Vautier: “A significant delay to make up for”

Tristan Vautier returned to AUTOhebdo on his tests at the Roar before the 24 in Daytona (Florida) held at the beginning of January. The driver of the No. 85 JDC Miller Motorsports Cadillac DPi set the 9th fastest time in qualifying.

How did this first ride go with your new team?

The team received one car at the end of November and the other in mid-December. Having both ready for the Roar was already quite a challenge. Besides that, we are two years behind the other teams running Cadillacs. In terms of performance, we encountered difficulties, we lacked general grip and understanding of the tire. Especially since our only test session, we did it at Sebring and not at Daytona, unlike the majority of our opponents. Our expectations were therefore measured.

Despite the new Michelin tires, does your Cadillac experience help you guide the team?

Yes, but the references we had in Continental are very different. So I too am in the adaptation phase. The ideal set-up has been modified and we still need to get our hands on it. The bases used last year do not apply to Michelin tires. All this combined, we have a significant delay to catch up on.

What kind of team did you find?

I met up with a lot of people that I met in Star Mazda (in 2011. Editor’s note). It's a small structure compared to Penske or Joest, but it has its process in place and is very faithful. It is one of the rare DPi teams to have to finance itself, so finding a way to recruit a pro driver alongside Misha (Goikhberg. Editor's note) was complicated but they wanted to take a step forward. If they have few resources, they know how to put them in the right place.

What hopes do you have?

They have always managed to do great things, as evidenced by their victory at the 6 Hours of the Glen last year. We are outsiders, our expectations are measured, but in IMSA, everyone can win. Our Cadillac is the same as the others. If we have everything just right, we will have a card to play. Having Rubens (Barrichello. Editor’s note) with us for Daytona is a good thing. It's motivating to have a guy with such experience who still has such enthusiasm.

This interview can be found in the file on the Roar before the 24 of Daytona published in issue 2198 of AUTOhebdo, always available here.