First race of the season got off to a flying start for Ricardo, with team mates Nic Jonnson and Darren Turner, the guys managed to bring the no 76 krohn car home in 4th place, before the racing began Ricardo had this to say...
You are a rookie at Daytona this year. How intimidating is it to come to a famous circuit like Daytona for an incredibly difficult race like a 24-hour race?
“I’m very happy to be part of the Daytona race. For me it is something very strange because it has been a long time since I’ve done any endurance race. And also, I don’t know the Daytona track. I only did two laps at the test and crashed. So I don’t really know the track layout well yet, but I’m going to have time to learn it better before the start of the race. The track itself is something very different than I am used to driving. I never raced on ovals and it has very different banking. Daytona is very famous, which you see in films or anywhere. The track makes you feel different than all the other circuits.”
How do you balance between going for the win and pacing yourself to save the car for the entire race?
“I think it is more important to preserve the car. You have more to gain than going to the limit. We can be quick and not make any mistakes. We have to preserve the tires especially.”
How difficult will it be to jump in at a big race like the Rolex 24 At Daytona with a fairly new team – one you’ve only worked with once before?
“No, for me, it is not very difficult. As soon as you have a good feeling about the car and the team, it’s enough to be on the pace. Of course, during the year we are going to increase the relationships with the team. I know (Krohn Team Manager) David Brown and (teammate) Nic (Jönsson) very well now. That is most important for me to have a good relationship with those people.”
On Friday the guys qualified the car in 15th position, Ricardo had these comments on the day.
We are quite happy with the balance we have in the car for the race. I think the week has gone very well. I think we are in quite a good place for the race. Everyone has worked very hard to set-up the car and balance the car as well. I think we are going to have a good car for the race.
Regarding the Daytona circuit:
“It is a difficult circuit to know. I have driven so many places, but here, because of the banking, sometimes you don’t know where you are in the track on the banking because it is so similar everywhere. When you arrive at corner one, it is quite difficult to know which banking you are on. When you get used to it, you are fine. Another issue is about the other cars, the slow cars. They don’t really look in the mirrors, so it is quite dangerous. This is probably the biggest problem with all the drivers.”
Race
In the first 6 hours Ricardo led the race for 30 minutes only giving it up to a pit stop, Ricardo had this to say about the first part of the race...
“I had a lot of fun. It’s nice to drive here in Daytona. To say the truth, I learned the circuit really during the race because I did not have much time in the car. I crashed in practice so we lost a few days. The race was really nice. I’m enjoying it a lot. This is my first long endurance race. The other GT drivers were working very well and leaving good lines for me to go. There was no risk. The car is fantastic. It’s really good to drive. I didn’t push too hard. I was just safe and good.”
Regarding leading the race at Daytona: “When you are at the top, it is nice. I think it is still a long race to go. Anything can happen. For our part of the team, we are very happy. No problems. The car was very good. The tires are working very well as well”.
Ricardo came back behind the wheel just before midnight, but suffered a tire failure, possibly a puncture, less than an hour later. The failure made him spin and hit the wall, causing some body damage to the right side of the car.
Ricardo had this to say:
“It was not easy. I had a big tire problem. It exploded next to the banking and I did a crash there. I lost a lot of time because, of that as well, so it was not really a very good stint.”
End Result
Ricardo, Nic, And Darren managed to bring the 76 car home in 4th position, a great result for the guys and Krohn racing, just one place short of a podium but gives the guys great optimism for the rest of the season! Ricardo had this to say....
“I started the weekend with some apprehension. I had an accident here at the testing and did not get that much practice in the car. I learned the circuit really during the race. I enjoyed myself a lot. It was not as bad as we thought because the GT drivers worked really well and left us good lines so there was not the risk we thought. The car was also very good to drive.”