F1 test ace Gene returns to racing

Williams-BMW test driver Marc Gene has confirmed that he will return to racing this year in the World Series by Nissan

Mar 3, 2003, 5:48 PM

Gene, who raced for Minardi in Formula 1 before taking a fulltime test role with Williams, will drive for Adrian Campos Motorsport in the Spanish-based series.

"I was hoping to race in Formula 1 after two years of testing, but this opportunity never came," said Gene. "Nowadays, the World Series by Nissan is the most successful series below F1. I saw the cars at Jarama last year and I was so impressed about the technical level of the teams and the look of the series."

Gene tested for the Campos squad at Barcelona today (Monday) before flying out to Melbourne for the Australian GP, where he will be Williams' reserve driver. He said he will dovetail his F1 testing commitments with racing in the one-make single-seater series.

"It's very important not to find incompatibilities with my role as test driver with Williams and my new role as a driver in the World Series," Gene added. "I think that my experience in F1 will help the lack of testing in the World Series."