Andrea Belicchi at a loss to explain lack of performance

Andrea Belicchi struggled in today’s testing in Monza, Italy. The home hero went no further than 12th in his SEAT León Racer, and is not sure he has a solution for his problems:

” I do have an idea (as to why I am not competitive), but we will have to see how it will perform on track tomorrow,” said the Target Competition driver to TouringCarTimes. On a track where the engine is even more important than elsewhere, Belicchi admits he feels his power unit is underperforming:” I do have this kind of sensation, but I’m not sure it’s all there. It (the engine) has been a bit ‘tired’ for a few races, but there’s more than that, that would not be enough to explain why I am 12th.”

Speaking of his title hopes, Belicchi does not see WestCoast Racing’s Gianni Morbidelli as the main threat, as he is more concerned over his SEAT stable-mates:” The championship is definitely open so far. I see Stefano (Comini) and Pepe (Oriola) as the main contenders, but the Hondas are superior on tracks such as Monza, so we will have to watch out.”

SEAT are developing a new gearbox, which might be used in the TCR International Series as well. Belicchi says the disadvantage of using the DSG gearbox is considerable:” I don’t know if we will use it (the new gearbox), but for sure the DSG is heavy and slow, and it gives no engine brake with the downshifts, so it is surely a disadvantage.”

The Target Competition driver endured an unlucky weekend in Portugal, scoring only one point, and currently sits sixth in the championship, 40 points behind team-mate and championship leader Stefano Comini.