LADA SPORT ROSNEFT and its drivers, Nick Catsburg, Hugo Valente and Gabriele Tarquini, are all cautiously optimistic about their prospects for the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) Race of Slovakia at the Slovakia Ring (15-17 April).
The Russian manufacturer made a splash during the WTCC curtain-raiser in France two weeks ago, with Valente translating a reversed grid pole position into a fifth-place result and Catsburg also hauling in several points for the same result in the weekend’s Main Race.
The LADA Vesta TC1’s relative speed and consistency, which is a product of a thorough and considered winter test and development programme, inspired confidence and the LADA SPORT trio believe they can improve on their French form on Slovakia Ring’s fast and flowing confines.
Italian driver, Tarquini, who took two wins at the Central European circuit in 2012 and 2013 and holds the lap record – 2m05.748s – gave some details about the racetrack layout: “The Slovakia Ring has some deceiving corners and Turn 2 is one of the fastest on the WTCC calendar, taken at 215kph. It’s very exciting because you have to place a lot of trust in yourself and the car, believing you can stay flat on the throttle! Braking for Turn 6 is very challenging because it’s easy to go too deep, but you typically get a lot of turn-in oversteer. It does provide overtaking opportunities during the races because you can take different lines, while Turn 9 is the place where tyre preservation comes to the fore, as you’re almost flat through the corner and forcing the front tyres can destroy the front-right.
“Approaching Turn 10 can be an overtaking opportunity. It’s the slowest corner and you need to short shift because it’s very difficult for front-wheel traction. After Turn 11 you pass third, you short shift in fourth, fifth before corner number 12. After you put again sixth gear and for the difficult final turn. Normally, you can brake very deeply. It’s exciting because you fight with the steering wheel in the middle of the corner and then you are flat out for the finish line.”
Catsburg said: “Last year’s WTCC Race of Slovakia was the first time I broke into Q3 – the third part of qualifying. The pace was quite strong and I also enjoyed the Slovakia Ring, but we were unfortunate to suffer some issues during the races. Based on what LADA SPORT could have achieved in 2015 and how far the team has come since then, I believe we can continue building and improve on the performances at Circuit Paul Ricard, so I’m really looking forward to it.
“I don’t want to set expectations too high, as we need to see where we are once to arrive in Slovakia. However, the Slovakia Ring’s flowing, high-speed nature places less emphasis on traction and plays to the LADA Vesta’s strengths. I’ve been liaising with my engineer, looking over last year’s data and thinking about what could be done better since the opening round in France and we should take a step forward.”
Valente added: “The 2015 WTCC Race of Slovakia was a great weekend for me, as I scored a lot of points and I wish to do the same this weekend. Unfortunately, I have enough experience in racing to know that performing well at a specific track one year doesn’t necessarily mean you will the next, but I do like the Slovakia Ring, with its long and fast corners. Since the straights are very long and uphill, there is a lot of potential to lose time. Sector two is definitely where the gap will be at its biggest, because it’s the longest sector and includes many, many tricky, oversteer-inducing corners.
“I’m still learning about the LADA Vesta and adapting to a smoother driving style to suit the car’s characteristics. The Race of France went well and we scored very valuable points on a difficult weekend, but I believe the Slovakia Ring will suit the Vesta and I’m looking forward to a strong weekend.”
