24H Daytona – McNish must get used to the Riley again

Allan McNish will compete in the 24 Hours of Daytona for the eighth time at the end of next month, the winner of 24 Hours of Le Mans 2008 returning to the Starworks Motorsport team which will enter a Ford-Riley with which he took second place last year behind the Ford-Riley of Michael Shank Racing. The Audi driver will find Alex Popow and Ryan Dalziel this year while Sébastien Bourdais will join the crew. If the experience of the vice-champion WEC no longer needs to be demonstrated, the driver of the brand with the Rings will have to get used to driving the American prototype again after having competed in a full season in the World Championship at the wheel of the R18.

The Roar Before the 24 tests which begin tomorrow will therefore be essential for the Scot to find his bearings. “The Riley is a completely different car compared to the Audi R18 I drove last year. Friday will allow me to get used to the Riley again for the first time in the last eleven months. For example, I brake with my left foot on the Riley while I use my right foot on the R18. Another difference for me is not being able to attack a corner in the same way as the Audi, given the Riley's lack of downforce and grip. I really have to lower the revs when driving a Daytona Prototype. The second day will be devoted to other specifics of the team's testing program. Ryan (Dalziel) and Alex (Popow) will be behind the wheel most of the time in order to find the right settings since they competed in the entire Grand-Am with the Starworks last year. They therefore have better knowledge and greater experience with the car. The tests finally allow us to measure our rivals. But we were able to see last year that certain teams were not showing their true potential. »