Tarquini: “I have shown that I am not too old”

At 57, Gabriele Tarquini is leaving for yet another season of Tourism. The Italian could have had peaceful days after his remarkable World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) title, patiently acquired against Yvan Muller in the streets of Macau at the end of 2018. 

Mais la passion du sport auto est trop forte pour le pétillant leader du BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corsica. “Last year, I showed that I wasn't too old. I won the title after a great season, probably one of my best”he says. In 2018, Gabriele Tarquini scored six victories. Nobody did better. 

“This year it will be a new fight. I am proud of the work I did last year. I don't know if my mindset has evolved but I will be happy to repeat my 2018 campaign, not in terms of results because it will be complicated to do the same, but I want to keep the same concentration and be at the top of the pace. »

The 2019 WTCR season traditionally begins in Marrakech (Morocco) on April 6-7, a meeting that the 2008 WTCC champion dominated last year, winning two victories, two fastest laps and a pole position. “I have always felt comfortable here, especially since the arrival of the new track (the Moulay-El-Hassan circuit in 2016), which is much more secure than the old one. 

Last year, this meeting was really the key to my season thanks to these two victories. I started very strong, which helped me for the rest of the campaign. » Such a performance could be difficult to repeat because of the Balance of Performance (BoP).

“We were greatly penalized during the second half of the season. At the end of the championship, the car was not competitive. I thought we were going to start 2019 on a new footing. But she's not good. »

The Hyundai i30 N is the only TCR to evolve with 90 millimeters of ride height. In addition, 10 kg were added to the scale while 30 kg were removed from several cars. Thus, the South Korean car weighs 1 kg in Marrakech, while the Cupra is only 335! 

« Top speed is the biggest concern. We know that the Hyundai is very comfortable braking and cornering. But if you are racing against someone much faster and he is in front of you, it is impossible to overtake him, because on the straights he will take a 30 meter lead! 

#WTCR A busy morning in Marrakech for @BRCGasEquipment Racing Team.
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If you're not as good as the other cars in pure speed, there's nothing you can do.", critic Gabriele Tarquini. It remains to be seen whether the Italian, the most experienced in world tourism, played the pipes this winter.