Date: 19th April 2001
Ref: KB.DM.1985

Darren Manning's second place at Imola has left him itching for his first F3000 win and he goes to Barcelona with renewed confidence and six championship points in the bag.

The Arden International driver, who has just returned from two days intensive testing at Monza, is confident that both he and the car are ready for the Barcelona race. 

Darren and the Arden International team tested at the Barcelona circuit earlier this year and experimented with a new set up. It worked extremely well and put them second fastest, and puts them in buoyant mood for this weekend.

Darren said: "Last year's race at Barcelona was difficult as we qualified way down in 18th. But I fought strongly and only just finished out of the points in 7th which just goes to show my determination. 

"This year I hope to be able to start much nearer the front, and testing earlier in the year indicates a possible front row start, if not pole position.

"Barcelona is an exciting circuit to drive with fast corners and long straights. The surface tends to be bumpy so a good set up on the car is essential.

"I'm feeling confident and hope I can take my first win in F3000, moving me into top spot on the championship points table."

The race is held at the Circuit de Catalunya, a purpose-built grand prix circuit, which has recently seen changes to many of its corners to slow the cars down. The 2.9 mile track is a hard one to overtake on, making a good qualifying position more important than at some of the other circuits.

The first left-hand corner acts as a funnel at the start and is often the scene of incidents. The long 180 degree right hander that follows, leads into a tight and twisting infield. The last two corners are fifth and sixth gear blasts that fire the cars back onto the pit straight at high speed, to gain strong momentum before the first turn. 

Qualifying takes place on Friday, with the race on Saturday, televised live on Eurosport.

Darren is currently third in the F3000 International championship. His duties as test and reserve driver for BAR-Honda continue on May 1st at Silverstone.