Today was a good day in many ways. No I didn’t TQ, but I was on the pace. The last few years I haven’t been on the pace on these super high grip tracks, but today was different. I TQed the 1st run of the day, which was a 5min practice, and the last qualifying run. Svensson had the fastest run of the day which was a 5:01, and Ronnefalk and me both had 5:03’s. My three counting runs were 5:03, 5:03 and 5:06. Max Mört also had a good time in qualifying making the semi finals directly!
Ronnefalk is still the man to beat, posting multiple 32 lap times, but he kept making mistakes today. Normally those disappear in mains for him, so he will be tough to beat. Svensson and me are pretty even I would say at this point. It will be interesting to see how a longer run affects things. Sometimes in warm weather on high bite, cars change a lot in a longer run, and that could either spell disaster, or it could make someone even faster.
As I wrote a while ago this year is all about getting my driving right, and this week I basically started my preparation for the Euros and the Worlds. This race is a good place to start . I need to find pace, and be more aggressive, and that’s what I have been doing. I have made some mistakes, but at least I have been driving faster. I have changed my setup quite a bit after thinking long and hard about where the car is now, and what I need it to do on the track. The LV geometry and balance have made it possible for me to re-think previously determined “facts” of setup, and I am taking everything I have learned and all the improvements on the car and changing things up in the way I think will improve the performance for the Euros and the Worlds. This is the part of my job I really enjoy, and it is what I will be focusing on for the next few months.
Regardless of what happens tomorrow, I already know I am on the right track, and that is a good thing! I will explain the changes I have made, and the reasons for them later on. But basically, it’s all about maximising rear traction and stability, while adding steering at the same time. But the right kind of steering, not making the car nervous.
THEQuagraine 