Carlo van Dam has finally tested for the first time with the team he decided to join instead of graduating as expected to the F3 Euroseries, running with Toyota Team TOM's at a cold and snowy Fuji in Japan.
Despite the conditions, the Dutchman completed close to 250 laps over the course of two days at the newest Japanese Grand Prix venue, recording the fastest unofficial time of those on track.
It is quite cold at the moment, van Dam confirmed, "This morning, when I drove to the circuit, temperatures were below zero. This first test was postponed once already due to snowfall but, although it is still cold and snowy here now, at least we could go out on the track this time.
"On the first day, we only started running in the afternoon, because the pit-lane was still icy in the morning, but I managed to do 96 laps, which allowed me to get to know the new car, the new engine and the
Bridgestone tyres, which are new to me, too. Of course, they take some getting used to, for the characteristics of these tyres are different to those I raced on in Europe.
"Today, I completed some 140 laps. The track got quicker during the day but, due to oil on the circuit, our afternoon times were about the same as the ones we set during the morning session. Several teams were testing and I was fastest, which is nice, but we can go much quicker, so this is just the start as the conditions were far from ideal, [and] the tyres offered little grip.
"For this season, too, Bridgestone will introduce a new tyre based on a softer compound, so we can't jump to conclusions. It was good, however, to get to know the car and the engine and to work with the team.
![Carlo van Dam - Toyota Team TOM's [pic credit: www.carlovandam.nl]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/405541.jpg)
