TCR World and life

20 INTERVIEW I can’twaittogo racingagain! KIRILL LADYGIN LEADS THE LADA SPORT ROSNEFT TEAM IN 2020 The start of the 2020 season for the TCR Russia championship has been shifted from spring to summer because of the coronavirus pandemic. However, many drivers and their teams continue to prepare for the start of the competition. Among them is the leader of the LADA Sport ROSNEFT team, Kirill Ladygin, who finished last season as the vice-champion at the wheel of his LADA Vesta Sport TCR. Six months have passed since the end of the 2019 season. What have you been doing during all this time? “After the end of the championship we were actively preparing for the winter season and its main event: our traditional Race of Champions. We prepared cars and trained on the ice surface. I managed to prepare well and eventually won that race. Then we went with friends to the mountains; I’m fond of snowboarding and it was an opportunity finally to have fun and relax. Well, now, like everyone else, we live in self-isolation mode; I stay at home with my family and try to spend the time usefully. I do some housework and train more often on the e-race simulator. Of course, I also try to keep myself in good physical shape; I have a treadmill on which I run daily. Not so long ago, I took part in the LADA Sport ROSNEFT e-race together with other drivers of the Russian series.” In 2019 you managed to become the vice-champion of TCR Russia. So far, this was the best achievement for a driver competing with the LADA Vesta Sport TCR. How was it possible to achieve this result? “We have a very experienced team. And I have a lot of experience in various competitions, including at international level. The Vesta Sport TCR was in its third TCR Russia season and during all this time we have constantly improved not only our skills, but also our cars. Now they are definitely faster and more reliable than during their maiden appearance in 2017.” Last year the significant improvements to the car included changing the engine and designing a new rear suspension. How much have these enhanced the performance? “The switch to the new engine had a very positive impact on the car's reliability. But it also revealed its own peculiarities. For example, we noted that the new engine was much more efficient in cool weather than in hot. The rear suspension didn't increase the speed, but provided us with a wider range of opportunities to fine-tune the car. On the other hand, the configuration process has become more complicated and you should spend more time on it.”