Photo: TCR World Tour

Néstor Girolami: “I unlocked another level with the car”

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BRC Hyundai driver Néstor Girolami said that he has achieved a new level of understanding of his Hyundai Elantra N TCR which enabled him to claim pole and the Race 1 win at the Guia street circuit in Macau.

“The start was normal, I think Yann had a very good start but, for us, I expected less grip, as we were on the wrong side of the track with regards to the racing line,” Girolami told TouringCarTimes.

“It was good to have more grip than expected so I didn’t skid and then I had the inside into Mandarin and then Lisboa.”

Girolami then held the lead throughout the race and started to focus on tyre management.

“From then, I had to just focus on managing the tyres, because here in Macau is very easy to overheat them,” said Girolami.

“Then came sectors 2, 3 and 4, and I didn’t push to have Yann (Ehrlacher) close, so he would degrade his tyres. Then sector 5 and 1 again, which were key, because the race is won there.

“When I spoke to my engineer to prepare the race setup we realised that we must look after the tyres in sector 3 and not take any risks, because touching the wall is very easy and that would finish our race.

“So I focussed on exiting Melco with good traction and arriving to Lisboa with a good advantage.”

It has been a difficult season for the Argentinian driver and the BRC Hyundai team, making this victory even more special for them.

“I got two victories this season with the reverse grid, but this is special because it’s the main race in Macau and, after yesterday’s pole position, it was incredible,” Girolami said.

“Is it possibly my best victory with Hyundai. Since we started, yesterday I felt I unlocked another level with the car, with my engineer.

“We are understanding what I need to be at the best level, and we could show it in the qualifying.

“So the most positive thing of the weekend is to have felt very comfortable yesterday in quali and again today in the race, and feel that this is the way to be on top. There is still one day to go, but I leave Macau with a great satisfaction.”