Carlin ready for debut round of Euro Formula Open

This weekend Carlin will make their debut in the Euro Formula Open championship in Estoril as the first round of the season gets underway at the Portuguese circuit. Carlin will have a three strong team on board including American Colton Herta, who has just come off the back of a win in the BRDC British Formula Three Championship. Alongside him for the season will be Ameya Vaidyanathan, who has also been participating in the British based series, and Keyvan Andres who is marking his first race of the 2016 season. Testing so far has gone well for the team with three official pre-season outings under their belt leaving the Carlin men eager to get out on track for the opening round of the season.

The first of an eight round long season will kick off in Estoril this weekend with two free practice sessions on Friday which will be followed by a qualifying and a race on both Saturday and Sunday. Herta, Vaidyanathan and Andres have already had the chance to get to grips with the Portuguese circuit yesterday following three private test sessions ahead of the competitive weekend.

The series, which is a new venture for the team this season, prides itself on racing on top level race circuits all the while keeping the costs under control. Using the up to date Dallara F312 chassis the Championship is the perfect platform for those drivers looking to make a move in to European Racing.

Fresh off the back of a race win in the BRDC British Formula Three Championship Herta said of the upcoming race, “I’m very excited for the opening round of the Euro Formula Open Championship. The team and I have found some good time in testing both yesterday and this morning so I believe that we can be right in the mix for both Saturday and Sunday to enjoy a strong opening round.”

Vaidyanathan who has also been competing in the British Championship this season said, “It’s exciting that the Euro Formula Open finally gets underway this weekend. The calendar has some great circuits listed, and the opportunity to race on them at this stage in my career is undoubtedly a huge bonus. Whilst getting used to the car has been a steep learning curve, every test has been a step in the right direction and I hope to carry that momentum into the first round. There has been a lot of work behind the scenes this winter, and I’m sure that the team will hit the ground running. It’s going to be a challenging and enjoyable season ahead, I’m sure.”

Andres, who is looking forward to the first race of the season added, “I feel confident going into the weekend. We have made some great progress since we started testing. There is a good chemistry and atmosphere in the team. We are all competitive and we are always pushing. I’m excited to start racing in Europe again and ready for the season to begin!”