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| January 27, 2010 |
| Star Mazda: Ostella Optimistic Following Sebring Spring Training |
 | David Ostella showed good speed in his return to the Star Mazda cockpit in Spring Training
(Photo: Star Mazda Championship) |
MAPLE, ONT. (January 26, 2010) - David Ostella has returned home to Maple, Ont., after a very successful three-day test at Florida’s Sebring International Raceway over the weekend.
Running in a familiar AIM Autosport Star Mazda race car as a part of IMSA Spring Training, Ostella completed well over 100 laps in nearly seven hours of on-track action.
“The test went great and we tried many set-up options as we worked to get everything we could out of the car,” Ostella said upon his return. “It was good to just work back into the groove of things and work toward being perfect on the track. My goal this year is to seriously contend for the championship, and this was a good first step. Obviously the competition in the Star Mazda Championship is second to none, but if we can everything right, then I really think we are in with a shot.”
Climbing back into the cockpit for the first time since the Star Mazda season-finale at Laguna Seca last fall, Ostella logged serious mileage on Friday, as he completed over fifty laps in a pair of sessions. More concerned with mileage than turning quick times on day one, the series’ sophomore turned a 2:04.4 in the morning session and cut that to a 2:03.6 in the afternoon, to end fifth fastest on day one.
Returning Saturday for another pair of sessions, the 18 year-old was sitting 10th with a time of 2:03.1 midway through the morning session before pitting for new rubber. His first flying lap afterward dropped his best time to a 2:02.7 and a lap later he turned a 2:02.3 lap. Sure to drop to 2:01 on the next tour, full-course yellows waved to slow the action.
“I definitely think I could have gone faster with a little more time there, or a little more time in the session,” Ostella said of day two. “I was really beginning to string laps together.”
Back again on Sunday morning, Ostella proved the point, when he honed in on his best lap of the weekend on just his third flyer. He turned a 2:02.5 that lap, and a 2:02.4 two laps later. His seventh trip round the former air strip put him P2 on the time sheets with a 2:01.8, and on lap nine Ostella turned his best of the weekend, a 2:01.820. Once again he was thwarted by yellows when reaching his stride, as a full-course caution waved a lap later and a second time just two laps after that. Others would better the mark late in the session, and Ostella ended P5 among 21 cars on course the morning session.
Ostella and the rest of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear drivers will now await the season-opening event at Sebring on March 19th.
Ostella participated in ‘Spring Training’ thanks to continued support from Global Precast Intercontinental, Alpinestars and RAW Integrated Ltd. For more information and past racing results and details, please visit http://www.davidostella.com |
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