Salo tops test times in final day at Valencia
Sauber driver Mika Salo was drafted in at the last minute to help test Bridgestone tyre compounds for next year in Valenica today, and finished the day at the top of the time sheets
The Finn joined Jarno Trulli on development duty for 2001 compounds, and unsurprisingly the pair were quicker than Pizzonia, De La Rosa and Irvine, who did not have as much fresh rubber available to them.
F3 ace Pizzonia continued to impress, despite a couple of spins, by getting to within 0.2secs of Trulli's time without the aid of development tyres.
All the teams were completing set-up work for Monaco and despite the searing heat (34 deg C air temp and 48 deg C on the track) managed to complete over 60 laps each.
As well as tyre development, Salo also carried out some aerodynamic work to the Sauber's front wing endplate. A hydraulic problem prevented De La Rosa from doing any running in the morning while Irvine's progress in his Jaguar R1 was hampered by clutch problems.
1 Salo Sauber 110 laps 1m16.37
2 Trulli Jordan 86 laps 1m16.72
3 Pizzonia Benetton 84 laps 1m16.97
4 De La Rosa Arrows 69 laps 1m17.53
5 Irvine Jaguar 78 laps 1m17.75
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