James Thompson excited after opening race pole position

James Thompson scored a reversed grid pole position at Marrakech, Morocco, as the Brit put his Münnich Motorsport Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 in tenth in qualifying. The Brit knows there is more work to do, but is absolutely happy with the result.

“We surely need to work more,” admitted the Chevrolet driver to TouringCarTimes. “It’s difficult to work on racing weekends, although it was good to race on a track which is new for everyone, as it took away some of the disadvantage we have. We managed to set the car up and drive it well, we knew we were around Lada in terms of pace and that’s what happened. It’s good to have carried that expectation forward, I’m happy for the boys and it’s great to see the smile on their faces.”

Looking at tomorrow’s opening race, excitement is the predominant feeling for the Brit: “I am excited for tomorrow, but there are many unknowns for me going into the race. It’s only my second weekend on this car, so it’s natural. I need to get more familiar with the car, knowing how it will react to the changes we make and so on. The other Chevrolet drivers have been racing with this car for two years, and Tom (Coronel) has done an incredible job this season, especially in qualifying. We need to evolve the car, it is very exciting thinking about where we could be. Of course we can’t challenge Citroën, it’s more about being constantly around the top ten, or top eight. I think we can, and that’s what we will try to do it.”

Speaking of his chances to actually come away with a win, Thompson admits his lack of experience on the Cruze means a good start might not be enough for him to keep the lead for the entire race: “I think the start will be important and leading is always better than following on a track like this, but after a few laps we had huge problems with the brakes, because there are some heavy braking points and there is no long straight to cool them down, so that’s an issue. I also don’t know about tyre wear, although this track looks quite easy on them. Some of the others will be better prepared than myself, I don’t know what is going to happen with the tyres. For now let’s enjoy the result, and then we will think about tomorrow. It will be very exciting, we can achieve a good result.”

Looking back at one year ago, when he lost his seat at Lada Sport, Thompson admits the result puts a smile on his face and is a relief after last season’s struggles: “Today is a good day, it was a good performance as we also beat some of the works teams, it’s only my second race and I am using a lot of my previous experience. The goal however is going forward, so I’m pleased with the achievement, but our expectations need to be better, that’s the key. If I can get more up to speed, the car suits me more, than we will have a better package and have a concrete chance to grasp any opportunity that comes along, and that’s the point. Obviously coming back and having a good result like this does put a smile on my face, after just two races we are in the top ten. Like I said, though, the best thing is to see the smile on the boys’ faces.”

Thompson returned to the FIA World Touring Car Championship in Slovakia, scoring an 11th place in the main race.