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BMW Sauber Drivers looking forward to Valencia
By BMW Sauber F1 Team August 17 2008
While the new "Valencia Street Circuit" was only recently given its baptism of fire as it played host to a Formula 3 race, the BMW Sauber F1 Team is already hard at work preparing for the European Grand Prix. The "Valencia Street Circuit" opened a couple of weeks ago with races from the Spanish Formula 3 and GT series.
Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber
"I'm always pleased when a new race track turns up in the calendar, and I'm particularly keen to experience Valencia. It will be an authentic street circuit in the sense that it runs through the town centre, unlike the Melbourne or Montreal tracks. In terms of its charms and challenges, the Valencia race will probably come closest to the Monaco Grand Prix. I really like Valencia, which I've visited many times, of course. We do a lot of testing on the permanent race track in Cheste and we've rolled out our new Formula One car in Valencia on several occasions. The first few metres in a brand-new car are always a very special experience.

"Early this year I spent a few days in Valencia with my family between the rollout and the next test. We had a great time, went to the beach, and in town there's a dried-out riverbed that has nature parks and playgrounds. That was very nice, especially for the children. Valencia is also a great place for shopping and eating out, needless to say, and I love the contrast between its historic and futuristic architecture. I'm looking forward to the weekend."

Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber
"I am very much looking forward to Valencia as I am a big fan of street circuits in general. They are very demanding as they are often bumpy and the street surface changes. When you make a mistake you easily run into barriers. Anyway, Valencia will not be a complete street circuit. There will be lots of run-off areas for safety reasons. The FIA puts a lot of effort into safety, which is good.

"On a street circuit it is of major importance to have a good basic set-up which is easy to drive. The lap time improvement has to be gained step by step, you cannot drive in too wild a style. Also, in terms of the racing line you have to approach this gradually. It is very important to walk the track before driving it the first time to get a feeling for the surface and the layout."

Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director
"We are very much looking forward to the race and the city, particularly as BMW has some close associations with Valencia. The Formula BMW Racing Centre there serves as the training site for our up-and-coming young talent in the Formula BMW series around the world. Valencia is by tradition the venue for rolling out our new F1 car, and beyond that city races always make for a unique atmosphere. We await the new circuit with keen anticipation."

Willy Rampf, BMW Sauber technical director
"Valencia is a new venue in the calendar and as such poses a particular challenge, not least because it's a street circuit. Not that it's a slow one - the drivers will be exceeding the 300 km/h mark on the fastest section. With the help of our simulation programs we are in a position to reliably calculate the required downforce levels in advance as well as brake wear and gear ratios. That means we will start out with a good basic set-up. If you compare Valencia with Monaco, you're talking about two street circuits but with very distinctive characters and very different challenges for the cars. In Valencia we will be racing with a lot of downforce, but not with the maximum that Monaco demands."

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