Baguette with American sauce

Bertrand Baguette realizes his American dream. After trying to reach the paddocks of F1, the native of Verviers landed a program in IndyCar Series, and he has already gone into practice. Last weekend, the Formula champion Renault 3.5 Series attended the second round of the US championship, in St Peterburg (Florida), before joining the Barber Motorsports Park for its first tests.

« It was on the Barber road course in Alabama that I experienced this historic moment, explains the Belgian driver of the year 2009. In total, I completed no less than 66 laps, or 224 km, at the wheel of the car that Mario Romancini, my future teammate, was driving in St Petersburg. Conquest Racing really played the game since I was able to have three new sets of tires. »

« Very quickly, I felt confident in this car yet quite different from those I have flown in Europe so far. The American car is heavier (900 kg) and more physical: there is no power steering. There is also a foot clutch. It is also more rigid at the base; she climbs edges less well. I don't know if this will be the case on American road circuits, but the track was quite bumpy. In any case, I am delighted to have completed this day of testing on the circuit where I will make my big debut on April 11. »

Indeed, the Belgian driver has one week left before entering the US single-seater championship. Before that, Bertrand Baguette wanted to try his hand in another field than laps. “ I made a lot of pit stops since they are one of the keys to success in the IndyCar Series. Obviously, there is not always a gigantic place in the stands and you have to burn out again to save time. »

Bertrand Baguette's behavior, both on and off the track, has already won over Eric Bachelart, compatriot of the driver and owner of Conquest Racing. “ Obviously, the rapport between Bertrand and his track engineer went very well. Our collaboration is starting off on a very good basis; communication is good. From a strictly chronometric point of view, we can't really judge his performance at Barber since there were only two rookies on track that day. But Bertrand dominated them, which bodes well. »