Photo: WTCC Media

Lada-man Jaap van Lagen

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Dutchman Jaap van Lagen is battling with the Lada 110 in the World Touring Car Championship. The Lada-team made their debut at Brno earlier this year. Despite the disbelieve from media and competitors the Lada is not that far off pace as expected. TouringCarTimes met up with Lada-man van Lagen at Oschersleben for an interview.

“I think the season has been great so far! At the start of the season we were five seconds behind the top of the field, but now we are much closer. The main problem with the car is the top speed. We need more power to fight against the top teams. The team is working really hard and we have a good atmosphere. I do want to continue with the team and I hope that we get factory status for 2009!”

Will you continue in the Porsche Supercup?

“Why not? There are no races clashing. If I get the chance again to drive for a top team in the Supercup, I will be on the grid. I am quite happy with the Supercup season this year, I have won one race.”

Isn’t it a big switch between the Porsche and the Lada?

“It’s not difficult. I work as a driving instructor at Zandvoort, Spa and Assen between the races. And beside that I often take part in drift challenges. So it is normal for me to drive a lot of different cars.”

What are the strong points of the Lada?

“The chassis is very good. The balance is ok and so is the suspension. The car is also very light, so we can play a lot with the weight distribution. That is a big advantage. All in all it is an easy car to drive, we just need more power.”

How is it to work with a Russian team?

“It is very difficult, because only Viktor (Shapovalov) speaks english and one of the mechanics a little bit. But when we become a works team, I would get a Dutch engineer and Dutch mechanics. Then I can improve the work on the car drastically.”

What do you think about the coming races?

“I think we can keep up the performance from Oschersleben at Imola. But Monza and Macau will be a different story as they have very long straights. Then we will most likely be at the back of the grid.”