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Bridgman piped at Silverstone test
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06 April 2007
On the eve of the 2007 Visma Formula Palmer Audi Championship, Matt Hamilton showed the rest of the field the way as he headed the times in pre-event testing for the opening rounds at Silverstone.
Hamilton, 17, put his previous experience of the Silverstone National circuit to good use to lap the 1.6-mile track in 55.21 seconds. This put the Hertfordshire teenager at the head of an extremely close field, with only nine-tenths of a second covering the first 15 drivers.
"The real test will be tomorrow, but so far I'm happy to be at the top," said Hamilton. "I'd like to get the two pole positions tomorrow, but there's room for overtaking on this track so it's not going to be as critical here as it will be at other tracks."
Second fastest was former Formula BMW UK champion Tim Bridgman, who came in as a late replacement for Aaron Steele and immediately got straight on the pace. "Although we've been quick today, we did spend a lot of time on getting a good race setup so potentially there might be a little it more speed to come yet."
With only a brief shakedown at Bedford Autodrome for experience, Bridgman said that he immediately felt at home in the 300bhp single-seater. "It is a new car to get used to, and the competition does look very strong, so I'm delighted to be up there with the leaders this early on."
Cypriot Andy Demetriou impressed in setting the third fastest time on his return to the series, with Stefan Wilson, Tom Bradshaw and Jack Clarke completing the top six. FPA Autumn Trophy race winner Luciano Bacheta wound up seventh after making only a few runs in order to save his tyres, with Jolyon Palmer, Alex Brundle and Richard Kent rounding off an incredibly competitive top 10. Further back, Dominik Jackson, who elected not to go out in the first of the two sessions, suffered from red flags in the second hour and could only manage 14th.
Ends
Photo: LAT USA
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