The fourth 2012 GP2 Series weekend, contested on the Montmeló circuit, not far from the Catalonian capital in Spain, had a chance to finish with excellent results for Ocean Racing Technology. Without the various obstacles that slowed their progress, Nigel Melker and Victor Guerin could have converted their excellent performance into big points. Indeed, both Ocean Racing Technology drivers were systematically the fastest on the track this Sunday and what’s more, they had the two fastest laps in the sprint race.
Nigel Melker had qualified in 12th position on the starting grid in the first race and climbed his way to finish 8th which, in addition to securing points, let him set his sights on starting in the pole position in the second race. But a penalty for speeding in the pit lane – the Dutch driver exceeded the speed limit by 1km/h – cost him several positions and he finished the race 14th. In the second race, he was once again fighting for points when a driver lost control of his car in front of him and collided with him. His car’s wing did not hold up against the impact and Nigel Melker was forced to pit in order to change it. “I was not lucky on Sunday, it was a race incident but I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yesterday’s penalty was the result of a stupid mistake and I certainly won’t make that mistake again. Once again, we showed that we were the fastest and the results should quickly come to us,” Nigel Melker declared.
Victor Guerin was getting to know the GP2 Series in Barcelona without ever having driven a single lap with his new car. He was only able to do six laps in the free practice and despite his inexperience with the track, the team, and the series, he qualified just 1.6 seconds behind the polesitter. His first experience with the carbon clutch cost him dearly in the start of the first race, where he stalled and had to start from the pits as dictated by the rules. Victor Guerin did not admit defeat, however, and adopted a very good pace to rejoin the pack and overtake several competitors. In the second race, he started from 21st position, but was penalized for slightly moving his car before the start. He was relegated to the back of the pack and again was very fast, going as far as retaking 1 to 2 seconds per lap off the race leaders. “It was my first race weekend in the GP2 Series, I did not know the car and I did not drive much in the free practice, but in qualifying I had already reduced the gap between me and the fastest drivers,” declared Victor Guerin. “In the first race, I let the motor cut out in the formation lap and in the second I was still not very familiar with the clutch and I got penalized for a jump start. So logically I was assessed with a drive through penalty. But the car was very good and I managed to exploit its potential. I am very content to have had the fastest race lap.”
Ocean Racing Technology’s directors have mixed feelings after the Spanish races. “On the one hand, there is satisfaction at seeing our drivers and cars are very fast and can fight for a win, but on the other hand there is the disappointment of being penalized or caught in accidents by our rivals,” declared José Guedes and Tiago Monteiro. “We will be heading to Monaco with the motivation and determination that characterize the team.”
The next GP2 Series races will be held two weeks from now in Monaco.