Antonio Garcia: “The C8.R is better than the C7.R in every aspect”

En IMSA, victory earns 35 points. But you and Jordan, with a total of 5 victories against one for your teammates (Tommy Milner-Oliver Gavin), are already champions before the 12 Hours of Sebring this weekend. What do you feel ?

It wasn't easy, really. First of all, debuting a new car at the most difficult race of the season, the 24 Hours of Daytona, was not an easy task. Our race was far from perfect, although we finished fourth, which wasn't too bad.

However, did you immediately understand the potential of the C8.R?

Yes. Fourth was still a good result. The car was brand new and we inevitably encountered some small teething problems inherent to any new machine. Not to mention that we made a few mistakes.

But we fought at the front throughout the race and finished in the winner's lap (the #8 BMW M24 GTE of Jesse Krohn-Augusto Farfus-Jonathan Edwards-Chaz Mostert. Editor's note).

How is this car better than the previous one?

It is better than the C7.R in every aspect. In recent years, we have seen our opponents continually improve while we were limited by our package. The C7.R was starting to show the weight of the years (first season in 2014. Editor’s note). From an aerodynamic or mass distribution point of view, there is no difference.

On the other hand, changing your mindset was not easy. I've been driving a front-engined car since 2009 and Oli (Gavin. Editor's note) since 2002! You must therefore adapt to a new behavior, because its reactions are different. And you need to adapt yours accordingly…

Discover the entire interview with Antonio Garcia, in issue 2286 of AUTOhebdo, available now in digital version and from tomorrow on newsstands.