Yann Ehrlacher: “We are not yet 100% exploiting what we have”

How did the TCR World Tour debut go at Portiamo (2 X P7)

The pure performance was pretty good. We are missing a little bit to fight at the front on a regular basis. In reverse grid we succeed but it's a bit hard. In qualifying everything is fine. In the race, we struggled to keep pace due to a V-max deficit. We must also admit that we degrade our tires quite quickly. For my part, I had done everything to aim for pole for the reverse grid but we made a mistake in our calculations to set the correct time. We are 11th, 2 tenths out of the top 10, so it's a bit of a shame. 

Is switching from Goodyear to Kumho a good thing? Has the racing philosophy changed? 

There is indeed a lot of wear on the tires and our settings have changed quite a bit. These are compounds that cause more wheel locks and are less tolerant of combined lateral and longitudinal loads. We therefore had to modify our driving techniques and our settings. This has not significantly changed the philosophy of touring tires. The loss of performance occurs in roughly the same window as we had in Goodyear. It's pretty consistent and is between what we experienced in Yokohama and Goodyear. For Lynk & Co, we have to add this to the fact that we have a new car with a new aerodynamic kit so we have to adapt to this new set. 

A collision with Santi Urrutia in the first race, what happened? 

It's not really a skirmish. He was fighting with Tom Coronel who passed over the big sausage vibrators, I arrived with more speed. Coronel, wanting to get back on the track, touches him. This destabilized him and while trying to correct it, he took a hit with his racket and we collided. Our 4 wheels collided, he then went back towards Coronel and that's what broke something on the left front. We couldn't do much to avoid this contact, it's painful when it happens with a teammate that's for sure. But it's the start of the season, it's important to show that we're not here to slow down and give places to the first person to come. If I had lifted my foot I would have lost three positions.  

No podium for the Alsatian who intends to adjust his shot at Spa Francorchamps ©TCRSeries

 It hasn't always been a great atmosphere between the two of you, is it going well this year? 

Everything went well during the preparation and pre-season testing. It sure put a bit of a chill. At the outset, we didn't really get along very well, but we're big boys and we were able to discuss and analyze everything that happened. We reviewed all the images, the situation seemed clear to both of us, everything was reset. We have to work hand in hand and we have no problem with each other. 

How is the new car? Is this a progression compared to the old one? 

Not really, for the moment, but we have improved certain points of reliability. Performance is not the first point that I will highlight. We are not yet using 100% of what we have in our hands. I hope we will be able to do it from Spa Francorchamps.  

Will the TCR World Tour concept of having you change opponents each round be any good? 

On paper it's not so bad, the grids are well filled and we look really good when you see the images of the race. The championship travels far again too. The main idea is to become a championship like the WTCC again as quickly as possible. This is what happens in categories like GT3. All drivers ride in Intercontinental or World Challenge. We are going on superb routes. In Portimao, we were able to see the gap in level between the world and Europe. I can tell you that when we arrive in South America and Australia we will find ourselves facing guys who are racing on tracks they know inside out while we are starting from scratch. This will level the level a little and offer open and competitive races. The concept of the World Tour will take on its full scope.  

What are the ambitions for Spa? 

We are not going to have any illusions, we are going to arrive at Spa with a real deficit in top speed and in Belgium this can be penalizing. But we will fight for the big points, it may be a little early to aim for victory but trust me we will quickly be in the rhythm of the best. It's just great to ride on big tracks of this caliber, but the philosophy of smaller tracks like in BTCC also suits us perfectly, I'm a real fan of tracks like Thruxton. 

Comments collected by F.Gérard

ALSO READ > TCR World Tour: Norbert Michelisz and Santi Urrutia first winners