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At 11:05 am on May 29 Michigan International Speedway witnessed another first in NASCAR style racing when former French Formula champion, Michel Disdier ran his first ARCA test. Though the primary objective for his first time on an oval track was to familiarize himself with a totally different style of racing than he is used to, Disdier quickly picked up six seconds on his overall lap time.
Mario Gosselin’s DGM Racing provided a former Hendrick Chevrolet for the test.
“The day went well, overall,” said Disdier commenting after his first experience on the 2.0-mile oval. “In keeping with my usual style I started off slowly. Not wanting to tempt the devil I gradually worked into my own rhythm, following Mario’s sound advice and that of veteran driver Justin Marks.” Disdier’s previous experience, one of accelerating, decelerating, applying the breaks and gear shifting, was of little use to him on a track where keeping one’s foot off the brake pedal is key.
After his first lap he quickly picked up the technique and oriented himself to this new style of racing. At the conclusion of the one day test, Disdier commented, “I came here to find out how it felt to drive a heavy stock car to see if I actually liked it. And I really did!”
After a series of future ARCA tests and races, Disdier is planning to bring his European flavor to one of NASCAR’s feeder series, with the ultimate goal being his involvement in NASCAR’s elite Cup series.
