Rapid Dutchman, Nick Catsburg, says top five finishes would be a satisfactory result in the FIA World Touring Car Championship’s (WTCC) Race of Thailand at the brand new Chang International Circuit (31 October-1 November), but he suspects podiums may be within reach.
The Buriram-based Chang International Circuit, located just over 400km from Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, is unchartered territory for Catsburg and many of his WTCC rivals, but the 27-year old has been busy familiarising himself with the 4.55km, 12-turn layout on simulators and he’s sure he’ll find his feet quickly in free practice.
Catsburg, from Voorthuizen in The Netherlands, has excelled since joining LADA SPORT on the team’s home soil in Russsia, quickly acclimatising to his new surroundings and starring in both qualifying and race trim, regularly frequenting the top five positions.
A fourth place result in the WTCC’s Race of China on the Shanghai International Circuit last month was a product of his innate speed and an intensive development programme with the continuously improving LADA Vesta TC1 and there’s reason to hope for a similar outcome on Thai shores.
“I’ve spent some time on the simulator, like I always do before going to any new circuit, and the track appears to be relatively fast, which should be good for the LADA Vesta, especially considering that we will be running with zero ballast,” said Catsburg. “One thing that will be tough is the heat, as it’s super-hot in Thailand this week and the humidity will be high, so, even though the races only last approximately 30 minutes, I expect to lose a lot of fluid and feel dehydrated. You can’t really prepare for it, except by ensuring you’re generally fit.
“LADA SPORT has continually improved throughout season, but our weakness is still under traction when powering out of turns. In the races, we can keep up in the first half, but we struggle in the latter part. The speed is there and I think we might be able to take little steps forward, but the larger chunks will come over the winter, when you have far more time to develop.”
Catsburg condluded: “My personal target is to keep doing what I did last time out in Shanghai – reach Q3 and finish inside the top four. I need to improve my starts, because I’m qualifying well, only to lose ground off the line, which is not ideal.”