APRIL 8, 2006

Piquet Jr wins GP2 opener

Nelson Piquet Jr. won the opening race of the 2006 GP2 championship today in Valencia with a 16 second margin over rookie Lewis Hamilton. Spanish driver Adrian Valles took third.

Nelson Piquet Jr. won the opening race of the 2006 GP2 championship today in Valencia. Piquet started from pole position and led the entire race except during the mandatory pitstops, winning with a 16 second margin over rookie Lewis Hamilton. Spanish driver Adrian Valles took third.

Piquet said, "It is the start to the championship we've been dreaming of, and it's started perfectly so I'm really, really happy. The team did an excellent job, we're at the top now, and we're going to be fighting as one of the top guys. Last year I struggled a lot, along with the team, and we made a lot of mistakes because it was our first year, but I hope that changes this year."

The second race at Valencia will take place on Sunday.