Rapid Finn, Aku Pellinen, exceeded his own expectations by racing to a maiden international win in only his third appearance in the flourishing TCR International Series at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (6-7 May).
Belgium’s Ardennes Forest is renowned for its unpredictable and often erratic weather, but Spa’s micro-climate failed to live up to its reputation and instead provided provided wall-to-wall sunshine throughout Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The Mercury rose along with concerns about setup and tyre wear, and Pellinen’s qualifying and race preparations were severely hampered when he damaged his Honda’s front splitter on the Eau Rouge kerbing in second practice.
Opportunities to fettle his car’s setup were subsequently limited and he entered Friday’s (6 May) two-part qualifying session with caution, unwilling to make any predictions about the potential result.
The young Finn and his WestCoast Racing team have been searching for a configuration that would unlock crucial tenths of a second, improve tyre management and give much-needed consistency since the start of the season.
Progress has been made and this is evident in the strength of Pellinen’s performances in the opening two rounds of the season in Bahrain and Portugal, but the results of a pre-qualifying discussion with his WestCoast Racing engineer at Spa were profound.
The flying Finn felt at home in his Honda Civic TC1 for the first time and, untroubled by his lack of track time in free practice, he breezed through into the second part of qualifying, before finding more than a second in lap time and going third fastest on a 2m33.432s.
Pellinen was sure he could translate his grid position into a podium finish at the very least, but a stunning start saw him launch past the pacesetting SEATs of Pepe Oriola and Dusan Borkovic and into the lead on the initial sprint to La Source.
Aware that tyre management would be easier in clean air and with no threat from behind, he put in a pair of qualifying-style laps and built a gap of 2.5s to Oriola, who led a seven-car squabble for second position.
Having lapped Spa countless times while making his way through the junior categories, Pellinen had banks of knowledge to call upon and this experience shone through during what was a mature and controlled performance that resulted in his maiden victory on the world stage.
“It’s a massive relief to get my first win so early on in the season and this should give WestCoast Racing and my teammates a lift and more hope for the rest of the year,” said Pellinen. “This was the first time my car felt right and my strategy was to put in some qualifying-style laps at the start and then simply manage the gap to the flag.
“My start was good and the car was very fast until lap six, when the tyres fell away and I started sliding around. Those behind me then started to close the gap and it’s difficult to stay focused and look forward when your rivals are bearing down on you, but I think I managed the gap well.My car isn’t quite perfect, but it’s encouraging that there’s still more to come.”
Pellinen followed his victory with points for fifth place in race two on Saturday (7 May) and the Niinivirta-backed driver reflected on his performances by saying: “It has been a very solid weekend that has exceeded my expectations. The car wasn’t as fast, but it was more constant in race two, thanks to another setup adjustment my engineer. I was able to stay with the top four, but fifth was the maximum, as the Volkswagens were very quick. I didn’t want to take any risks and I thought it would be wise to bag more solid points.”
Rounds 7 and 8 of the 2016 TCR International Series will take place at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Italy in two weeks’ time (21-22 May).