Josh Files hails “good day” as Target mull over slipstream qualifying strategy

TCR Europe series points leader Josh Files declared Friday’s running at Monza as “a good day” as Hyundai dominated both free practice sessions.

Files, who heads into tomorrow’s qualifying session and race 48 points ahead of Peugeot’s Julien Briché in the standings, set the third fastest time in his Target Competition Hyundai i30 N TCR in each session, despite running with 60kg of compensation weight.

A key element to Target’s pace advantage in the second session was Files and team-mate Andreas Bäckman opting to give each other a tow down the straights, as they experimented ahead of qualifying.

“We know that we have a good car and a very good chassis and we know we have a top-speed deficit, which is fine. So we’ve worked tirelessly through the last couple of weeks to find a set-up which is as fast as possible,” Files told TouringCarTimes.

“I think we’ve done that, and then Andreas and I decided to do a little bit of slipstreaming in that second session.

“The first run didn’t go completely to plan on old tyres but we bolted on the new tyres and he gave me a tow on the first lap and I gave him one on the second.

“It was a little bit lost to begin with but we at least found the space, and then when we switched, I gave him a couple of laps behind me.

“The tow was definitely worth time, even though the second lap I did without a tow felt a lot better to drive. But that’s just the compromise that happens.”

Despite the success of the tow in practice, Files says the team is still undecided on whether to use it in qualifying tomorrow.

He said: “We haven’t had time to analyse it all properly so we will do that this evening and decide how to streamline it a bit more if we decide to go with [the tow strategy].

“There could be a better balance with the car in the corners for sure, it’s not the best thing to drive through the twisty bits right now but having said that, there’s not enough twisty bits to make a difference as much as the straights.

“It was a good day overall, we’ve got a little bit more to give, but we’re on the limit.”