First round of the RFEDA Saxo 8v Cup
We went to compete in this first test of the season at the Los Arcos Circuit, in Navarra.
A weekend from which I leave quite happy, since in this case my driver achieved the desired objective: entering the fast race on Sunday.
On Friday we started free practice with some doubts, since the driver did not feel comfortable with the car at all and it was difficult for him to find points where he could lose time.
We decided to stop in the middle of the stint to review data and be able to tell the driver several notes in different corners, especially turns 3 and 6-7, which were the ones where he lost the most time due to their complexity.
We also varied the tire pressures, making the car more docile and not so nervous so that the driver could gain confidence. At the end of the second stint in free practice he had lowered his best time of the first stint by 1.8s.
On Saturday in qualifying we look for the following strategy taking into account that we only have 25min: do 3-4 laps in search of a valid time (+1s of your best time), change wheels and go out again.
In those first laps, the driver had a time of -0.8s compared to free practice, so he was put in the pits and asked two things: first, to roll the wheels a little to find optimal grip and, second, to push hard to try to slow down the time. The latter was not achieved, but we left P17, one position away from our initial objective.
In the race, which took place in the wet, we gained 4 places in the first 5 laps, but from then on, when the track conditions began to change, the driver could not fully adapt. This, and adding that the front windshield wiper broke, preventing our driver from clearing the rain, meant that we lost 4-5s per lap with the rest of the field. At that moment we were P16 (target), but on the last lap, due to these inconveniences, they overtook us, which left us out of the fast race.
Finally, there were several disqualifications due to irregularities on the test bench, so we advanced to P15, gaining access to the fast race.
On Saturday in qualifying we look for the following strategy taking into account that we only have 25min: do 3-4 laps in search of a valid time (+1s of your best time), change wheels and go out again.
In those first laps, the driver had a time of -0.8s compared to free practice, so he was put in the pits and asked two things: first, to roll the wheels a little to find optimal grip and, second, to push hard to try to slow down the time. The latter was not achieved, but we left P17, one position away from our initial objective.
In the race, which took place in the wet, we gained 4 places in the first 5 laps, but from then on, when the track conditions began to change, the driver could not fully adapt. This, and adding that the front windshield wiper broke, preventing our driver from clearing the rain, meant that we lost 4-5s per lap with the rest of the field. At that moment we were P16 (target), but on the last lap, due to these inconveniences, they overtook us, which left us out of the fast race.
Finally, there were several disqualifications due to irregularities on the test bench, so we advanced to P15, gaining access to the fast race.
On Sunday we took it much more calmly, thinking more about enjoying ourselves and having taken the pressure off. In qualifying we couldn't find a clean lap (+4.5s between Olap and Blap), causing us to start at the back of the grid. In the race we gained 5 places in the first lap with a very good start, but a touch with the car in front caused us to lose the front bumper and with it a lot of speed, causing us to lose 3s per lap.
Finally, we finished P28 and very satisfied with the work done. Already thinking about things to improve for the next race.
Congratulations also to all my colleagues at Rx Pro Racing, who had a spectacular weekend.
