Liam Venter ticks all boxes in maiden Auto GP test

Liam Venter put in a top performance at Jerez in Spain this week when he got to drive an Auto GP World Series car for the very first time.

Liam, who has been racing in the 2013 European Formula 3 Open championship this season with Team West-Tec, was the only South African in action during the two-day test (October 28-29).

In total he did over 60 laps in his Comtec By Virtuosi-run machine, which has roughly double the power of his F3 car, and straight out of the box, in first four laps, he went P2 on a track used for F1 winter testing.

"It was amazing to finally drive something with as much power as the Auto GP car, and it is a feeling I'll never forget," said Liam, who as usual was sporting Proudly South African and powered by Scala logos.

"The enjoyment and sense of reward I felt in a single lap was more than anything I've ever experienced. The past few days have been really special. It has been great to work with everyone at Comtec By Virtuosi - I was really impressed with the team and the car set-up."

"I'd like to thank everyone who has made this test possible," added the Accelerate Driver Development Ltd (ADD)-affiliated youngster.

Graeme Glew, Director, Accelerate Driver Development Ltd (ADD) meanwhile felt the 18-year-old had done extremely well.

"Liam has learnt a lot this season and it is good to see him perform so well in this test," Graeme commented. "An Auto GP World Series car is very different to what he is use to, yet that didn't faze him at all. On the contrary he rose to the challenge and successfully reached each goal that was set by the team.

"It bodes very well for the future."

Craig Dolby, Liam's driver coach and a vastly experienced driver himself, agreed with that assessment: "What we saw this week was really special," he added.