TCR World and life

15 “There is no doubt that the WTCR is living through a period of uncertainty, caused not only by the Coronavirus. The pandemic will require a reshuffle of the calendar and a review of some things, but it is also clear that after two seasons of booming success and great, exciting racing, the series is now facing a pause in its growth. It is always easy, a ‘posteriori’, to say this or that about the BoP or the escalation of costs because of constructors’ involvement. Now, what is needed is a vision for the future that can be appealing to both manufacturers and teams, and maybe there we could have a look at the WRC model, also taking into account the new scenario that will emerge from the Covid-19 crisis. It is not the first time that this happens in Touring Car racing, and I am not pessimistic. Every moment of this kind also entails new opportunities.” You haven’t had many testing opportunities during the winter, but what is your first impression of the 2020 Hyundai i30N? “Clearly, the car is the same, with some developments in the set-up, but there will be two major novelties for everybody this year: the new Goodyear tyres and the new Magneti Marelli ECU. I can’t stress how crucial these two elements are: the ECU is the heart of the engine and tyres are key in dynamic behaviour, and really different from what we were used to, as I have experienced in the tests. I am sure that this year we will have a completely different playing field because of these two factors.” This sounds promising… “Definitely. I think we will see great and close racing once again, like we have had in the last two years, but we will also have some surprises. What I can say is that I am extremely motivated. My hunger for winning hasn’t changed!”