Donington offered new learnings to young Antti Buri, but weak results left a lackluster taste. "It is no fun to drive in the mid- to tail-end of the pack!" said the driver co-mechanic co-team boss, citing a need to find more speed and learn faster.
Of course, facing pro opposition such as Jamun and Fluid, it is perhaps no wonder that Antti is having a hard time. Building and developing his own team, learning the ins-and-outs of a new car, and getting used to the UK tracks and general hoopla all puts up a lot of challenge! The pro teams know their stuff, and their drivers get to focus on driving only - a luxury Antti does not have.
Sunday races brought mediocre mid-of-pack results. Starting grid was 17 for both races, and results around 14...17. "OK, first race we did reasonably well, and seem to have about 1 second to the leaders" Antti commented. "Three cars passed me as the safety car came on track, that annoyed me a bit but there was nothing I could do", he continued. "Anyways, I am happy I maintained reasonable pace and had no accidents" the youngster said, as a close co-driver of his had accidents both in race 1 and 2, and according to his father "the races are now over". Apparently the accident in race 2 was a major one, pretty much demolishing his Ray car.
Race 2 brought rain, and Antti got to test the UK spec rain tires for the first time. "These are very sensitive to setup", he noted, "completely different from the old type we use in Finland. We used the old Comtec factory team settings for rain, but had no rear traction." The UK spec rain tire has a V-pattern, and uses a different rubber compound compared to the old type.
Antti's next race will be in Silverstone in a few weeks. The team is now on their way to their home base at the Snetterton track, and then flying home to Finland on Tuesday.
