My best racing moments : Dubai 2004

Good afternoon,

For our sequence “My best racing moments”, I bring you back in 2004, for my first pole position on the Dubai Autodrome.

Dubai 2004 in the European Formula X Sport Prototype Championship - Team Monte Carlo Polo

The Dubai Autodrome was completely new. I mean, nearly new. In the morning of the practice, some workers were finishing the track. It was the first time racecars were coming on this circuit, one of the first in this part of the world.

Personally, I liked the track, despite the 70° degrees that my cockpit revealed. Designed in the middle of the desert, the track of Dubai is very technical, and the dust constantly brought in by the wind makes it very slippery. You can guess that for the last race of the season, the environment was very particular.

The night was falling on our late qualifying, and the two championship contenders, Yamazaki and Poron, were fighting for the pole position. Nevertheless, I succeeded to set the provisionary pole. When I saw ‘P1′, I decided to try another fast lap. Faster. I saved the fastest time from Gatto’s attacks, and realised my first pole ever in the European championship.

Julien

Category: Juliens diary, Videos and Photos | Comments

When did it happen ? 3 years ago !

Good evening,

Today, I would like to write a post regarding some particular dates in my career.

March, 16th 2007 – Sebring Raceway in US Barber Mazda Series

Exactly three years ago was a very special date for me, as I was racing for the first time in the United States. After a very positive 2006 season in Formula 3, in which I scored 3 wins and 5 podiums out of 8 races, I managed to sign an agreement with the Italian fashion clothing company Freesoul. Freesoul sponsored me for racing in the 2007 US Barber Mazda Series, and the first race took place during the 12h of Sebring, Florida in mid-March.

I believe this experience made a lot to my career. I had to quickly learn a new car, new tracks and a new work mentality to me. I was a bit “thrown” in the jungle, as the budget was so tight that I couldn’t manage to do any private test before the race. So I discovered all this environment for the first free practice at Sebring.

Even if the week-end has been difficult, I managed to qualify in 7th position out of 30 cars, against drivers experienced in this category such as Josef Newgarden, Joel Miller and Ricky Taylor. Eventually, I made a small mistake during the rain race which sent me backward in the classification, but I had learned a lot. For the following race in Virginia, I was fighting again in the front group, before a collision with another driver put an end to my climb and sent me to the medical center.

The 2007 season has mostly been a learning year to me and I took a lot of lessons out of this experience. So, in 2008 I decided to give another try for the title. But this is another story.

Cheers

Julien

Category: Juliens diary, Motorsport information, Videos and Photos | Comments

My best racing moments : Izmir 2006

Good afternoon,

For our sequence “My best racing moments”, I bring you back in 2006, for my first Formula 3 race on the track of Izmir, Turkey.

Izmir 2006 in the Turkish Formula 3 Championship - Active Motorsport Team

The track of Izmir was short : only 50 seconds per lap. You can guess that without any straight lines, it was impossible to relax on this track. But the morning before the first race, my mind was busy with something else : standing starts.

After having mainly raced in Sport Prototypes with rolling starts, I was faced with this new thing. Even after several trials in practices, I was still anxious about this moment. When the light went green, my fear had come true : the RPM was at zero, and I could see my competitors going into the first corner, far away from where I was. My mechanics came with the battery, I restarted the engine and came into the race.

At the end of the 1st lap, I was in last position, 20 seconds behind the leader. But half an hour later, I was crossing the finish line in 1st position. I had won my very first Formula 3 race, after a tremendous come-back. At the beginning of my career, I promised that I would tattoo the name of the track on which I would win my first car race. Now, I have got Izmir under my skin…and I haven’t missed any start since that day.

Julien

Category: Juliens diary, Motorsport information, Videos and Photos | Comments

My best racing moments : Road Atlanta 2008

Good evening,

For our sequence : “My best racing moments”, I bring you back to 2008, during the summer round in Road Atlanta. At this time of the year, we reached the “Petit Le Mans” track for exactly the mid-part of the season. Here is how it happened…

Road Atlanta 2008 in US Barber Mazda Series – L.A. Fuel Racing Team

The beginning of the season happened just like in a dream. I had climbed on six podiums in the first six races, and was strongly leading the North-American championship. Nevertheless, the race in Road Atlanta seemed more complicated to me because of an engine trouble handicaping me all over the week-end. Starting from 8th on the grid, I could hardly pretend to score a seventh consecutive podium on a dry track. My lack of power just couldn’t have allowed me to fight fairly. And five minutes before the start of the race, the sun was shining and my hopes were down.

But here came the rain… A strong storm falled down over Atlanta, just at the moment the safety car was launched on track. Half of the track was completly wet and we started the race in those very particular conditions. I was feeling very confortable with this tricky track, and started to pass my competitors’ cars everywhere I could. I came up to 4th with three laps to go, and was 2nd in the last lap ! In the last corners, I managed to resist to young colombian gun Albarracin’s final attacks, and crossed the checkered flag in 2nd position.

I could eventually scream my happiness in the car : I had come back from very far, and was increasing my leadership in the championship.

Hopefully, this race was recorded with an onboard camera, and you can find below the video from the last lap.

Cheers

Julien

Category: Juliens diary, Videos and Photos | Comments

Interview for Italian television

Today, I propose you to watch my interview made by the Auto GP organisation for the Italian television.

This interview has been made during my first ever test in a Formula 3000 car for Scuderia Coloni, at the track of Magione in November 2009.

Enjoy !

Julien

Category: Juliens diary, Media, Videos and Photos | Comments

My best racing moments : Monza 2004

Good morning !

Today, I am sharing with you some of my best racing moments. From races, qualifying sessions or any other situation, you will be able to live with me the events which made my career special and will remain in my mind for ever.

Monza 2004 in European Formula X Sport Prototypes – Draco Junior Team

For my first car race ever, I had been taken into one of the big crashes Monza’s chicanes always offer. Once the car was repaired, I could start from 5th position for Sunday morning’s race. After a careful start, I was 8th at the end of the 1st lap.

The race facts helped me to come up into the classification, and I was lying in a good 4th position with a couple of laps to go when I saw my mechanics waving their arms on the pitwall, and asking me to push harder. Indeed, the Japanese driver Shinsuke Yamazaki, in 3rd position, was in trouble with his gearbox and I could aim for the podium if I was catching the 10 seconds gap. In the last lap, I was just behind him at the exit of Ascari chicane. While he was keeping the inside to protect his position approaching the famous Parabolica, I had no other option but to attack by the outside. Side by side with the Japanese driver, the Parabolica never seemed so long to me.

When I came out of the corner, I was in 3rd position and was climbing on my first ever podium in the European championship.

Category: Juliens diary, Videos and Photos | Comments

Pre-race documentary on Motors TV

Good evening visitors !

Today I propose you to view a pre-race documentary broadcast on Motors TV worldwide in last November, which includes an interview with me before Snetterton’s finale race in the 2009 Formula Palmer Audi.

The documentary also includes an interview of Lithuanian driver Kazim Vasiliauskas.

Enjoy !

Julien

Category: Juliens diary, Media, Videos and Photos | Comments

Behind the scenes : A little taste of F2…

For our second chapter of  “Behind the scenes”, I bring you today to Valencia, Spain, where I had my first Formula 2 test in December 2009.

The Formula 2 is a very powerful car, developing almost 500 hp with the overboost. This picture has been taken by James Bearne during the promotional launch of www.myracedriver.com, already planned during the test.

It was quite an amazing experience to me, even though I had been able to test the Formula 3000 car only two weeks earlier, allowing me to get a bit used to this huge power.

Even if the experience has been short, it gave me a good idea of what I can expect to live if I compete in this kind of categories in 2010. We are getting really close to Formula 1 with this car, and the ocean I am swimming in now is getting bigger and bigger. I must admit I really liked that.

Julien Gerbi

Category: Juliens diary, Videos and Photos | Comments

Behind the scenes : Oversteering at Snetterton

Good evening visitors.

From today, I will regularly share with you some particular moments of my season, through the best pictures taken during my races or tests.

Today, I am coming back on a photo taken by James Bearne, during the 2009 Formula Palmer Audi 7th round qualifying session at Snetterton in July.

I was feeling confortable at Snetterton, as it was the only track I knew during the season, for having tested there in British Formula 3.  Unfortunatly, my car suffered from severe gearbox issue, causing a strong loss of time during each gearshift. However, I pushed as much as I could, driving the car over the limits of the track.

This picture shows very well the situation. I am coming out of the last chicane completly oversteering. At the moment the picture is taken, the 360hp Audi engine’s turbo compressor is already active, and this immediate huge amount of power is making the car sliding so much. I also like the way I am fighting with the steering wheel, as it reminds me lot of pictures of that kind taken during the wonderful F1 turbo era in the beginning of the 80′s.

Fortunatly, this gearbox issue was solved later on, and I managed to qualify 2nd on the grid for the last round of the season at Snetterton.

Cheers,

Julien

Category: Juliens diary, Videos and Photos | Comments

Comparative test : F2 vs F3000

Good evening visitors !

This winter, after a very intense season in Formula Palmer Audi, I had the chance to test both Formula 2 and Formula 3000 cars respectively at Valencia and Magione.

Regarding my progress in motorsport and the negociations I am having now with some Formula 1 teams for the future, those two categories are mainly in my mind for the 2010 season, as it would be the last step for me before reaching the world’s highest category in motorsport !

I must say those two cars are very impressive. Before that, I had never driven a car more powerful than 360 hp, reaching a top speed of 280 km/h. But the F3000 is almost a 600hp car, and the F2 has 480 ! With top speeds close to 320 km/h !

Apart from the speed which is absolutly amazing, the grip in the curves really sticks you to the seat. The braking is really strong, so you better have your seatbelts well fasten if you want to keep an eye on the track ! All the forces inside the car are amplified a lot compared to what I knew before, but after 3 or 4 laps, I got used easily and could feel very confortable in the car.

One interesting last thing is the onboard technology: if the F3000 uses a normal clutch pedal, the F2 has a hand clutch behind the steering, like in F1 cars ! For both cars, the gear changes are done with paddles behind the steering, which allow you to keep the hands on the wheel at any time. At last but not least, the F2 steering wheel is like an onboard computer, on which you can change the brake balance, the front wing angle, or apply a 80hp boost for a few seconds !

At the end, the performances of those two cars are really close, especially with the 2010 version of the Formula 2, and the time difference with a Formula 1 car is only of around 10 seconds per lap. Andy Soucek, the 2009 F2 champion, set the fastest lap time in Jerez’s F1 test in December, which proves those categories are very competitive and can bring some F1 racewinner.

You can find below the two onboard videos of those tests, in order to enjoy with me some time in the cars !

Cheers,

Julien

F3000 TEST AT MAGIONE – NOVEMBER 2009

F2 TEST AT VALENCIA – DECEMBER 2009

Category: Juliens diary, Videos and Photos | Comments