1 November 2013
Josh Files fastest in Motorland testing
Josh Files (Team Pyro) set the pace in Eurocup Clio collective testing at Motorland Aragón. The fastest time of the first session went to Thomas Fjordbach (Polar Seafood Racing), but Britain’s Files responded in session two by going six tenths faster than the rest of the field. His fellow title contenders, Massimiliano Pedalà (Composit Motorsport) and Nicolas Milan (Milan Compétition), also finished towards the top of the timesheets.
Motorland Aragón was the setting as the Eurocup Clio field kicked off the final round of the season. The leading title contenders were immediately out in front in collective testing, with Josh Files and Nicolas Milan trading fastest laps several times in the opening minutes.
Josh Files improved the fastest lap before the mid-point. But later on, with 12 minutes left, it was Thomas Fjordbach who took the top spot. The Dane’s effort of 2:18.904 proved unbeatable, and he finished the session ahead of championship-leading trio Massimiliano Pedalà, Josh Files and Nicolas Milan. Antonio Martinez (SMC Junior Motorsport) completed the top five.
The second session ran in sunny conditions, and saw Ivan Pulic (Lema Racing Team) take control early on. The Croatian, however, lost out after ten minutes to Josh Files, whose lap of 2:18.727 was already better than the fastest time in session one.
Files posted three improvements at the end of the session and, with a lap of 2:18.355, finished with the overall fastest time of the day. The Briton, who leads the championship, was followed by Thomas Fjordbach, Massimiliano Pedalà, Antonio Martinez and Nicolas Milan.
What they said
Josh Files: "In the first session I focused on getting to know the track. We kept the set-ups we’d used at Barcelona. It was a mistake, but the changes we made in the second session worked. I’ve got good set-ups for qualifying and the race. I hope we can repeat this performance tomorrow. We’re top of the standings but we can’t think about managing our lead yet. Anything can happen in the two races and we must win at all costs."
Massimiliano Pedalà: "There’s only one strategy we can use this weekend: winning. We still need to fine-tune some settings, but the team will work hard on it between now and qualifying. It’s not going to be easy but I feel good on this track, like I did in pre-season testing."
Thomas Fjordbach: "We have a bit of experience of this track thanks to the collective tests here at the start of the season. I feel comfortable and the performance came naturally. I hope I can take pole position tomorrow. [Josh] Files was very quick today but I’m sure I can match his time. We’ll see what happens tomorrow."
