Fredy Barth: “The good always follows the bad.”

The Swiss SUNRED driver has endured a tough 2011 season after a great run in 2010. In a year where SUNRED are doing their development on the track with their new 1.6 turbo engine, the Swiss driver has been hit with the lion’s share of bad luck.

In 2010, Barth moved up from the SEAT Eurocup to the WTCC with SUNRED in the SEAT León TDI. The car wasn’t eligible for the independents’ trophy, but in the new rookie category, Barth took four wins in the first five races and went on to finish a respectable third in the category, and 13th in the championship standings with 51 points.

As of now, Barth has picked up just seven points, and is languishing down in 10th place in the Yokohama Independents’ Trophy – highlighting what a challenging season the 31-year-old Swiss driver is having.

TcT: Things haven’t quite gone to plan for you this year. Your ambitions at the start of the year were to be in the top 10 of the championship and win the Yokohama trophy. How do you feel it has gone?

“Badly. There is no way around it. I hate looking at the tables because it highlights, so brutally, in black and white just how far adrift we are.”

TcT: What are the reasons?

“I can’t criticise the team because they have worked incredibly hard with the new car, but I have experienced a huge number of technical problems with it. I have had electrical problems, injector problems, mapping issues, brake problems and alternator issues when it is wet. Add to that, learning a new car always requires a change in set-up, and we haven’t had enough problem free track time to work on a setup that works for my driving style.

“I am not the only one who has problems – Monteiro has had issues, Gabriele also has problems – but he is a very special driver. He doesn’t need to practice, he can turn up at any track, jump in the car and put it in the top 10.”

TcT: What about the driver – has he performed as well as he could?

“If you look at my times from the start of the season I was able to match Gabriele. Not in every session, but frequently enough to demonstrate I have the ability to be in the WTCC and push for podiums and wins. But being unable to find the right set-up, unable to get time on track means that I am always playing catch-up. I have to push harder than I really should, which can often mean I overdrive the car and make small but crucial mistakes.”

“With times as close as they are across the top 15 drivers this year, those mistakes shuffle me out of the top 10. Every time you fail as a team to make the top 10 you heap more pressure on. More pressure leads to more small mistakes. It is a downward spiral.”

TcT: Can it get any worse for you and the team?

“I don’t think so. Brno and then Oschersleben were incredible lows. It reminds me of my dark days in 2008 (and further back in 2005). But each time I came out of those experiences a stronger person and a better driver. I believe the same will happen this time. The team have five weeks to fully revise the car before Valencia – and I will be getting a new engine in the car. But most importantly we will be testing before we race again.”

TcT: is clear that the grid this year has tightened. The Volvo arrived with a great chassis and has added a superb engine, the BMW has ironed out the drivability issues. What are your observations?

“The BMW is a great package. The engine works incredibly well with the rear-wheel drive chassis. Franz (Engstler) got his first WTCC win…a great achievement, and it demonstrates just how potent that package can be.”

“I am not alone in being amazed at how well Volvo have done this year. The C30 is quickest through all the speed guns at the moment, that’s the benchmark. We are determined to match them, and then push past them. We (with the TDI) have been lucky over the last few years to have the most powerful engine on the grid. Now we have to work with the new engine, update the chassis, and show that we can compete with the best.”

TcT:: Do you have any targets for 2011?

“Realistically it is ensuring that by the end of the year the package is competitive. Not mid-table competitive, but up at the top. I believe the engine and chassis combination matches my ambitions for wins & podiums, and we have another four race weekends to show to the rest of the grid that the SR Leon 1.6T is something to be worried about.”

“I am determined to pick up more championship points along the way – and certainly finish in a more respectable position in the Yokohama trophy.”

TcT: So, will be 2012 be your year?

“The good always follows the bad. In 2008 I had a terrible year in the SEAT Eurocup – in 2009 I won a race! 2012 will require a great deal of work from everyone involved with SEAT SWISS RACING – that is not just me the driver, but the team, the sponsors, and the many fans who support me across the globe. My profile, both in my home country (Switzerland) and globally is higher than it has ever been – and I/we can’t let that go to waste.”

TcT: So we will see you again in the WTCC in 2012?

“Fingers crossed yes. I will not leave the WTCC on a whimper. I am confident that the driver & car package is strong enough to match my ambitions.”

By Neil Gummow