Davit Kajaia hails Alfa’s pace at Abu Dhabi weekend

Georgian driver Davit Kajaia took two second place finishes during the TCR Middle East weekend at the Yas Marina Circuit, fighting for victory against Josh Files’ Honda in Race 1 as he learned how to drive Mulsanne Racing’s Alfa Romeo Giulietta for the first time.

Kajaia, who last year exclusively raced the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR in the International Series, took to the wheel of the Italian-built Giulietta this weekend and put on a valiant display to try to keep back the ultra-fast Files in the first race on Friday.

“I made a very good start and I was in the lead for eight laps, but I was very aggressive in the beginning to be fast and my front tyres slowly lost grip so I knew I couldn’t hold on to first place,” said Kajaia.

“I let Josh past, but I have to say I’m happy with the result. The car is in really good shape and I hope I can fight for more podiums. I’m very confident with the car, it’s very driveable and I have a very good feeling with it. I must say a big thank you to the team – they did a really, really good job and they improved the car step-by-step after every session.”

Kajaia followed up in Race 2 with another second place finish, passing Luca Engstler’s Volkswagen late in the race, and is aiming for further results at the season finale next month in Bahrain.

“Now I have to concentrate on Bahrain and try to get on the podium again there,” he added.