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Valentino Rossi loves the 24 Hours of Spa, but not everything went smoothly on his second time on the Belgian track. The fault was the heavy rain that fell yesterday during qualifying (interrupted in the last few minutes with the red flag) which surprisingly shuffled the standings. So, the Doctor and his WRT team mates (Maxime Martin and Augusto Farfus) were narrowly excluded from the Superpole which assigns the first 20 positions on the starting grid.
A small hiccup that didn't spoil Valentino's morale too much: “Spa is the most important race of the season for us, it's always a great pleasure to be here - he said - It's my second time and it's a special event for many reasons: it's a 24-hour race and the track is fantastic. Spa for cars is like Assen for motorbikes, the best circuit for racing. It's also a special event, with 70 cars and the best GT drivers in the world, it's great to be here."
Rossi has carefully prepared for this event, where the unexpected is always around the corner.
“Last month I did some tests here and I was fast, I had a good pace - he recalled - My teammates are always strong on this track, both Martin and Farfus. But when you arrive then everything always changes, yesterday the sensations with the car were different from those in the tests, the conditions are worse, and the weather forecast is not good. It was crazy in qualifying, it rained a lot, and it was difficult to see the track, especially on the straight. It was the first time I drove in those conditions, and it was very, very difficult."
This does not mean that the result of the 24 Hours is compromised, on the contrary.
“The goal was to be in the top 20 to make Superpole, but unfortunately, we were 21st by 37 thousandths. It was a shame because today Maxime could have qualified up front. However, it will be a long race, I think there will be many Safety Cars, so even if you start from behind, everything is still open. It will depend a lot on our pace, if we can be fast, starting 21st won't be a big problem” he assured.
His BMW M4, however, needs some modifications before the start.
“Yesterday I didn't have fantastic sensations at the wheel, there wasn't much grip - he admitted - but tonight in the warmup we will be able to drive in the dry and we will make some changes to see if we can be stronger. Then we will wait for the start tomorrow and we will try to give our best to fight for the Top10”.
On his part he has the experience of the last edition.
“Last year was special, because it's very unlikely that it doesn't rain for 24 hours at Spa - joked Rossi - I didn't do badly, but I made a mistake during the night, I collided with another car, and then there was another crash by my teammate, but we finished the race anyway. In this type of races, you have to be fast, but also calm and not make mistakes, with 70 cars it's a jungle and sometimes it's difficult to manage. In the wet I feel good, the car lets you feel what's going on, but in yesterday's conditions it was difficult because you were driving blind, you couldn't see anything. If it were to rain heavily in the night, it would be complicated for everyone. The forecast gives rain for the first part of the race, we'll see if we're ready for all conditions."
The goal is to match the performance of his teammates.
“They are a bit faster than me - he stated - I'm not too far from them, it also depends on the track, I still must learn why this type of car changes its behaviour even from the start to the end of a stint, with the tyre and fuel consumption. Maxime and Augusto are top drivers, they have a lot of experience and know how to handle all situations. I must improve and learn from them, I can see their data, videos and it's important to me. The level of the best is very high”.
This time he will drive the BMW and no longer the Audi he raced in his debut.
“The two cars are very different, starting with the position of the engine. The Audi is very fast but also difficult to take to the limit, while the BMW is easier to drive, above all it is very stable in the fast corners and that is important on this track" concluded the Doctor.
Photo courtesy of VR46
