Lopez tops Jerez test

The Argentinian lapped in 1m31.770s in his CMS Performance machine, run as a satellite operation of Coloni Motorsport, just a few tenths quicker than Arden's pairing of Vitantonio Liuzzi and Robert Doornbos. Lopez was fastest on two of the three days.

"I am very happy with my first major test with the team," said Liuzzi, who lapped in 1m31.822s. "During the three days, we have done a lot of work and I feel very comfortable within the car. I was a little unlucky with traffic and red flags but feel sure there is a lot more time to come."

Team-mate Doornbos added: "This test has been really interesting and I am pleased with the times I have managed to achieve both in qualifying and race specifications. I am really enjoying working with the team and am looking forward to the season ahead."

Eight teams took part in the test, although former champion Super Nova was absent. Former series frontrunner Tomas Enge made his category comeback on Tuesday for the new Ma-Con team, which ran a host of drivers. The outfit's Sam Boyle commented: "We wanted an experienced, proven campaigner in the car as a yardstick."

Jose Maria Lopez, CMS, 1m31.770s
Vitantonio Liuzzi, Arden, 1m31.822s
Robert Doonbos, Arden, 1m31.844s
Jeffrey van Hooydonk, Coloni, 1m31.926s
Enrico Toccacelo, BCN, 1m32.231s
Raffaele Gianmaria, AEZ, 1m32.328s