drive-through.

The good thing is that finally we could finish in P7 and score 2 more points for the team, because we really needed some. I can´t be really happy because it was very difficult for me to find my pace during the race, but I think that we are working in the right direction and it´s easier when your team is always supporting you as it happens in Faster Than Speed, so I only have to say thanks to all the drivers and staff of the team, because I'm sure that we can have a strong second part of the season."

Giuseppe Marconi (DNF): "Nothing to say. I'm sorry for Christian (Smirnoff) who wasn't able to finish his race because of my distraction. About the incident with Ondrej (Kuncman), I was slower than him and probably he was angry about his turn 1 incident, it can happen."

World Series Ace

Theo Gort and Mauricio Gomez both had strong races, on different strategies. Theo opted for a two-stopper unlike his team-mate who went for only one pitstop. Theo and Mauricio finished in 11th and 12th positions respectively, taking a few points home each. Gabriel Montanes, however, had a disappointing Sunday, suffering a disconnection which left him out of the race.

World Series Pro

A week later than originally scheduled, Faisal Niazi and Mindaugas Latisenka had good races in Silverstone. They finished in 9th and 10th positions respectively. It was a good effort from Mindaugas, who was unable to do any testing due to recoverying from a hand-injury.

World Series Advanced

Championship leader Florian Pechon was 3rd quickest in both Q1 and Q2 sessions. Team-mate Drazen Cokor, returning to the Advanced division, was 10th fastest in Q2, later taking 9th on the grid during Q2.

In the race, Florian delivered yet another fantastic performance, leading every single lap of the race once again to lead the 2nd placed driver by over 45 seconds. It was Florian's fourth victory of the season, the third one in the last four races, scoring 96 points out of last 100 available. Drazen Cokor had a difficult race, but took the last point by a 14th place finish.

With this result, Florian Pechon increased his gap in the championship lead, while the team has climbed to 2nd position in the standings.

World Series Amateur

Juan Nicola and Heinz Vanderhoydonck had a difficult evening. Juan, fighting with a less-than-ideal car setup, retired after a spin, while Heinz had a long pitstop for repairs after an incident and finished just outside the points in 15th.

After getting back to the points in WC and winning another WS race in Silverstone, Faster Than Speed will be looking forward to carry the momentum to next weekend's races at Hockenehim, Germany, where FSR raced for the last time in 2006.

Florian Pechon and Romain Moreno took another great result for Faster Than Speed in WS Advanced, finishing in 2nd and 3rd places respectively. However, separate issues prevented them from challenging for victory and possibly score a 1-2 finish. In the Magny Cours circuit, the team also scored points in other WS divisions, although it suffered another disappointing World Championship evening.

World Championship

Giuseppe Marconi qualified 19th, while Sergio Casalins, carrying a grid penalty from Montreal, decided not to set a time and started from the last row. Giuseppe unfortunately retired early after being involved in a start incident at the back of the grid, triggered by a stalled car. Sergio was doing a good race from the back until a disconnection put him out of the race, causing the team's third double-retirement in a row.

World Series Ace

Mauricio Gomez, Theo Gort, Gabriel Montanes, Drazen Cokor - making a one-off Ace comeback - and Carlos Lopez qualified in 17th, 19th, 20th, 23rd and 24th places respectively.

In the race, Carlos suffered an early retirement, while Theo's good race was over when the Estoril-corner kerb betrayed him, sending him into the barriers. Mauricio and Gabriel took points for the team after finishing in 10th and 11th respectively while Drazen also took the checkered flag, in P15.

World Series Pro

Mindaugas Latisenka and Faisal Niazi were 14th and 17th fastest respectively in the Q1 session. Faisal's race was sadly very short as he was involved in a big first-lap pile-up which left his FTS-P8 heavily damaged. Mindaugas was also involved, but avoided the barriers, and was able to recover from the back. A good job from Mindaugas, who passed several drivers to finish 9th in what was a very difficult weekend for him due to personal issues.

World Series Advanced

Championship leader Florian Pechon took his third Pole Position after setting the quickest time in both Qualifying sessions, while team mate Romain Moreno was 5th fastest in both Q1 and Q2.

In the race, Florian led the first 13 laps until a technical problem cost him 10 seconds and put him back in P4. Romain, who starred in a great battle with race-winner Jorge Maenen, also lost his chances after a long second pitstop. Florian and Romain still took a great result finishing in 2nd and 3rd places respectively, in what was Romain's first podium and Florian's fifth, the fourth one in a row.

However, despite the fantastic points haul, it was a bittersweet result as both drviers felt they could have won and even challenged for a 1-2 result. Florian Pechon remains the championship leader while FTS, without taking part in the first three races of this division, climbed up to 3rd in the standings.

World Series Amateur

Juan Nicola and Heinz Vanderhoydonck were 3rd and 24th fastest in the Q1 session. Juan later took 7th on the grid in Q2's Parc-Ferme conditions.

Juan had a great start and was up to 2nd when he was dropped from the server, unfortunately ending his race prematurely. Heinz had a very difficult afternoon, after losing his front wing on the first lap and having to cope with a wrong car setup the whole race. Due to these problems, he was unable to score, finishing in 17th place.

Faster Than Speed's next destination is Silverstone, Great Britain. In the legendary circuit, where Patrick De Wit took a podium finish in WC last year, the team will be hoping to get back to the points in WC while continuing to spray champagne in the World Series.

Florian Pechon took Faster Than Speed's second victory of the season as he won for the second time in a row in the WS Advanced division. Florian delivered another flawless performance, although the team was left wondering what could have been, as debutant Romain Moreno took Pole Position and fastest lap but retired with connection problems, which prevented the team from taking a deserved 1-2.

World Championship

A week later than planned due to the race cancellation last week, Sergio Casalins and Giuseppe Marconi set the 7th and 16th fastest times respectively in the Q1 session. Sergio then went on to shine in Q2, setting the 3rd quickest time and being able to start from the front row due to a penalty to poleman Laurent Keersmaekers.

The race would, however, finish in a very disappointing way for the team. With a less-than-ideal strategy but leading several laps before his first pitstop, Sergio looked set for a strong point-scoring finish but retired early after smashing the car against the barriers. Giuseppe's race ended in a similar fashion, three laps later, in an afternoon of unrealised potential for Faster Than Speed.

Sergio Casalins (DNF): "Mixed feelings this weekend for me. The problem was that I started light on fuel, trying to push really hard behind Kolbe, but all went wrong when I was unable to find my pace and open the necessary gap to the other drivers. So after my stop I was in the middle of several battles for 6th position. That's why I knew that the only opportunity to take some points was to push hard, because going so short, all the other drivers were going to overtake me at the pitstops. So I pushed to the limit, overtaking Keersmaekers and then smashing the wall two corners later. A very bad way to end a really promising race with silly mistakes.
But on the other hand, I'm really happy about the performance we had during the weekend thanks to a incredible Giuseppe, who made a impressive setup, which was really good to drive, thanks mate! I'm sure that if we continue this way we are going to be fighting for the top positions."

World Series Ace

After getting a spot in the top-10, Carlos Lopez set the 9th fastest time in the Q2 session. Mauricio Gomez, from Colombia, making his debut for the team, Gabriel Montanes and Theo Gort, were 16th, 19th and 23rd quickest during Q1 respectively.

The race didn't start in a positive way for the team. Theo and Mauricio had to pit in the first laps for new front wings, while a collission between Mauricio and Carlos didn't help either. Despite having to recover from the back, Mauricio and Theo drove steady races to finish in 12th and 14th positions respectively. Carlos unfortunately suffered an engine failure with just 3 laps to go, while Gabriel retired after his first pitstop with technical problems.

World Series Pro

Faisal Niazi did a very quick lap in Q1 which left him 8th and able to progress to Q2, where he qualified 9th. Team mate Mindaugas Latisenka couldn't repeat his Monaco performance and qualified 19th.

Faisal drove another good race to take strong points by finishing 6th. Mindaugas had a slightly more difficult race, as a first-lap incident meant he needed a pitstop for repairs which left him with the task of recovering from the back. Despite the setback, Mindaugas had an enjoyable race, overtaking several cars on his way to 9th position.

Mindaugas Latisenka (9th): "It was a special race weekend for me as exactly one year ago I made my FSR debut in this track. Fortunately, this year I finished P9, unlike last year where I had to retire due to a brake failure.
Anyway, the race wasn't too difficult. As usual, I lost everything in a first-lap crash, so after repairs in the pits I just had a calm drive with some nice overtaking moves, not much to tell about it. Faisal, great job with P6, you got it going! France is now coming, and hopefully it will be a breakthrough in my disastrous season."

World Series Advanced

Romain Moreno, from France, made his mark on his FSR debut. In both Qualifying sessions, he set the best laptime, taking his first Pole Position by just 0.002s over team mate Florian Pechon, who completed an all-FTS front row, after being 3rd fastest in Q1. Drazen Cokor, meanwhile, qualified 17th.

Just like in Monaco, Florian drove another fantastic race, leading every lap of the GP to take his third victory of the season and regain the championship lead after 7 races. However, despite celebrating the win, the team rued the lost chance for a 1-2 finish, as Romain remained just behind his team mate, and having set the fastest lap of the race, when connection problems left him out on lap 37. Drazen's race ended prematurely due to technical issues.

World Series Amateur

Juan Nicola took P1 in the Q1 session, gaining the right to participate in Q2, where he set 8th quickest time. Juan would however, start 2nd after penalties to other drivers were applied. Team mate Heinz Vanderhoydonck showed a much improved pace to qualify 13th.

After a good start, Juan's race went downfall after a spin. A longer pitstop than planned due to damage being repaired left him at the back. Juan recovered very well to finish the race in 9th position, although he left disappointed and wondering what could have been. Heinz drove a very strong race and looked set for an 8th place finish when unfortunately due to a misscalculation, he had to pit for fuel with only one lap to go. His engine cut off and he had to arrive crawling to his pitstop, which cost him 4 places, dropping him to 12th.

Faster Than Speed moves to Magny Cours, delighted about Florian's second consecutive win and encouraged by the strong performances shown. The team will be hoping to realise the potential in France, scoring big points in all divisions!

Faster Than Speed enjoyed a fantastic weekend in the World Series, with Florian Pechon winning the Monaco GP in WS Advanced in only his second race with the team. Florian took the team's first win of the season with a dominant performance. FTS also scored strong results in the Ace and Pro divisions, but unfortunately the bad-luck streak continued in the World Championship.

World Championship

Sergio Casalins and Giuseppe Marconi qualified in 13th and 21st positions respectively. It was a terrible day for Giuseppe, as he suffered from connection problems from the outset, and was unable to start the race. Sergio went further, but later retired after making contact with the barriers and having to pit for a new front wing.

World Series Ace

Theo Gort did a great job in Q1 to qualify to the Q2 session, where he set the 10th fastest time. Team mates Carlos Lopez and Gabriel Montanes started the race from 16th and 22nd respectively.

In the race, Theo delivered a strong drive, showing very good pace to finish in 6th place. Carlos missed the chance for an 8th place finish when he lost control in Ste. Devote, but still managed to finish in 12th position. Gabriel was making progress with a heavy 1-stopping car, but unfortunately had to retire early in the race victim of the unforgiving barriers.

World Series Pro

Mindaugas Latisenka qualified very well, managing to get a place in the Q2 session, where he set the 10th quickest laptime. Team mate Faisal Niazi, meanwhile, started from 15th.

Faisal drove a great race and had the last podium position in his hands until unfortunately a spin cost him that position. However, he managed to very intelligently nurse his damaged car home to finish in 4th place. Mindaugas had a slightly more difficult race, but despite also damaging his car against the barriers, he managed to finish in 9th position.

Mindaugas Latisenka (9th): "Wow, what a difficult race! Congratulations to Faisal for a nice drive to P4.
My race was compromised by huge traffic in the first 15 laps. When I finally was free of it, I was almost one lap down on Marco (Zipoli). Anyway, I kept pushing and climbed to P8, but I made a mistake and crashed into the barrier. I still managed to finish in P9. I usually do one big mistake a year, so hopefully it's the only one.
We are making progress, I'm very happy that I made it to Q2 for the first time this year. So we are slowly catching up with the field. Now we look forward to Canada."

World Series Advanced

Florian Pechon was the hero of the weekend. After clocking the 2nd quickest lap in Q1, he took Pole Position in Q2 and never looked back again. Team mate Drazen Cokor qualified 15th.

In the race, while championship rival Jorge Maenen spun off at the start, Florian delivered a fantastic flawless drive, leading every single lap of the race and also setting the fastest lap in the process, leading 2nd placed Nicholas Morse home by over 45 seconds. Florian took his second win of the season, his first one racing for Faster Than Speed. Drazen didn't share the same fortune as he crashed off early in the race.

With this result, Florian Pechon is trailling championship leader Maenen by just 4 points.

With high spirits after Florian's victory, Faster Than Speed will be now heading to Montreal, Canada. The Gilles Villeneuve circuit was usually a good one for the team, with a 1-2 finish in WS Ace in 2005 and Patrick De Wit taking the team's maiden Pole Position in the World Championship last year.

The Turkish GP was a weekend of new faces for the Faster Than Speed team. Florian Pechon, Juan Nicola and Gabriel Montanes all made their FTS debuts. Florian took the team's best result of the weekend, with a 3rd place in WS Advanced, in the team's second race at the newest FSR division.

World Championship

The team continued its streak of bad-luck in the World Championship, with both Sergio Casalins and Giuseppe Marconi suffering problems in Qualifying, which only allowed them to start the race from 16th and 20th positions respectively.

In the race, Sergio made an aggressive start which paid off until an attempt to overtake Disley ended with the Spaniard spinning off. Giuseppe managed to see the checkered flag, but while running in 10th, he was hit by Keersmaekers, which unfortunately dropped him to 14th.

World Series Ace

Carlos Lopez drove a strong lap in Q1 to set the 17th quickest time in a highly competitive Ace field, while Gabriel Montanes, from Uruguay, who was making his FTS debut, unfortunately couldn't have a clean lap and was a tenth of a second off the top-24, setting the 25th quickest time, which didn't allow him to take part in his first race for FTS.

Carlos had a very strong race to score his first points of the season with an 11th place finish, in front of several very competitive drivers.

World Series Pro

Faisal Niazi and Mindaugas Latisenka qualified in 16th and 19th positions respectively.

The race unfortunately started very badly once again for Mindaugas, having to serve a drive-through penalty for a false start and later being hit once again which damaged his suspension. After visiting the pitlane twice by the third lap, it was always going to be very hard for him to score points. Mindaugas recovered well, overtaking several cars, but in a race with almost no retirements, he was unable to make up the lost ground and finished 18th. Team mate Faisal, meanwhile, had a cleaner race, finishing in 10th place.

World Series Advanced

Florian Pechon, from Belgium, made its debut for the team, and kicked out his FTS career with a fantastic qualifying performance, setting the 2nd fastest time in Q1, later taking 3rd on the grid in Q2. Team mate Drazen Cokor qualified 16th.

Unfortunately, Drazen's race was very short, as he suffered a technical problem which put him out of the race during the first lap. Florian, however, had better luck, and drove a great race, setting the fastest lap and finishing 3rd, scoring Faster Than Speed's first WS Advanced podium and his personal second, after winning the season opener Australian GP. Florian Pechon is currently 2nd in the Driver Standings.

World Series Amateur

Juan Nicola, from Argentina, made his FSR debut, qualifying 12th. Juan was set to enter Q2 until unfortunately he outbraked himself into the last corner and missed the chance. Team mate Heinz Vanderhoydonck qualified 21st.

The race didn't start well for Juan, who was unfortunately hit and spun around at the end of the first lap, leaving him with the hard task of climbing through the field from the very back. However, Juan managed to drive a fantastic recovery race, overtaking several drivers including spectacular passes over Antonio Perrone and Courtenay Smith, to finish in 8th position. Heinz unfortunately had to retire early, after his throttle pedal got stuck and broke down, which resulted in him crashing heavily against the barriers.

Faster Than Speed will be now heading to Monte Carlo, Monaco. In the glamourous streets of the Principality, the team will be looking forward to improve its luck in WC while continuing with strong WS results, in line with the great results achieved in Monaco in the last couple of years.

Faster Than Speed hoped to turn its luck around in the fourth round of the FSR season at Barcelona, Spain. In the World Series, the team did well, with good results and promising performances. However, FTS was out of luck in the World Championship, with both drivers out due to technical dramas before the race even started.

World Championship

Sergio Casalins and Giuseppe Marconi qualified in 15th and 22nd positions respectively. The race was however, a very short but highly disappointing nightmare for the team, with Sergio retiring from the race due to a technical problem which was affecting him since the Official Practice, while his team mate Giuseppe suffered a different technical issue which left him stranded on the grid at the start. Race over before it even started...

World Series Ace

Dani Falco, the only FTS runner this weekend in WS Ace, qualified in the top-24 for the first time this season, but struggled with force-feedback steering wheel problems which compromised his race. Still, in a spirited drive, he finished 12th picking up his first 2008 points.

World Series Pro

Faisal Niazi qualified in a fantastic 3rd after being 9th in Q1. Mindaugas Latisenka started from 16th. Faisal drove a very competitive two-stopper race fighting hard with the leaders to eventually finish in 5th position. Mindaugas, meanwhile, had his race compromised after once again being hit in the first lap, but he recovered well to pick a few points with a 13th place finish.

Mindaugas Latisenka (13th): "Congratulations to my team mate Faisal for a great 5th place. Very well done! As for me... bad start, bad luck during the first lap, wrong fuel strategy and not enough top speed. Anyway, I managed to score 2 points, which is a good thing for the team."

World Series Advanced

Faster Than Speed made its debut in the WS Advanced division, with Drazen Cokor qualifying in a strong 4th after setting the 6th quickest laptime in Q1. In the race, Drazen remained in the top-5 until an overtaking attempt on Rob Swindells ended with his retirement.

World Series Amateur

In WS Amateur, Diego Cueto qualified in 5th position in his last race for the team, while his team mate Heinz Vanderhoydonck was unable to pass the top-24 cut in the very competitive Q1 session. In the race, Diego finished in 4th position, missing out on a maiden podium after spinning at the start of the final lap of the race.

Diego Cueto (4th): "After good Q1 and Q2 sessions I started the race with no problems except for going wide in Turn 3 on lap 1, but quickly started to gain positions. I became 2nd and started my normal pace, entered the pits and rejoined in P5. I was doing a very good race with no errors until Lap 32 when suddenly my car spun after losing focus because of a backmarker. That made me lose the 3rd position I had and my first ever podium. A good race to remember that the podium isn't secure until crossing the finish line."

Faster Than Speed will now move to the Istanbul Park in Turkey, where last year Patrick De Wit made history by taking the team's maiden World Championship victory. Back in 2006, FTS also enjoyed a fantastic weekend at the Otodrom, with Faisal Niazi taking the victory in WS Pro and the team taking a 1-2 with Christian Smirnoff and Gabriel Garivaldis in WS Ace.

After the disappointing Malaysian weekend, Faster Than Speed hoped to fight back in Sakhir, Bahrain. Unfortunately, several incidents compromised the team's chances to take strong results out of last weekend's FSR races. The team could just take two point-scoring finishes in WS, courtesy of Mindaugas Latisenka and Heinz Vanderhoydonck.

World Championship

Sergio Casalins and Giuseppe Marconi took the 13th and 18th positions in the starting grid, with the Spaniard failling to enter Qualifying 2 by a small margin.

Unfortunately, first lap incidents hampered both drivers. Giuseppe suffered bodywork damage after contact with David Greco, which didn't allow him to lap at his pace. Sergio, meanwhile, was a victim of an incident started by Shaun Stroud, which heavily damaged his suspension.

Struggling with the car balance after the incident, Sergio spun off the race on lap 6, while Giuseppe was able to see the checkered flag, although in 14th place.

Giuseppe Marconi (14th): "I hate this track, just like Sepang. In Q1 I was about 0.5s over my personal best and in race I was about a second a lap over my pace as my suspension was damaged at start when I hit David (Greco) from behind at Turn 1, which I apologize for. I need to solve my troubles with the brake balance because I'm not able to push hard at the moment."

Sergio Casalins (DNF): "Not too much to say... Dissastrous race for me in a track that I like a lot. Starting in P13 it's very difficult to avoid problems. Had the pace to be fighting for points, but the lack of testing and the incident in the first turn, where Shaun (Stroud) pushed 3 cars, ruined my race. Very difficult to drive with the suspension damaged and a spin in turn 5 ended my race early this weekend.
Now we have to focus in Barcelona, home Grand Prix for me and I hope to improve my pace and return to the points. I use to be strong there and with hard work I'm sure that we are going to have the pace again."

World Series Ace

Sunday was really short for the FTS drivers in WS Ace. Theo Gort, Drazen Cokor and Dani Falco were unable to pass the top-24 cut in Q1 and could not participate in the race. The team will work hard to make sure this situation doesn't happen again in Barcelona.

World Series Pro

Faisal Niazi and Mindaugas Latisenka qualified 17th and 18th respectively. In the first lap of the race, unfortunately, the worst-case scenario happened, and Faisal collided with his team mate Mindaugas. Faisal's race was inmediately over after the incident, while Mindaugas could continue although he substained some damage, worsened after also being hit by Rasmus Tali.

Despite the bad start, Mindaugas made good progress during the race, putting in a solid drive from the back to finish in 8th position.

Mindaugas Latisenka (8th): "Good race, except for the first lap. I'm really getting fed up with first lap incidents. Luckily my patience is still holding up. Had to push all the time and I'm very happy that I managed to keep one of the Torrent Motorsports cars behind me. The good thing is that it looks we are making progress. So hopefully in Barcelona we will be even closer to the top-10."

World Series Amateur

Heinz Vanderhoydonck was Faster Than Speed's only Bahrain entry in WS Amateur. After qualifying 23rd, Heinz drove a solid race, being involved in interesting battles and showing a much better performance than in Malaysia. He took his first point-scoring finish after crossing the line in 14th place.

Heinz Vanderhoydonck (14th): "Satisfied with the result. Looking forward to the next race, and hope to perform a bit better."

Faster Than Speed will be hoping for better luck in the start of the European season in Catalunya, Spain. Hopefully the team will have a less accident-prone weekend and will be able to score strong points.

Faster Than Speed did not enjoy its most successful weekend in the FSR races held in Sepang, Malaysia. The team failed to find the optimum setup for its FTS-P8 and struggled on track, with Diego Cueto's 8th place in WS Amateur as its strongest result. World Championship

After entering Q2 in Australia, Sergio Casalins was unable to repeat the top-10 result and qualified 14th, with his team mate Giuseppe Marconi back in 19th.

Giuseppe's race started badly, as he lost control of the car off the line. He was able to continue but he couldn't make much progress and finished 18th. Sergio, meanwhile, had a better race, battling for position with several drivers, but was unable to get closer to the points, ending the race in 13th place.

The result is disappointing after Sergio's Australian podium, but the team remains in a strong 4th position in the Team Standings, and will be looking forward to be back in the points in Bahrain.

World Series Ace

The second WS Ace race of the season was a real nightmare for FTS. With both Theo Gort and Carlos Lopez suffering technical problems which made them unable to participate in the race, Drazen Cokor was the team's only hope.

After qualifying 24th, unfotunately, the race only lasted a few metres for Drazen, after being a victim of the first-corner incident, which damaged his car beyond repair.

World Series Pro

Faisal Niazi and Mindaugas Latisenka qualified in 13th and 22nd positions respectively. The start of the race was frightening, as Mindaugas' car rolled over after being hit, but he was able to continue, despite some damage to his FTS-P8. Faisal's race was compromised after a great to start to P6, when contact from another car sent him off track and to the back of the field.

Both drivers made a good job and even battled each other after the shaky start, but on the wrong pitstop strategy and after other incidents they were unable to climb back to the front, with Mindaugas finishing 13th and Faisal 15th.

Mindaugas Latisenka (13th): "Very exciting race for everybody. Unfortunately the excitement didn't match with a good result. I had a nightmare start, was even upside down, but luckily the car wasn't damaged too much. Later had some nice battles with Ohrman, Faisal and Marcelli. But also I was hit from behind twice and lost a lot of time. I think it cost me a top-10 finish. Anyway, 13th place and two points is better than nothing. I need to work hard to improve, so hoping for better luck in Bahrain."

World Series Amateur

Diego Cueto managed to enter the Q2 session and set the 9th fastest time, after being in a strong 3rd in Q1. Despite his strong qualifying, he started 19th due to a penalty he was carrying from Australia. His team mate Heinz Vanderhoydonck qualified 22nd.

Diego made a great start from the back and drove a good race. Contact from another car and a spin while trying to overtake Anotnio Perrone compromised his chances, but he still managed to finish in 8th position. Heinz didn't have a great race, struggling with a very heavy car in a less-than-ideal strategy, but made it to the end in 18th.

Diego Cueto (8th): "After a great Q1 ending 3rd and a heavy-fuel Q2 starting 9th, I ended up starting 19th because of a penalty. Good race anyway and great battles but I'm not happy with the result as I could had managed to end higher than 8th place. A spin and some contact and collissions from other drivers didn't give me any chance. I'm missing Bahrain but will be there in Barcelona."

The team will now look forward to a better performance in this weekend's races at Sakhir, Bahrain, where FTS will be hoping to score strong points in all FSR divisions.

Sergio Casalins took his first ever World Championship podium in his debut race for Faster Than Speed in Melbourne, Australia. After the 5 podium finishes scored last season, FTS starts the new season with the right foot, clinching its eight Top-3 result in FSR's highest division. World Championship

With the new Qualifying-system in use, Sergio Casalins took the 10th spot during the Q1 session, later securing 8th in the grid with race-fuel in Q2. Team mate Giuseppe Marconi couldn't pass the Q1 cut and qualified 15th.

Giuseppe unfortunately had a short race, as problems with tyre temperatures caused a spin under braking. Giuseppe was collected by Roy Kolbe while facing the wrong way, ending his day prematurely.

Sergio, however, made a fantastic start to climb from 8th to 3rd place. The Spaniard drove a great race, always fighting for strong points throughout the race. Looking set for a 5th place finish, Casalins took full advantage of De Wit's and Kuncman's problems to clinch his first ever WC podium, with his 3rd place finish.

Sergio Casalins (3rd): "Very good weekend for me. After a very disappointing Qualifying session, I was able to start in P8, which wasn´t too bad.

I made a good start and took P2 in the first corner where some people had problems. I was then behind Greco during all my first stint, pushing hard and trying to open a gap with the rest of the drivers. I was driving avoiding problems and not pushing the engine over the limit to make sure I could finish. I was lucky because of Kuncman's and Patrick's (De Wit) problems, which gave me 3rd place.

I'm really happy, not only for me, but specially for Faster Than Speed, for the confidence they had in me when I signed the contract and for all the members of the team who really worked hard and gave me the opportunity to have a very good car during the weekend. I will continue working hard to have a very good pace in Malaysia too."

Giuseppe Marconi (DNF): "Unfortunately, I haven't had enough testing last week and I wasn't able to solve my troubles with hot rear tyres, which caused my spin and my race to end early. However, I will be there in Malaysia fighting to score some points for FTS. Congratulations to Sergio who took his first podium, great job mate!"

This result marks Faster Than Speed's best ever start of a World Championship campaign, with the team currently in third position of the Team Standings.

World Series Ace

The team suffered a very tough afternoon in the WS Ace division. In the super-competitive two-group Q1 session, both Theo Gort and Drazen Cokor were unable to make the Top-24 cut and had to cope with the disappointment of not entering the race. Carlos Lopez, meanwhile, did a good job in his first Qualifying for FTS and was 18th fastest.

Carlos made a great start and showed very good pace throughout the race, but unfortunately lost a lot of ground after needing a long pitstop after damaging the car and was unable to finish the race. With Carlos as the only FTS driver left, the team could not take any points away from the race.

World Series Pro

Faisal Niazi was disappointed to qualify in 9th position in the Q2 session. Team mate Mindaugas Latisenka, couldn't enter Q2 and qualified 23rd.

Mindaugas, despite running a promising race strategy, was an unfortunate victim of a first-lap incident which happened ahead of him, as another car was unable to see what was happening and pushed Mindaugas into the barriers and retirement.

Faisal, however, drove a very strong race, and looked set for a 4th place finish, only for a technical problem to end his race in the last lap, leaving him classified a lap down in 8th position, which is little consolation after losing a good result with just over 2000 metres to go.

World Series Amateur

Diego Cueto did a wonderful job to enter Q2 on his debut race and qualify in 9th position. His team mate Heinz Vanderhoydonck unfortunately was unable to use the chassis which was set-up for his liking, and as a consequence had to start from the back of grid.

In the race, Diego drove a great race despite a couple of mistakes, taking a fantastic 5th place on his simracing debut. Heinz was not able to do much progress without his car setup, but still drove a steady race to see the checkered flag in his first race, in 17th position.

Diego Cueto (5th): "First ever race. Even though I'm happy with the result, nerves made things difficult! But after all the mistakes and a disappointing Q2, I can't complain with 5th place. After fighting for 4th place I spun twice and also did some 'rallying' once. Looking forward to improve in my first ever season."

The team is now hard at work in Sepang, Malaysia, where FTS will be hoping to continue in the same path in the World Championship and will look forward to a more successful World Series weekend.

Faster Than Speed proudly presents its 2008 Formula SimRacing campaign. With less than a week to go before action kicks off in Melbourne, the team wishes to launch the new FTS-P8, together with our full driver lineup for the new season. In 2007, the team had a fantastic season, in which the team finished in a best ever 4th position in the World Championship, with Patrick De Wit taking Faster Than Speed's first WC victory in Istanbul, together with a maiden Pole Position and 5 podium finishes.

In 2008, Faster Than Speed hopes to continue the trend of strong results in the World Championship, while fighting once again at very top in the World Series divisions.

The FTS-P8

Following the spectacular 2007 design, the FTS-P8, our latest panther beast, is the last masterpiece of Ernesto De Angelis, who sets the standard once again, with the best-looking and most aggressive car livery in the Formula SimRacing field. There are two versions of De Angelis' amazing design, with the tradittional black color replaced by grey for our WS Panthers teams.

12 exclusive shots of our FTS-P8 challenger can be found here.

Driver Lineups

As announced over a month ago, Italian Giuseppe Marconi will partner Spaniard Sergio Casalins in the World Championship.

Giuseppe Marconi (#9): "I think we are ready to do another good season, Sergio is very fast and the new physics suit him. Even if I had several troubles to find the right feeling with the car, I think that with hard work on the setup and strategies, I can reduce the gap to other drivers. I think this year's WC lineup is the strongest ever seen and it will be very hard to score many points. But I'm ready to try my best. I want to thank Gabriel and Christian for their efforts and Ernesto for his beatiful work in designing our car. I want to wish fun and success to all FTS guys."

Sergio Casalins (#10): "I'm sure that with the work that we are doing it´s going to be a very good season for us, we are completing a lot of testing laps and giving feedback to improve the FTS-P8 every day. I'm feeling very comfortable with the car and with all the members of the team and that's one of the most important facts to be competitive during the season. So I can´t wait to start the season and do my best to take as many points as possible for Faster Than Speed."

In the World Series Ace division, Theo Gort, from the Netherlands, will partner Carlos López, from Spain, who will have his FTS debut race in Melbourne. In the same division, the FTS Ace Panthers team will feature Croatian Drazen Cokor, who makes the jump from the Amateur division, together with Dani Falco, from Spain.

Gabriel Garivaldis will not feature in this year's lineup, while his 2007 team mate Christian Smirnoff will drive in the World Championship for our friends at Crown Seven Da Silva, but remains a test and reserve driver for FTS.

Theo Gort (#5): "I'm really looking forward to race 1 and already starting my 3rd year at FTS, wow. Last year was difficult and this year won't be much easier but I hope to improve my own performance and be a little more careful. The team has welcomed many great new drivers over the winter so I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun again. I'll miss having Christian by my side on the grid, but for sure together with Carlos, Dani and Drazen we will make most of it and do our absolute best. Good luck to Sergio and Giuseppe in WC and all the others of course!"

Carlos López (#6): "I had a very difficult 2007 season, and I want to do much better this time. In the winter I improved a lot, with the new car, and with the team, and I think we can do a realy good job this year. We don't have Christian with us, but I think Theo and me can put the FTS Ace team to the top 10 each race if we don't have problems. Will be difficult, I know, but I have the feeling that we'll be competitive this year. Another strong point is the design of the car, which is incredible. I'm really happy to drive that car. I'm waiting the first race, and I really hope I can show my best."

Drazen Cokor (#16): "2008 will be my second year in WS, this time in Ace division. After one year spent in the Amateur division I must say that I am very happy with the team and I am very satisfied with where I am right now. My expectation for 2008 is to finish as many races as possible and then results will come. This is a very big step for me, after just 13 races in Amateur last year."

Dani Falco (#17): "This season I aim to learn more about the car setup, strategies and understand telemetry parameters, to extract the full potential on track and improve my best times. It will be a hard job! I'm very happy to have joined FTS a few years ago, even if I wasn't a fast driver yet. When I joined FTS, my simracing life changed and I'm very very happy to be part of this team, thanks mates!"

In the World Series Pro, 2006 champion Faisal Niazi, from Pakistan, will once again pair up with Mindaugas Latisenka, from Lithuania. They will be hoping to improve one position on their 2007 runner-up spot.

Faisal Niazi (#3): "I'd like to welcome our new drivers and hope to continue working well within the team."

Mindaugas Latisenka (#4): "2008 will be my first full FSR season. FTS gave me a chance last year and I managed to finish quite strongly. So I hope I can live up to the teams's expectations this year and that together with Faisal, we will be in the battle for the championship at WS Pro. I feel we have a very competetive car and with such good team spirit it can be FTS' best year yet."

Two new team members will drive for the team in the World Series Amateur division. Diego Cueto, from Spain and Heinz Vanderhoydonck, from Belgium, will both be making their FSR debuts next weekend.

Diego Cueto (#7): "After a couple of months of hard practice, I realised FTS is a great team for an amateur like me, thanks to all FTS members that taught me plenty of things about setting up a car, overtaking, defending, race strategies and the most important thing, they let me know this isn't just a driving game... I have great expectations for this year's season, as I'm new into simracing, I need to say that my primary objective is to gain experience and of course to get as many points as I can for this wonderful team, working hard to maybe reach the top 5 this year! Thanks for accepting me in FTS, I promise I won't let you down!"

Heinz Vanderhoydonck (#8): "It's a pleasure to drive in this team with its drivers. It's my first year as sim driver and to be honest, I underestimated it a bit, now I have a lot of respect for those who make very fast laptimes. My goals for this year are to learn to drive, understand the setup and try to win points for the team. It's going to be my number one hobby and I try to do my best. I like to win and with such good racers in the team, with their experience and knowledge, it must be possible in the future. Thanks for letting me join the team, I feel connected with the Argentinian flag, as it's my little daughter's nationality, so I will do my best to get points for FTS. See you on track mates!"

Comments from the Management

Gabriel Garivaldis: "I must say that I haven't ever seen the team so lively during the pre-season in my time at FTS. All the guys are working very hard and enjoying it too which is fantastic. Of course as usual its very difficult to determine how we will compare to other teams but for me that is not a major factor. I have full trust in the team achieving the season objectives and there is a lot of potential. Both the World Championship and World Series drivers work so well as a team, I am very impressed and the season has not yet even started! This will be an exciting season and you can count on the team not just having the best looking livery (again) but also the best team morale with exceptional results."

Christian Smirnoff: "Launching a new car is always an exciting moment, as well as being so close to the start of a new season. I am very happy with how the team is working together, the atmosphere in the team is fantastic and the new drivers have integrated theirselves very easily. We have improved our team work with new mehods and everyone is pushing hard to perform strongly once again this season. I want to thank all our drivers for their efforts, Gabriel for the usual confidence, and Ernesto, who once again has done an awesome job with our car design!"

The Website

Together with the exclusive shots and specifications of our new FTS-P8, last year's FTS-P7 was added to our Garage. The website also features and updated team history, and several other updates and improvements.

Countdown to Melbourne...

Less than a week to go, the first race of the season is arriving. See you there! Ready... set... GO!

The time to announce Faster Than Speed's 2008 FSR World Championship driver lineup has finally arrived!

Faster Than Speed has signed Sergio Casalins, from Spain. Although he made his WC debut back in 2002, taking part in a couple of races for Hernj Grand Prix, Sergio had his first full WC season last year, racing for Virtual-Games.com Racing Team, after great peformances in ASRWC. In 2007, Sergio showed some very competitive performances and the potential for great results in 2008.

Sergio will be partnered by Giuseppe Marconi, who will be driving his second full season for the team. Despite having a difficult season in 2007, the Italian was essential for last year's success, in which FTS finished in a best ever 4th position in the WC Team Standings, with a maiden victory in Istanbul by Patrick De Wit.

The team is already hard at work to ensure that 2008 will be another successful season for Faster Than Speed! Now, what the drivers and managers had to say about the announcement:

Sergio Casalins: "I'm really looking forward to the 2008 season. After a very difficult rookie year, I have to thank the team for giving me this incredible chance. I was given the possibility of being a Faster Than Speed driver in a very exciting project for the new season and I am really grateful because it is a great team with many talented drivers that work together with the same aim, so I am sure that we have all in our hands to compete at a very high level.

"It is difficult to give a specific goal for next season but I feel really confident about our possibilities. I think that I have learned a lot about last year's mistakes and with the trust I have from FTS and hard work during the winter season, I'm sure that I can have a strong year. I will fight and work to take as many points as possible!"

Giuseppe Marconi: "I want to thank Christian and Gabriel for their decision to confirm me in FTS for another year. Even if I didn't score many points last season, I'm very happy because I worked hard testing car setups for the team. I hope that this work will be appreciated this year too and I think I can improve my race results with the help of the team. I have another great team mate, Sergio is very fast and he can do better this season, like Patrick did last year. I want wish a great season to all FTS guys, good luck all!"

Gabriel Garivaldis (Team Manager): "I am extremely pleased with the new signings for the 2008 season. Sure it is a let down to lose a top driver like Patrick, whom we had high hopes for, but we can be certain that his replacement, Sergio, will definitely be someone who will fight hard on track and earn the best possible results. Sergio has years of experience and a lot of talent so we can only look forward to an exciting year with him.

Giuseppe proved last season that he can get some really good speed in the car and was an essential member of the team, contributing to superb setup development and good team morale. He had some bad luck followed by some inconsistant showings, but we have no doubt he'll put all that behind him and have a much better year. Giuseppe now has a lot of experience and we believe this will be an important attribute this season. We have no doubt in his talent.

We'll just do our best as usual, after our best season in the championship last year, we have high hopes and a very friendly team atmosphere. The entire team is getting along very well. A few new faces in the team this year will bring new life and we await to see what we can produce."

Christian Smirnoff (Team Manager): "Announcing a driver lineup is always a special moment and I am very pleased that Sergio and Giuseppe will be driving for FTS.

Sergio is a very talented driver with a lot of potential. Last year he already showed great pace in several races and we are sure that like Patrick last year, he will be able to extract his full potential in FTS. He has integrated himself very well into the team and is already working hard, determined to have a strong season!

Giuseppe had a difficult 2007 in races, due to various reasons, but behind the scenes, he was one of the keys to the team's achievements last season. He works very hard for the team, and we have no doubt that this year, with better luck and equipment, he will be able to perform strongly.

The competition will be very tough, but the team has showed that we can compete at the highest level and we are looking forward to do so again this season."