Coronel happy despite initial problems

Having completely rebuilt his SEAT Leon ahead of the World Touring Car Championship premiere, without even having the chance to do a shakedown, forced Tom Coronel to deal with some problems. Nevertheless, Coronel was pleased with the weekend.
“They really took the whole car apart, checked it all and put it back together”, he said.

“However there was no time to do a shake down test in order to check the car. Basically we did it during free practice and we also got the small problems you normally have during a shake down. When I went out for the first time I was eager to do a good lap and when I look back this must have been the best lap of the weekend.

After that I got all sorts of small problems. A broken fuel hose, an oil leak in the clutch system and a problem with the gearbox software. Because of the latter I had to use the clutch during the gear shifts, which costs some time. I think I could have been 5/10ths of a second quicker in qualifying. 18th place on the grid is definitely not where we belong.”

Coronel’s experience and a mended car allowed him to have two good races, despite the initial problems.

“The first race went fairly well. I moved up some places and I was behind my main opponent for the Independents Trophy. This time he was just a bit too quick so I stayed behind him and finished ninth overall and second in the independents battle. At the start of the second race it was raining very hard and everybody came to me to ask what tyres I would use. Last year I won my first race due to an unusual tyre choice, but for this race there was no other option than to use full wets on all of the wheels.

I like racing in the wet, so the huge amount of water coming down was not too much of a problem for me. Fortunately I came around the first few corners without too much drama and I was immediately closing up on the leading group of cars. I even moved up some places, but later on I lost those positions again.”

Coronel’s focus on Proteam’s Felix Porteiro is clear when he talks about the Spaniard as a main opponent for the Independents’ crown.

“Felix Porteiro, my main rival for the Independents Trophy, started from pole position, but dropped back. In the second half of the race he was right in front of me and I tried to force him into a mistake, but it didn’t work out. So I can go back home with a double second place in the Independents Trophy and one point for the overall championship.”

The regulations for the 2009 season has made Coronel’s car considerably heavier. But despite the weight Coronel is looking forward to the next race in Mexico.

“[This result is] not bad when you consider that the car that I have is 55kg heavier than last year. This is all due to the new regulations. After the second race the weight rules will be reconsidered. For now this was the maximum possible result and I am really looking forward to the next round in Mexico in two weeks time.”

Coronel now is second in the Independents’ championship, 12 points behind Porteiro and 8 ahead of Engstler. The Dutchman confirmed himself as one of the favourites, together with Porteiro, to clinch the Independents’ title at the end of the year.