Thursday, 30 June: Marit Stromoy and her team have taken full advantage of the downtime between races to test intensively back home in Norway and says that she is fired up and in good shape for the Grand Prix of France in Evian, 15-17 July. “We got the boat back and have been testing a lot in Songe and Sandefjord and have been working on some modifications,” said the EMIC Racing driver. “So far we are very happy with the results of the tests and I'm really looking forward to the race in Evian. Evian is a tricky race venue and no matter how well you prepare the conditions there can play a big role in the race weekend, but it's the same for everyone.”
The extended break between the races may seem long but it affords Stromoy and her team the all-important time that is needed to focus on the commercial side of the business and says that they work every day in order to race. “We're doing a lot of race-related events with our company [Stromoy Racing] for the sponsors, the public and media. Our F1 2seater is keeping us busy the whole summer and we've booked more than 15 days from May to August. Naturally I get a lot of running time with the 2.5 and it's always good in addition to the project being a great part of our F1 budget.”
Stromoy, 39, first hit the headlines taking pole position in Portimao in 2011 and last year in Sharjah caused an even bigger furore producing a brilliant drive to take her maiden Grand Prix win. “The media is still at our tail and we've been doing some events with TV2 and NRK, the two biggest TV channels in Norway. And apart from that this there is the daily physical traning in the gym that keeps me busy, gets me fit and in good shape.”
Despite the frustrating start to the season in March, Stromoy is optimistic about what they can deliver in Evian. “The DNF in Dubai was not the best start to the season, but we showed that we still have a very god pace and had good times in practice and qualifying. Naturally, the problem that caused the stoppage is fixed and we are taking all precautions to avoid any more DNF's for the rest of the season.”
