Jean-Karl Vernay: “I really want to win this championship”

Jean-Karl Vernay has his sights set firmly on the TCR International Series drivers’ title after a string of strong results see the Frenchman head to Thailand just 22 points behind team-mate and championship leader Stefano Comini, and says it’s now the crucial part of the season for his campaign.

The 28-year-old is twice a race winner this season in Spa and Salzburg, and hopes to close the gap on his championship rivals at Buriram, where rain is expected and could play into the favour of the Leopard Racing Volkswagen Golf TCRs.

“This circuit should be OK for us,” said Vernay to TouringCarTimes. “It looks a bit like Sochi in terms of third or fourth gear corners where you have to carry speed, and the straight is pretty long. It’s brand new, the tarmac looks good so the level of grip should improve day after day.”

“It’s (also) better for us if it’s raining. If it’s dry I think we can do a good job like we showed in Sochi…but I’ve always been quick in the rain. (In Salzburg) it was my first time in front-wheel drive in the rain, I wasn’t sure I would be quick but it worked out for me there.”

On his championship aspirations, where a weekend’s worth of points separate the top seven drivers in the points table, Vernay was clear on his goal after his early season troubles have been put behind him.

“We’re now at the money time of the season, we can’t have any more mistakes so we have to do a good job on track,” he said. “The (Craft-Bamboo) Lukoil guys will be tough to beat, but we have all the ingredients to do the job. We lost a lot of points at the beginning of the season through crashes and penalties, if we put it all together we should be in front, but it’s easy to say that as if (Pepe) Oriola hadn’t had all his technical difficulties he’d also be in front.

“But I really want to win this championship in my rookie season. I think TCR is growing like hell and the manufacturers are coming, which is a great opportunity for us drivers.”