Gene Quickest Again at Valencia - Day Four

For the fourth consecutive day this week at the Valencia circuit, the BMW-powered Williams team set the pace in testing at the Spanish circuit.

Spaniard Marc Gene, the Grove-based squad's test driver, topped the timesheets for the second time in four days, being more than a second faster than the closest of his rivals at the wheel of the Michelin-shod FW24 chassis. Gene again set a blistering pace to finish more than a second ahead of Briton Jenson Button.

Button, who began testing at Valencia on Thursday, tested a revised Renault engine that the Renault team plan to use at the Canadian Grand Prix in June. Spanish test driver Fernando Alonso was third quickest, the young star completing today the most number of laps with 60.

German Ralf Schumacher, fastest on Thursday, was fourth fastest with the second Williams, while Frenchman Olivier Panis finished at the bottom of the times with the only British American Racing 004 present at the Ricardo Tormo circuit today.

Testing at Valencia resumes on Saturday, with Williams and Renault running behind closed doors.

Today's times:

Pos Driver Team-Engine Tyres Time Laps 1. Gene Williams-BMW (M) 1:10.506 38 2. Button Renault (M) 1:11.548 56 3. Alonso Renault (M) 1:11.952 60 4. R.Schumacher Williams-BMW (M) 1:12.651 58 5. Panis BAR-Honda (B) 1:12.851 59 All Timing Unofficial