Imola Thursday Notebook
Photo: Andrea Lorenzina/DPPI
***A special presentation was held at the Piazza Matteotti in downtown Imola featuring all FIA World Endurance Championship teams and drivers on Thursday afternoon. Each team was allotted a five-minute slot to appear on stage in front of gathered fans and local media, with drivers also partaking in an autograph session.
***Collective drivers’ photos for the LMGT3 and Hypercar classes were also taken at the same location.
***Peugeot has undergone other changes in its team structure for the new season besides the arrival of new team principal Emmanuel Esnault, who replaces freshly-promoted Stellantis Motorsport boss Olivier Jansonnie. Mathieu Neuville has moved up to become chief engineer, while Victor Famin takes over from Neuville as race engineer for the No. 93 side of the garage.
***Esnault said he believes the work that is being done within the French manufacturer “is not in line with the results that the cars have delivered on-track” as the program continues to chase a first win in the WEC in its fourth full season. “This is what we need to work on to make sure we transform our energy, sweat and tears into trophies,” he said. “We are trying to implement a new dynamic in the team and to extract the maximum from the assets we have.”
***Former Toyota race engineer Marco Fuga has returned to the Cologne-based team this year after two seasons away from the WEC paddock with the Williams Formula 1 team. Fuga however is not travelling to races this year, instead supporting the team remotely.
***New Peugeot recruit Nick Cassidy says the changeable weather conditions during Tuesday’s Prologue at Imola were a useful chance for him to gain a better understanding of the 9X8. The two-time FIA Formula E runner-up told Sportscar365: “It was a perfect day and experience for me to have that. I didn’t really want to have that [variable conditions] in my first stint driving so feeling pretty good.”
***Cassidy added that he was encouraged by how the car felt during the wetter weather: “The car gives you a lot of confidence in the wet and the drivability is quite good so that was a nice feeling. Sometimes you have some cars in the wet that are a bit of a handful, and this was the opposite so that was nice to have a bit of a confidence boost from that.”
***Heart of Racing Team boss Ian James says the squad has completed the rebuild of its No. 009 Aston Martin Valkyrie after Marco Sorensen’s Prologue crash. The Aston required a change of chassis and was swapped with one that was stored locally.
***James said: “We took it pretty easy to rebuild it – the guys could’ve had it out the next day if need be. They didn’t need to, so they got to leave at six o’clock like everybody else. The car is looking nice and ready in the garage so proud of the boys for getting another one turned out.”
***James added that the squad was “not super disappointed” to have missed out on a significant amount of Prologue running because of the mixed weather. “I think the changeable conditions all afternoon, I don’t know how constructive that was for anybody,” he said.
***Imola proved to be a strong circuit for the BMW M Hybrid V8 last season as it was one of only two races during the WEC campaign where the German machine finished on the podium. While head of BMW M Motorsport Andreas Roos wants a repeat result this weekend, he also hopes the upgrades made to the car during the winter will enable it to challenge more consistently across the season.
***After finishing up second in the Prologue timesheets to pacesetter Ferrari, Roos told Sportscar365: “It’s a good starting point for sure. Last year we were also here second quickest behind Ferrari, so Imola was good for us and we want to build up on this. We’re here to win races and to win championships so, when the Ferrari’s still in front of us, we still have some work to do.”
***Aston Martin Academy graduate Kobe Pauwels unexpectedly found out he would be making his WEC debut this weekend when he was in a theater a couple of weeks ago. The Belgian former rallycross competitor is taking the place of Eduardo Barrichello at the wheel of the No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo with the Brazilian competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Long Beach.
***When asked by Sportscar365 about the circumstances of joining the grid, Pauwels said: “I was sitting in the theater and got a text from my manager saying, ‘I don’t know what you’re doing but, whatever you’re doing, you need to drop it and call Ian [James]’. So I immediately quit the theater and went on a phone call with him. I couldn’t refuse – who could refuse a drive in WEC? To get a drive so unexpectedly was super cool.”
***The reigning GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup Silver class champion added that getting to grips with the Goodyear tires was the biggest learning curve. “It’s super crucial,” he said. “I hadn’t driven on this tire yet so it’s a huge challenge understanding how it performs on a quali sim, how to protect the tire for a long race stint.”
***While one of Pauwels’ team-mates aboard the Aston is factory stalwart Jonny Adam, they are also paired with another series debutant: GT World Challenge America powered by AWS graduate Gray Newell. The Imola rookie is another driver surprised to be making his WEC debut and describes the way the curbs can be used at the Italian circuit as one of the biggest differences compared to his previous American experience.
***Newell said: “I did not expect to get the tap to move up to WEC so soon so I’m a bit intimidated, but just trying to make the most of the opportunity. I’m super lucky to be part of this team that’s so invested in its drivers at all levels, and having the opportunity to race with them is pretty incredible.”
Stephen Lickorish contributed to this report
Source: Sports Car 365