Loïc Duval: “Appreciate and optimize these last moments”

We imagine you relieved to get back on the track…

I was super happy when the test organization was announced… but less than three days later, I broke my collarbone in a fall while mountain biking. In the hospital, I didn't think I would be able to drive at the Nürburgring tests at all. And then I recovered quite quickly, the surgeons did a great job and the plates solidified the fractured bone. The goal was to do a few laps.

I encountered some difficulty in long left turns because the right hand has to move up a lot on the steering wheel. I was forced to “let go” and turn with only my left hand at the end of the turn. But on Tuesday I was able to see how the tires behaved on fairly short runs, such as qualifying, passing 3-4 sets in 1h30.

On Thursday, we did longer stints to get an idea of ​​the degradation of the tires. However, I haven't worked on the settings. "Rocky" (Mike Rockenfeller. Editor's note) used my car to find work directions and I will benefit from it. I didn't ride as much as I wanted, but given the situation, we made the most of it. It was four days of productive testing which felt good after a very long break.

During this period news broke of Audi's withdrawal from DTM. How did you experience this?

In the same way as this happened for the LM P1 (end of 2016. Editor’s note). We only learned the news 2 or 3 hours before the information was broadcast. It's a story that ends quite suddenly, even if there was a lot of smoke for some time as the championship was encountering difficulties. Now, if I have to make a comparison between the stopping of the LM P1 and that of the DTM, I accept the latter much more easily. I was prepared for it and, in my heart, it has no placeEndurance could have. The luck we can have in this is that we should be able to win a championship this year. It's not as if we warned you in January that it was now impossible to put your butt back in the car... So we're going to appreciate and optimize these last moments.

ITR has gone out of its way to present a relatively full schedule…

When Audi said “We're stopping”, everyone wondered if there would be a 2020 championship. We have to take our hats off to them because the championship is tough. There will be a little less variety, but that's normal given the current situation. That said, we could also have ended up with a season grouped on 3-4 German circuits, as we can see from the side of the Formula E. There is still a month and a half before the start of the season, and we must above all hope that the situation does not deteriorate again.

How do you see this season?

There's a chance that this will be the end of DTM as we knew it, even if I don't want it to. I see an advantage in this last year: there will be very few instructions or strategies from the manufacturers. It’s going to be a little more “every man for himself” and there could be a few more winners. I also think that BMW has taken a step forward compared to 2019 where Audi had a car a cut above. What is certain is that we will try to put on a great show... even if it is certain that we will not have any spectators. This too will change the situation. We will actually have fewer obligations and more time with the engineers.

The latest version of the calendar recreates a clash of dates with the 24 Hours of Le Mans. What does this imply about you?

At the end of last year, I had a wheel for the 24 2020 Hours. When the DTM calendar came out, there was a clash and I lost it. There is one again, but given Audi's choice to stop the DTM, Dieter Gass (director of Audi Motorsport. Editor's note) has already told us that everything is possible and that we can discuss everything concerning our opportunities. If I get a good one, we'll see what we can do. Dieter is not opposed to it, unlike last year.