So that was it for 2000. I was signed up for 2001 to race in the new German Formula Volkswagen series, and we initially had a nine-race season and, because I have done no racing, had no licence to compete, so I had to do some Swiss races on a national level to get my racing permit, and I did four races in the Opel-Lotus to get my licence and then basically my first race was in Salzburgring and, amazingly, my first race was in really pouring rain and, to everyone's surprise again, I qualified fifth. Then, during the race, I had an electrical problem and I finished eleventh.
The good thing was, two races later, I astonished everyone again, I had pole position in both qualifying sessions, quite a big gap to the rest, and in that race I had a differential problem and I dropped back to second and then immediately backed up my speed again. I qualified third for Zolder, the third race, and throughout this season I had a lot of top ten finishes. It was quite easy for me, as I had another podium in the last race.
And then, because I did so well, the Italian Euro Formula 3000 team called Team Contarni invited me for a rookie test at the end of last year. I attended one and a half days' testing in Vairano in Italy, and there were four drivers present, another Formula Renault driver, Formula 3 drivers and also their race driver - and I was the quickest out of it. I was even seven-tenths quicker than the race driver who raced with the same car the whole season, and I was one-tenth behind the lap record that they had ever done there.
