Webb continues to impress in F3 test (From Northwich Guardian)

Knutsford's Oliver Webb sets second fastest time at Rockingham test

4:43pm Friday 5th March 2010 in Motorsport By Andrew Simpson

OLIVER Webb continued to impress at the second two-days pre-season test in the run up to the Cooper Tires British F3 International series opener next month.

The Knutsford teenager was the quickest on track at Rockingham on Monday while his time the following day, Tuesday, was good enough for second best overall.

“The test went brilliantly,” he said.

“I am really happy to be topping the time sheets at this stage of the pre-season.”

The Fortec Motorsport rookie had a couple of close calls as he pushed his single-seat car to the edge, narrowly avoiding contact with the fearsome circuit’s walls in a 130mph spin.

Fortunately both car and driver emerged unscathed.

Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergna was the only driver in the field to break the 71-seconds mark for a lap of the 1.94-mile circuit on Tuesday.

The Red Bull driver posted his 1:10.970 lap towards the end of the morning session, shortly before he spun his Volkswagen-powered Carlin machine into a gravel trap.

“I was very happy to finish quickest overall,” he said.

Webb was next best, some two-tenths of a second slower.

Vergne’s teammates James Calado and Adriano Buzaid were third and fourth fastest respectively, with Snetterton pacesetter Daisuke Nakajima (Raikkonen Robertson) fifth.

The top 13 drivers over the two days all set times quicker than last season’s pole position mark.

Webb, 18, also feels he may have a tactical advantage over his rivals after using two whole sets of tyres fewer.

He added: “I was the only car setting top 10 times on old rubber.

“Going into the first race at Oulton Park I will have more tyres available and that could be critical with the limited number available to us.”

He heads to his home circuit for a single-day test today, Wednesday.