Racing drivers cannot
resist the lure of the track and Felipe Massa is no
exception to that rule. He is currently in Brazil
during the F1 holiday period imposed by the agreement
between the FOTA member teams, but the Scuderia
pilot could not pass
by the chance of getting behind the wheel of a
fully-fledged racing car, even if it was not the open-wheeler
he is used to. It was also a very
strong marketing message for the "Racing Festival"
programme which
is promoted by Massa.
The Ferrari driver turned
out to be a surprise participant in free practice for
the fourth round of this season’s Trofeo Linea, the one
make series for the Fiat sedan which runs as part of the
Brazilian "Racing Festival", now one of the most
important events on the Brazilian motor racing scene.
The race-prepared Linea features a mildly-tuned version of the
turbocharged 1.4 litre "T-Jet" engine mated up to a sequential 6-speed
racing transmission.
The fourth round of
the 2011 Trofeo Linea is taking place this weekend at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, at Interlagos, São Paulo.
Other famous racing names taking part in the Trofeo
Linea championship
this season include
Cristian Fittipaldi and
Alan Khodair.
“I had a lot of fun today,” said Massa. “It’s been ten
years since I last drove a touring car, dating back to
2001 when I raced an Alfa Romeo 155, so I thought I
might struggle a bit, so sixth best time in the second
session is not that bad. I could have been quicker but I
hit the chicane when I went out on new tyres, which
damaged the front suspension, so the steering felt very
heavy.
"I have to say the Trofeo Linea is very
interesting to drive: it’s stable and the sequential
change works very well," added the Brazilian F1 star. "This sort of racing could
definitely be an option when the day comes that I decide
to leave Formula 1.
Massa set the second fastest time in Trofeo Linea
practice with a lap of 1.54.929 in the
morning session at Interlagos and the sixth best time (1.54.641) in the
afternoon, less than eight tenths off the fastest time
overall, a lap of 1.53.888, which was set by his great friend Cacà Bueno.
