Sam will be joining reigning GP2 Champions ART Grand Prix in their bid to secure the GP2 Asia title.

In a move that will see him become an integral part of ART’s end-of-year endeavours, Sam will be taking part in the pre-season test in Abu Dhabi next week, before his maiden GP2 race on the Abu Dhabi F1 weekend (31st October – 1st November).

The CJ Motorsport managed driver will then be remaining with the French team for a joint assault on the F3 Macau Grand Prix title in November. He will be teaming up in Macau with F3 Euro Series Champion Jules Bianchi and F3 Masters Champion Valtteri Bottas.

“I am thrilled about this opportunity to drive for ART” said Sam. “We have come close to working together several times in the past but, for a number of reasons, it never quite happened. But there is a reason for everything and perhaps our time to shine together is now. I really want to thank Frédéric Vasseur for putting his trust in me and offering me this opportunity of a continued collaboration.”

“Sam was very close to joining our team at the beginning of this season, and despite competing against each other, we have maintained an excellent relationship” said ART boss Frédéric Vasseur. “We would like to end this season with wins at Abu Dhabi and Macau and we believe that Sam will be a major asset in our attempt to reach our objective”.

CJ Driver Sam Bird made a successful return to the British F3 series, claiming a second place finish at Portimao, Algarve. Sam showed excellent pace all weekend on the new Portuguese track, which now features on the GP2 calendar and is set to become one of the preferred Formula One test circuits.

Driving for the first time in a Fortec F3 car, and having had very little running in Friday practice due to numerous technical issues, Sam did well to qualify on the second row of the grid – “I am here to learn the circuit, and although I don’t score points in this championship, the aim, as always, is a strong finish.”

Starting from fourth, Sam made a magnificent start to put him into the lead. The lead, however, was eroded by the might of the ART car of Jules Bianchi, and Sam also lost a place to series regular van der Zande. However, he re-took second and would not be troubled by the Dutchman again.

Team boss Richard Dutton was delighted “we’ve endured a tough weekend here in Portugal, but Sam’s podium has more than made up for our woes. It was good to have him back at Fortec where he had such a strong Formula Renault season in 2006”.

Sam returns to the F3 Euro Series for the next round of the championship, which takes place in Barcelona next weekend.

“I love Brands but it seems Brands doesn’t love me back!” was the way that CJ Driver Sam Bird ironically summarised his F3 Euro Series weekend, during Sunday’s press conference, after the young Briton came third in Sunday’s race.

“I don’t know whether to cry or laugh”, he added with a pained smile. “I managed to get Esteban off the start and was on Brendon’s tail, when suddenly my engine started to rev with no power, coming out of the second corner. I immediately got on the radio and started screaming: my clutch is gone, my clutch is gone! The team just said: keep going, keep pushing for as long as you can!”

“I was quite an angry driver in that car but I actually think I drove one of the best races of my life, because when your clutch is giving up on you, you get lots of revs with no power! I was losing a lot of time down the straights and having to make it up again round the corners to stay with the lead.”

“Then on the restart after the safety car, my steering wheel got jammed after Druids, which sent me onto the grass. I had to force it back with all my strength to straighten the wheel again but that lost me second place.”

“I guess I was relieved to see the chequered flag because I really wasn’t sure my car would make it to the end. But mostly I’m very disappointed because I had the pace for much better than third.”

The next round of the F3 Euro Series takes place at Barcelona on 18th – 20th September.
 

CJ Driver Sam Bird showed typical grit and determination this weekend to score a second place finish in Sunday’s Formula 3 Euro Series race at Zandvoort, Netherlands.

Sam’s weekend began in the worst possible fashion during Friday afternoon’s qualifying session. Just as he was lining himself up for his first fast lap on new tyres, New-Zealander Brendon Hartley collided with the back of Sam’s car, catapulting him into the gravel and ending Sam’s pole position challenge. With the rest of the field still on track for another 17 minutes, he landed up a lowly 15th.

Starting race one from the 8th row of the grid, the Celebfilms.co.uk sponsored driver made a stunning start, overtaking two cars on the approach to turn one and another three on the inside of “Tarzan corner” to move up to 10th place by the end of the first lap. At the conclusion of an eventful race, marred by several incidents and safety car periods, Sam took the chequered flag in a very creditable 8th place to earn himself the final point on offer.

Starting race two from pole position, Sam made another excellent start to lead the field into the first corner and opened up a substantial gap to his pursuants over the first few laps. Sam lead comfortably for 19 of the 26 laps, until the irresistible n#1 ART car, driven by Jules Bianchi, caught up with him, having easily moved up through the field from 8th on the grid. Sam fought valiantly to defend his position but in the end, resistance was futile as the ART got ahead on the inside of Tarzan corner and scampered off into the distance at a pace that beggared belief.

“I’m obviously disappointed that I didn’t get the win today” said Sam. “Having said that, we have to hold our hands up and admit that we were beaten by a much faster package. But after what happened with Brendon in qualifying, I think I did well to salvage a second place finish today and six points over the weekend” added the MSA Race Elite Ambassador. “There will be better tracks for us and I am confident that we will be back at the next race competing for winning pace.”

The next round of the F3 Euro Series takes place at Oschersleben, Germany on 1st – 2nd August.
 

British racing driver Sam Bird will drive for Williams F1 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 3rd, 4th and 5th.

Sam, who currently lies second in the F3 Euro Series, already conducts aero testing duties for the Grove-based Formula One team and will be on the famous Goodwood track in the World Championship winning FW18 (1996 Drivers’ Title: Damon Hill; Constructors’ Title: Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve).

“It is a real privilege for me to represent Williams F1 at the Festival of Speed and I’m very excited about the prospect of driving such a legendary car” said Sam. “I am also very proud to be at Goodwood to honour Sir Frank’s 40 years in Motorsport. He is a true icon to all young drivers and to motor racing fans around the world.

Road movie comedy feature “Edward and Lulu” is an official partner of the Pescarolo Sport team, featuring Christophe Tinseau, Joao Barbosa and CJ Driver Bruce Jouanny at the 77th Le Mans 24 Hours. Both Pescarolo cars feature the logo of production company Celebfilms.co.uk with its trademark green crocodile, also seen on Sam Bird’s 2009 F3 Euroseries challenger.

The film’s cast, director and producer were in Le Mans yesterday to meet with the public and sign autographs at the traditional team presentations and scrutineering in the town centre.

"We have been overwhelmed by the public reaction here" commented the film’s producer Olivier Rakoto. "Our two actors signed autographs all morning yesterday and the response to our online competition has been unprecedented. Tens of thousands of people have already logged on to www.edward-et-lulu.com to download the movie, free until the chequered flag on Sunday, and take part in the draw to win the VIP tickets for the weekend".

When free practice began on the second weekend of the 2009 F3 Euro Series, Sam Bird had never set foot at the Lausitzring, unlike many of his opponents who had either tested or raced there in the past. Yet, at the end of the session on Friday evening, the Celebfilms.co.uk sponsored driver had topped the time sheets, showing that he was still very much the man to beat.

Saturday morning’s qualifying looked set be another opportunity for Sam to assert his superior pace as he had done by securing pole at Hockenheim two weeks earlier. However, the rain wrecked havoc on the half-hour shoot-out and the session was blighted by repeated yellow and red flags. In the last few minutes, with the 21 year-old Brit on a very hot lap with front-row worthy sectors 1 and 2, his efforts were thwarted by yet another yellow flag, forcing him to lift and settle for 8th place on the grid.

Sam made a superb start to the first race to grab fifth place by turn one. However, on a track notorious for its lack of overtaking opportunities, he was unable to move further up the order despite race-long pressure on Brendon Hartley just ahead of him.

Starting race two in fourth place, by virtue of the reverse grid format, Sam had fourth place snatched away from him, courtesy of a blatant jump-start by Valtteri Bottas, but then spectacularly outbraked several of his opponents into turn one to slot back into fourth. Two laps later, when Bottas was predictably given a drive-through penalty, Sam regained the third spot he had legitimately earned.

Sam then spent the remainder of the race pressuring the man ahead of him, confirming his unrivalled pace once again.

“I’m obviously pleased with the podium finish today. That was important for me and for the team as well”, said the CJ Driver. “After we lead the way in free practice, it’s disappointing that the weather conditions turned the qualifying session into a bit of a lottery but that’s racing sometimes. You just have to deal with what you get and try to make the most of it. I feel we did well in that respect. “

Sam scored a total of eight points at the Lausitzring, moving him up to second in the Championship, just two points off the leader.

The next round of the F3 Euro Series takes place at the Norisring, Germany on 27th-28th June. In the meantime, Sam will be competing at the prestigious European F3 Masters at Zandvoort, Netherlands on 13th-14th June.

On the opening weekend of the 2009 F3 Euro Series in Hockenheim, CJ Driver Sam Bird has established himself as the driver with the pace and, undoubtedly, one of the men to beat for the Championship Title.

As early as Friday morning, the Celebfilms.co.uk sponsored driver stated his intent by setting the third fastest lap of the pre-event test. He then went two better during the afternoon’s free practice session by clocking the fastest lap in a time of 1:36.328. However, there would be much more to come…

Saturday morning’s qualifying session was turning out to be a close affair with Sam and the other main contenders taking turns at the top of the table. With less than three minutes left and lying in third place, Sam set a personal best in sector 1 and an absolute best (purple) in sector 2 before seeing his efforts thwarted by a slower car in the final sector. With only seconds left on the clock, the young Brit would have one last chance at pole as he began his final lap. A personal best in sector 1, another purple in sector 2 and a yet another personal best in sector 3, gave Sam the first pole position of the 2009 season, with a time of 1:33.657, which would not be matched all weekend.

Sam’s opening race would play itself out in the first few metres as a below-par start enabled Colletti and Mehri to edge ahead. Visibly faster than the two men ahead of him, Sam would spend the remainder of the race attempting to regain his starting position but on a track with notoriously few overtaking opportunities, he had to settle for third.

Starting 6th on the grid for race 2, by virtue of the reverse grid format, Sam made an excellent start this time, but just as he pulled up alongside Frenchman Jules Bianchi to take over fourth place, the ART driver squeezed him perilously close to the inside wall, forcing him to lift on the approach to turn 1, losing him crucial momentum, and relegating him to 7th place. Once again, Sam then showed unrivalled pace throughout the remainder of the race as he harrowed the man in front of him but overtaking opportunities were few and far between.

In the penultimate lap, an impressive three-stage attack beginning at the Spitskehre hairpin saw Sam regain 6th place from Atte Mustonen by the exit of turn 5, for the crucial last point on offer.

“Overall that was a decent start to the season for me with pole, a podium and points in both races” said Sam at the end of the weekend. “I’m obviously disappointed that I didn’t win race 1 because we really had the pace to do so, but that was down to my start which wasn’t the best.”

“I want to say a big thank you to my engineer Jörn Becker and the whole team at Mücke Motorsport for the awesome job they did all weekend. I come away from Hockenheim with the knowledge that I now have a car with which I can really compete so I can’t wait for the next round!”

Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2009 F3 Euro Series take place at the Euro Speedway, Laustitzring on 30th-31st May. Sam currently stands in 3rd place of the Championship with 8 points.

Bruce Jouanny has been awarded one of the coveted drives at Pescarolo Sport for the 2009 Le Mans Series Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The CJ Motorsport managed driver brings with him a wealth of success and experience in both single-seater and endurance racing.

His impressive résumé boasts the Formula Palmer Audi Championship Title, wins and podiums in British F3 and World Series Nissan / Renault, official testing in GP2 and Champ Car, three seasons in LMS, including a 3rd place in the 2007 LMP2 Championship with a 2nd Place at Valencia, and two participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the Best Rookie Award in 2005.

The Frenchman is also widely recognised for his acute understanding of engineering and set-up work and has been the Superleague Formula Test and Development Driver since the beginning of 2008.

“I am absolutely delighted to have been given this opportunity and I want to thank Henri Pescarolo for his faith in me”, said Jouanny after hearing the news. “The LMS is a superb championship with a very competitive field but we have the firm belief that we can fight for wins”.

About the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he added: “to be representing such a legendary name at Le Mans… for a French driver, it doesn’t get any better than that!”

Pescarolo Sport, owned and run by quadruple Le Mans 24 Hour winner Henri Pescarolo, has earned the reputation as the best non-diesel powered outfit in endurance racing.

The team’s pedigree includes three consecutive podium finishes at the Le Mans 24 Hours (2nd place 2005 and 2006, 3rd place 2007), the LMS Championship title in both 2005 and 2006 and runners-up in 2007.

“I am very happy to welcome Bruce Jouanny to Pescarolo Sport”, said Henri Pescarolo. “He possesses all the qualities I look for in my team: youth and experience, enthusiasm, technical skill and the ability to fit into a tight-knit team. I am relying on him to help us conquer further podiums”.

The Le Mans Series begins in Barcelona with the 1000 km of Catalunya from 3rd to 5th April.

Borja Garcia will be racing in the 2009 Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda with Condor Motorsports after testing with the team at the Palm Beach International Raceway on Tuesday and Wednesday and topping the time sheets in all four sessions, with a best of 1.07.286, leaving 2008 Champion Markus Niemela and the rest of the field in the distance.

In a move masterminded by his management company CJ Motorsport Consulting, the talented Spaniard follows in the footsteps of fellow CJ Driver Franck Perera, who successfully took up the same challenge in 2007.

At the time, following an equally dominant first test at Laguna Seca, Perera literally rewrote the record books (3 Wins, 8 Podiums, 2 Poles, 1 Best Lap, Top Five in all 12 Races) on his way to the 2007 Rookie of the Year title and narrowly missed out on the overall title to series returnee Raphael Matos.

Perera’s achievements did not go unnoticed as he earned himself a Champ Car test at Sebring, where he proceeded to top the time sheets and beat the unofficial track record. This secured him a ride for the season, initially in Champ Car and later in Indy Car after the former was absorbed. Unfortunately, the Frenchman became the victim of Conquest Racing’s sponsorship woes and was forced to relinquish his seat despite some very good early performances.

Borja’s resume boasts a wealth of experience and success, including Spanish F3 Champion, World Series by Renault vice-Champion, multiple podiums in GP2 and an impressive Formula One test for Toyota F1.

Serge Celebidachi from CJ Motorsport Consulting commented: “we are delighted to have been able to secure a deal for Borja to race in the Atlantic Championship with Condor. The strategy was a successful one two years ago with Franck as he really made a name for himself on the American scene. Borja has the talent and temperament to achieve similar success and we know that in Condor Motorsports, we have a team that can help us challenge for the title.”

"We’re all really happy to welcome Borja to the team," said Carlos Bobeda, owner of Condor Motorsports, who captured the 2005 Champ Car Atlantic Championship with Dutchman Charles Zwolsman.

"Borja’s achievements in Europe speak for themselves and he comes from the same management stable as Franck Perera, with whom we had a lot of success in 2007, so I am expecting great things from him and so far, I haven’t been disappointed."

“It has always been an ambition of mine to race in the USA and I am extremely grateful to both Carlos Bobeda from Condor Motorsports and to my management team at CJ Motorsport Consulting for this new opportunity”, said Borja Garcia.

"Atlantic is a fantastic Championship. It offers excellent prize money and will give me the opportunity to showcase my talent in the United Stated so that I can start building a long-term racing career over here, which is our goal.”