Christophe Bouchut meanwhile raised concerns that Corvette’s technical advantage would make them tough to beat, even on a much slower circuit such as Valencia. “I think the technical advantage will help Corvette on any type of circuit. I know Aston Martin are working hard on an air conditioning system, and have already tested it at Dijon, but I’m not sure whether we’ll have it in place for Valencia. I believe that this system is the only solution to close the gap to Corvette. ”
By contrast the Car 51 driver line-up doesn’t have much experience of Valencia, with Gregor Fisken and Steve Zacchia both making their debuts there. However, GT1 rookie Greg Franchi does have extensive testing experience of the circuit from his days in single-seaters.
Greg Franchi said: “I’ve tested at Valencia in F3 and with the World Series by Renault, and was there last winter where my times were good. Even though the Aston Martin DBR9 is a new car for me, I still feel confident for the race because I really like the circuit. To be honest I just can’t wait to get there and get started because I only managed 15 laps all weekend at Monza. ”
With soaring temperatures across Europe, coupled with the physical nature of the circuit, Steve Zacchia admits it will be a physical test for the drivers in Southern Spain. “I’ve been looking at videos and reading circuit maps on the internet to research the contours of the circuit and the track layout. There are lots of hairpins and tricky corners and the circuit is relatively slow. Physically it will be a challenge, especially with the heat we’re expecting. It will be very warm in the cockpit and at the end of our stints we’ll be really tired and have to be extremely careful. ”
Gregor Fisken meanwhile is less concerned by heat and traffic as he is with getting behind the wheel of the DBR9 in race conditions after the disappointment of the car’s early exit at Monza. “I’ve been itching over the past two or three weeks to get started for what will be our delayed debut after what happened at Monza. I think I’ve been just about impossible to live with during that time! Valencia is a new circuit for me, but Larbre Competition has experience there and I’m certain they will provide us with the car to do the job. ”
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