Stefano Comini worried about “ridiculous” traffic situation
Stefano Comini finished this morning’s session in fifth in his Leopard Racing Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR. The Swiss driver spent all of the session close to team-mate Jean-Karl Vernay. He is 17 points behind championship leader James Nash, but Comini is encouraged by the belief he can perform well this weekend.
Traffic from the local drivers, who are much slower and, according to the defending champion, struggle to drive their cars around the infamous Circuito da Guia, are a major concern for him.
“In terms of performances I am happy with the way things are going”, said Comini to TouringCarTimes. “Obviously Jean-Karl (Vernay) and I have worked together with the slipstreams, which is something we haven’t done before this season, but it is absolutely crucial here, so we are trying to work together. I think we have the pace to be in the top three. Of course the track is green and there’s a chance of rain as well, so who knows. I think every time you come to Macau is like the first time, it takes a lot of laps to get acquainted to the circuit, it’s so unique around here.”
Comini went on to his biggest concern, which is the traffic: “The situation is ridiculous. You have people like Douglas Khoo, who doesn’t know where he’s going. I even had to hit him a couple of times, and this is only free practice. It really looks like they’re looking for a parking space rather than racing, and that is intolerable and very, very dangerous. The CTCC drivers are not at our level, with all due respect, but it’s really ridiculous.”
The Swiss thinks the situation is disrespectful of the teams and drivers: “It’s a shame because the teams work and spend a lot of money all year long, and maybe you can lose the championship for someone like that who causes a red or yellow flag when you’re doing your lap, or they block you. I never managed to do a clean lap, especially in the last two or three laps it was very difficult.”
One-off drivers are also a problem for the Swiss, who thinks they may play an important role in the race for the title: “I have a lot of respect for Tiago Monteiro or Josh (Files), but they take points for the championship, and that can help James Nash and penalise Pepe (Oriola), Jean-Karl (Vernay) and myself, because if one of them wins, they take 7 points away from you. Then you can have fights or contacts, and the ‘guest drivers’ have nothing to lose, whilst we are playing for the championship and we will not take too many risks.”
The goal for the Swiss is to stay out of trouble, but he acknowledges it will not be easy due to the nature of the Circuito da Guia: “I will try to stay out of trouble as much as possible, but this is Macau, so that alone is not easy. Obviously my race is against Nash, Oriola and Vernay, but it won’t be easy. I’m thinking of several scenarios, perhaps Pepe (Oriola) may win with Monteiro second, so I would lose ten points from Pepe. Files is also a driver who can risk, and I know he’s good at overtaking, so he will take every opportunity. It’s surely difficult.”
Comini won the Guia Race last year in a Target Competition SEAT León.
