French-Algerian driver Julien Gerbi and the Bulgaria based company rSeat, which specializes in designing high quality racing cockpits are happy to announce their partnership for the 2012 season.

Gerbi, who enjoys a 6 years experience in open-wheels before recently switching to GT cars, will represent the brand during his 2012 program.

“I am very happy and proud to sign this agreement with rSeat, declared Julien Gerbi. It is a growing company with a lot of potential, and which produces high quality seats. It is very difficult for a racing driver to practice in appropriate conditions out of the track, and rSeat offers me the possibility to train directly from home in the best conditions. I particularly want to thank Mihail Gardevski (CEO of rSeat) and Leo Wong (Director of rSeat UK) for their trust in my potential and my career, and also the company GAME TECH, LDA for their help and work in the achievement of this deal.”

Leo Wong, (The rSeat’s main UK distributor and director for rSeat UK Ltd) shares the French-Algerian driver enthusiasm : “Julien is an experienced driver with immense potential. One of our purpose at rSeat is to provide our customers with products which simulate realistic motor racing as possible. This partnership is for us a step forward to the achievement of this goal.”

More information on www.rseat.net.

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Le pilote franco-algérien Julien Gerbi, ainsi que la société bulgare rSeat, spécialisée dans la conception de cockpits de haute qualité, sont heureux d’annoncer leur partenariat en vue de la saison 2012.

Gerbi, fort d’une expérience de 6 années en monoplace, s’est récemment tourné vers les compétitions de Grand Tourisme, et représentera la marque durant sa saison 2012.

”Je suis très heureux et fier de signer cet accord avec rSeat, a déclaré Gerbi. C’est une entreprise en plein développement et dotée d’un grand potentiel, qui produit des baquets de haute-qualité. Il est très difficile pour un pilote de s’entrainer dans des conditions appropriées hors des circuits, et rSeat m’offre la possibilité de faire cela directement de chez moi, dans les meilleures conditions. Je tiens à remercier particulièrement Mihail Gardevski (PDG de rSeat) et Leo Wong (Directeur de rSeat UK) pour leur confiance en mon potentiel, et aussi la société GAME TECH, LDA pour son implication dans l’aboutissement de cet accord.”

Leo Wong, (Distributeur officiel rSeat et directeur de la filiale britannique) partage l’entousiame du pilote franco-algérien : “Julien est un pilote expériementé avec un immense potentiel. Un de nos principaux objectifs est de fournir à nos clients des produits qui se rapprochent le plus du réalisme des courses automobiles. Ce partenariat est pour nous un pas en avant vers l’aboutissement de ce but.”

Plus d’informations sur www.rseat.net.

The major Algerian newspaper, El Watan, has released today a one-page interview of the French-Algerian driver Julien Gerbi.

You can download this article below.

Good afternoon,

As promised in my last post, you can now watch the onboard camera recorded last week at Adria, while driving a Ginetta G50 from the Italian GT4 Championship.

I hope you will like it !

Julien

Version française ci-dessous

Good evening all !

As I stated in my last post, I went to Adria last week to participate to a Ginetta G50 private test from the Italian GT4 Championship.

Frankly, I have been expecting this test for a long time. It’s been several months since I was in discussion with the car owner and the team “BE-COM-E Nova Race”, in order to organize this test session. The team seeks a fast driver for next year, and nothing better than to begin testing in the fall !

Of course, regarding the situation of the team that is currently fighting for the title of GT4 Italian Champion, with Tiziano Frazza and Matteo Cressoni, the day was mainly focused on the settings for next weekend, on dry and wet track. A storm had greatly affected the region of Adria, and the track was really wet, which was not the best conditions for my come-back on track.

However, when the team manager made me sign to go on track, I immediately jumped into the cockpit. We prepared the driving position – quite different from an open-wheels car – the height of the steering wheel, the length of the safety belts and the position of the mirrors, inaccessible from inside the cockpit !

After a few minutes of adjustments, the No. 1 mechanic asked me to start the engine. The launch of the 360 hp V6 Ford requires the establishment of some configurations : “Ignition 1″ first, to initiate the electric motor. “Ignition 2″ to switch on the gas pump. Then the buttons activating the rear lights in case of rain, the one activating the anti-fog, then the windshield wipers. Finally, the “START” button to launch the machine !

From the first kilometers, I felt comfortable with the car. It is of course heavier than an open-wheels car, and requires a different driving style. You must brake much earlier and keep the brakes longer. In acceleration, it is more difficult to “play” with the car and to correct the line. The GT car is much less reactive than an open-wheels one. I paid attention to record all these new datas in my brain, while trying to push the car closer to its limits lap after lap.

After a few laps, I could begin to improve my lap times. The dashboard informed me I was running in the rhythm of the Team’s official drivers, whom are the leading drivers of the Italian GT4 Championship. This performance gave me a boost of motivation and confidence, and I tried to improve my lap times without making mistakes. The track dried slowly, and the official drivers and myself have succeeded to each other inside the cockpit for the rest of the day.

I was happy to see that my pace was immediately good, so was my physical condition. At the end of the session, we organized the usual debriefing in order to find the strengths and weaknesses of the day. My adaptation to the GT car went well and I could go home quietly ! Since then, I have been pleased to see that the home press had heard of this test and had spoken about it all week. I received many requests for interviews that I am currently treating. I am also preparing my winter program, with the hope to be back on track as soon as possible!

I will keep you informed, and we will soon publish an onboard camera of this practice session !

Take care of yourselves, and I hope to write you soon with some good news.

Julien

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Bonjour à tous !

Comme je vous l’avais précisé lors de mon dernier post, je me suis rendu à Adria la semaine dernière pour participer à des essais au volant d’une Ginetta G50 du Championnat d’Italie de GT4.

À vrai dire, j’attendais ce test avec impatience. Cela faisait plusieurs mois que j’étais en discussion avec le propriétaire de cette voiture, ainsi qu’avec l’équipe “BE-COM-E Nova Race”, afin de pouvoir participer à cette séance d’essais. L’équipe cherche un pilote rapide pour l’an prochain, et rien de mieux que de commencer à faire des essais dès l’automne !

Bien entendu, vu la situation de l’équipe qui est actuellement en lutte pour le titre de Champion d’Italie de GT4, avec Tiziano Frazza et Matteo Cressoni, la journée a surtout été axée sur les réglages pour le prochain week-end, sur le sec et sur le mouillé. Un orage ayant fortement frappé le tracé d’Adria, la piste était détrempée, ce qui n’étaient pas les meilleures conditions pour un retour en piste.

Néanmoins, lorsque le Team Manager m’a fait signe de rentrer en piste, j’ai immédiatement sauté dans le baquet. Nous avons préparé la position de conduite – bien différente de celle d’une monoplace -, la hauteur du volant, la longueur des sangles et la position des rétroviseurs, inaccessibles depuis l’intérieur de l’habitacle !

Après ces quelques minutes d’ajustements et de vérification, le mécanicien nº1 m’a fait signe de démarrer le moteur. Le lancement du V6 Ford de 360 cv, ainsi que l’entrée en piste de cette auto nécessitent la mise en place de différentes configurations : “Ignition 1″ tout d’abord, pour mettre en route le système électrique. “Ignition 2″ pour mettre en route la pompe à essence. Puis les boutons activant les feux arrières en cas de pluie, celui activant le système anti-buée, puis celui des essuie-glaces. Enfin, le bouton “START” pour mettre le tout en marche !

Dès les premiers kilomètres, je me suis senti à l’aise avec l’auto. Elle est bien sûr plus lourde qu’une monoplace, et requiert un pilotage différent. Il faut, par exemple, freiner bien plus tôt et garder les freins plus longtemps. À l’accélération, il est plus difficile de “jouer” avec la voiture pour corriger la trajectoire. Ce type de voiture est surtout moins réactive que ce que je connais. Je me suis appliqué à enregistrer méthodiquement toutes ces nouvelles données, tout en tentant de pousser virage après virage l’auto vers la limite.

Après avoir pris mes marques, j’ai pu commencer à améliorer mes temps. Au bout de quelques tours, le dashboard m’affiche que je tourne dans les temps des pilotes officiels de l’écurie, soit le haut du classement du GT4 Italien. D’autant plus motivé par cette performance, je me suis appliqué à améliorer mes chronos sans faire d’erreur. La piste a séché peu à peu, et les pilotes officiels et moi-même nous sommes succédés au volant durant le reste de la journée.

J’étais heureux de voir que mon rythme était tout de suite présent, et que ma condition physique était bonne. À la fin de la session, nous avons assisté à l’habituel débriefing, ciblant les points forts et faibles de la journée. Mon adaptation s’est bien passée et je pouvais rentrer à la maison tranquillement ! Depuis, j’ai eu le plaisir de voir que la presse au pays avait eu écho de ces essais et en avait parlé toute la semaine. J’ai reçu de nombreuses demandes d’interviews que je suis actuellement en train de traiter. Je prépare également mon programme hivernal, en espérant être de retour en piste le plus rapidement possible !

Je vous tiendrai bien entendu au courant, et nous publierons d’ici peu une caméra embarquée de cette séance d’essais !

Prenez soin de vous, et j’espère pouvoir vous écrire bientôt avec de bonnes nouvelles.

Julien

Big news my friends !

After spending a long time not driving, I will be back behind a steering wheel very soon. Actually, I have been invited this week to participate to a private testing session of the Italian GT Championship, with a Ginetta G50 from the GT4 category.

I took off at noon from Alicante to Venice, Italy, and will go to Adria Autodrome tomorrow in order to test the car of the “BE-COM-E Nova Race” team, currently contending for the Italian title and winner of the last round in Vallelunga.

I want to warmly thank all the team to offer me this opportunity, and I hope to fulfill their expectations !

I will keep you informed ! Take good care of yourselves,

Julien

Good evening everyone,

As promised in my last post, I recently took part to a new practice session in go-kart, with a gearbox equipped 125cc.

I went to the track of La Manga, close to Cartagena, with Germán Sánchez and Juan Gomez. This track is short but nevertheless fast, and we have been able to test new settings.

At the end of the day, we tried a new set of tires and I took the opportunity to record one lap with the onboard camera.

You can watch this video above.

Best regards,

Julien

Dear visitors,

I have recently been able to practice go-kart again. Associated to my good friend and ex-fellow racer at Palmer Sport, the 2008 Spanish F3 champion Germán Sánchez, I managed to cover a couple of sessions at the Orihuela Costa track, near Cartagena.

After a few laps, Germán and I eventually felt the competition spirit growing back despite not being recently racing professionally. After having been able to get close to the 44s81 lap-record, we have eventually beaten it. The funny part of this session was the perseverance of both of us : as one was beating the record, the other one was climbing into the go-kart to improve a few thousandth of a second.

We eventually improved the lap record of almost half a second.

We are currently planning to organize a practice session on another track of the region. This session should allow us to test different settings, and you can be sure we will both push the machine to its limits.

Take good care of yourselves,

Julien

Dear visitors,

It has been a while since the last time I wrote a blog post. The reasons are multiple. Life is really busy these days with the research of sponsors, the management of different partners, the chronicles for DZautos.com and my work as a driving coach.

Two weeks ago, I have been asked again to drive to Jarama in order to do coaching for the Spanish driving school DRIVEX. DRIVEX is the leader of driving schools in Spain : they propose different kind of programs, from driving a Ferrari F430 to testing a real Formula 3. Clients can also choose to have a ride in a Formula 3 two-seaters driven by a professional driver.

My work is quite simple. I take in my car three “students” for a few laps around the track : explaining the braking points, the weight transfer, the good lines to use. I also try to explain them where they have to look while they drive, and the good way to hold the steering wheel. Of course, they previously participated to a theoretical and safety course, but it is good to remind these basics.

Then, we switch seats and each student drive the car around the track. As a usual driving instructor, I give my recommendations, advices and live comments from the passenger seat. I am sometimes surprised by the way students listen to what I say, and actually manage to apply it immediately. They get really focused when they realize they can handle the car safely, taking the good lines and braking at the correct point. They start “feeling” the car and can increase safely their rhythm lap after lap. Hopefully everything ends up with them being happy and excited about the experience : having learnt (quickly) how to properly drive on a racetrack. Later, they drive a real GT car – a Ferrari or a Porsche – in order to have stronger sensations.

In the meanwhile, some other activities are organized. That way, I also coached at the Mickey Mouse track sessions, where the students try to score the fastest lap of a track designed with cones. Some of you might have seen an onboard video of these sessions if you are among my Facebook friends.

If you are interested by the experience and want to join us, you can check our annual calendar on www.drivex.net.

I also want to thank Martiño de Lopo, from www.curuxarallye.info, for the great pictures he kindly took for me !

Take good care of yourself,

Julien

During an interview made by the French website F1-Direct.com, Julien expressed himself about his actuality and the new rules in Formula 1.

1. Two months have passed since our last interview, how are you doing ?
Julien Gerbi : I am fine, thanks. I actively work on my return on the grids and also give some coaching lessons on the track of Jarama in Spain. I am currently very active in the development of the Spanish sim racing industry, with the website www.rfactornews.com, and I am also doing some import/export deals. But I really miss the competition.

2. Are you racing so far this season ? What are your aims ?
Julien Gerbi : I still aim to be back in open-wheels series as soon as possible, in order to finish my formation. Otherwise, I still have offers to race in GT and touring cars, which would eventually be an interesting opportunity. But the problem remains the financial part.

3. The Formula 1 season fired up. What is your opinion about the 2011 season ?
Julien Gerbi : I think it will be really interesting. Pirelli has brought this notion of incertitude, and this is what Formula 1 needed. A lot of people criticize the fact there are not many overtaking in F1, but I think it is a wrong problem. If you look back at some races from the 70′s or the 80′s, you won’t see many more overtaking manoeuvres. But the incertitude which were resulting from the cars’ lack of reliability, or the drivers’ bad physical conditions, were making the races more exciting and uncertain. How many times a driver won a race in the last lap ? Ask to Jacques Laffite ! Nowadays, thanks to the DRS and the difficult management of the Pirelli tires, this incertitude is back. I just hope Pirelli will offer a greater difference in the performance/durability ratio between the two specifications of tires.

4. What about your Formula 1 projects ?
Julien Gerbi : The problem remains the same to me. If you are not from a rich family, it is difficult to climb the last stairs. It is a bit like when you are testing a new car : it is not a problem to find the first tenths of a second, but the last tenths are more problematics. But I keep faith and work each day God makes in order to find a solution. I won’t give up…

5. What do you think about the new technical specifications of the Formula 1 cars ? As a driver, do you think the steering wheel became too complicated for the F1 drivers ?
Julien Gerbi : It is difficult to judge it without having tried. A lot of drivers complained about the fact the steering wheel has become too complicated. But is that a real issue ? I remembered having seen an onboard camera a few years ago showing Sato holding his steering wheel with only one hand in the Indianapolis banking, while driving at over 300km/h. And it didn’t seem to be a problem to him. And how many accidents were caused by the use of the F-Duct last year ? I think the actual F1 cars are really stable, in curves and at the braking, and the fact of having to activate the KERS and the DRS shouldn’t be such a problem. And if so, it will help to advantage the more skilled drivers. Anyway, the second biggest talent of racing driver is to complain…

6. A last word for the supporters and fans ?
Julien Gerbi : I thank all the persons who support me and who write me regularly. I hope to be able to reward them for their support soon.

Visit F1-Direct.com for more information.