Jolyon Palmer trades places for unique ‘car swap’ experiment at Brands Hatch

12/07/2010

High Quality Jpeg (0.93 MB)

WTCC driver Rob Huff and F2 pilot Jolyon Palmer exchange machinery for ultimate test drive

Ahead of their race at Brands Hatch next weekend (16/17/18 July), two leading British drivers from the FIA World Touring Car and Formula Two Championships took part in a unique experiment this week, when they swapped seats to test drive each other's race vehicles.

19-year-old Jolyon Palmer who drives the Comma F2 car and currently leads the Formula Two standings with a 26 point lead over fellow Briton Dean Stoneman, traded places with World Touring Car race winner Rob Huff on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit.

Palmer had the opportunity to experience a race prepared front-wheel-drive Chevrolet Cruze, which has already secured victory in 2010 in the hands of Huff's team-mate Yvan Muller, whilst Huff got behind the wheel of Jolyon's Williams JPH1B Formula Two car - designed by the Williams F1 team led by their world-renowned Director of Engineering Patrick Head.

The experiment marked Huff's first experience of a single seater since he competed in the 2001 Formula Renault UK Championship. Since then the 30-year-old from Cambridgeshire has become one of Britain's leading touring car stars, taking the title in the 2003 SEAT Cupra Championship before going on to win races at both British and World saloon level.

Palmer, meanwhile, started his career in tin top racing when he competed in the 2005 T Cars series at just 14 years of age. After two seasons, Jolyon made his single seater debut in the 2007 Formula Palmer Audi Championship before stepping up to the international stage when he joined the FIA Formula Two Championship for its inaugural season last year. Jolyon has taken four wins and four podium finishes from just five events in 2010, and victory in this year's title chase will secure him the prize of a full test drive with the Williams F1 team.

Rob Huff said: "That was mega! The F2 is a massively impressive car and I was really pleased to have the opportunity to drive it. The power of the car, the aerodynamic handling, the brakes - everything about it was incredible. I haven't driven a single seater for nine years and this experience has opened my eyes again to how exhilarating they are to drive."

Jolyon Palmer commented: "The WTCC car was fun to drive - the steering was a lot easier than I'm used to but that meant you could slide it around a bit. The brakes were really good, and I was impressed with how quickly they slowed the car down. You can also use a lot of kerbs and carry higher gears through the corners in a touring car, so I imagine they would be really entertaining to race - especially with a full grid of cars!"

You can watch how Jolyon and Rob got on here.

Comma is a Proud Technical Partner to the FIA Formula Two Championship and every car in the series runs on products supplied by Comma. Jolyon has flown the Comma flag since 2007 when he first drove in the Formula Palmer Audi race series. Mike Bewsey, Comma Sales & Marketing Director added: "Jolyon is a leading young talent in British motorsport and we're delighted to have him represent us on the track."

An exclusive video documenting Palmer and Huff's car swap experience is now available to download copyright free from the following link:

http://www.formulatwo.com/f2video/car_swap.mov

or

http://www.formulatwo.com/f2video/car_swap.flv

Both Rob and Jolyon will be back on track at Brands Hatch next weekend (16/17/18 July) for a double headline meeting from the FIA Formula Two and World Touring Car Championships.

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