Mehdi Bennani: Reversed grid was the aim

Proteam Racing’s Mehdi Bennani will start as the best placed BMW for race two for the standing start tomorrow. The Moroccan will be aiming to emulate Tom Coronel’s reversed grid victory at the Slovakiaring last weekend at a circuit where Bennani finished on the podium last season.

Bennani was one of three BMWs that managed to break into the all-important top 12 in qualifying along with Wiechers-Sport’s Fredy Barth and ROAL Motorsport’s Tom Coronel.

Coronel went on to qualify fifth and Barth 12th, but Bennani’s ninth fastest time will see the 29-year-old start on the front row behind the bamboo-engineering Chevrolet of Alex MacDowall, but with standing starts employed in race two it is certain to favour the rear-wheel drive BMW 320 TC.

“This is what we hoped from the beginning of the weekend, because we know that BMW cannot fight with the others, so we focussed to be seventh, eighth, nine, and we made it,” said Bennani to TouringCarTimes.

“Now we hope to have a good start and to fight and to see how the car is. I know that the car is consistent and we can stay on the same level, and we hope the front-wheel drive cars will have more difficulty.”

Bennani along with the other BMW drivers are running at the minimum possible compensation weight of -20kg this weekend, and the new carbon fibre doors on the rear and passenger side have helped the BMW 320 TC reach this reduced weight level, but the Moroccan is hopeful of more support from BMW in order to make the car more competitive against the front runners.

“I think they need to develop the engine more to be near the same level as the other cars,” said Bennani. “We cannot fight with the Honda and Chevrolet except maybe on the reversed grid, but without this we couldn’t fight with the other constructors.”