Drivers’ quotes after the Qualifying session
Jaap van Lagen (pole position): “We are happy, because it was a difficult session with the grip changing on every lap. We started with slicks at the front and rain at the rear. It was the right choice at the beginning, but then we went for a full slick configuration. We managed to improve throughout the session and the end we were one second faster than the rest of the field. It looks like we’ll have a dry track in the first part of the race, but then is likely that there will be rain showers from Sunday morning. I’m comfortable in the wet, I did P1 in yesterday’s rainy night practice, but my teammates are less comfortable than me and so we’ll let them doing more laps in the first half of the race.”
Rik Breukers (second): “I’m very happy with P2. I think the team did a great job, because we find something wrong in the car this morning and it took long time to repair it, which meant we missed the first half of the Qualifying. Then we went out on four slicks that was a bit of a gamble, but in the end it paid off. Unfortunately we made a mistake in calculating the fuel level and so during my fastest lap I lost a little bit because the engine misfired at some point.”
Rory Pettinen (third): “We had a pretty good strategy for the tyres, but in the end we should have pitted one lap earlier to put new slicks at the rear and have enough time to bring them to the right temperature. I was able to do a good lap, but I could have been quicker if the rear tyres were on the right temperature. It was a lottery, we made the good decisions but we could have been on pole position if we had pitted one lap later. But we are confident for the race, because the car is handling really well.”
Charles Espenlaub (fourth): “The guys were working well and the car was really good. We were also a bit lucky with the weather as the track dried up towards the end of the session, because I had raced at Spa before, but never in the rain. I was happy with the result, I think we are in a good position for the race. My co-drivers are very good and we form a good team, well balanced and experienced in the long distance races.”
Julien Briché (eighth): “The Qualifying went well. We are happy even if we came back to the pit a bit too early before the end, just when the track was drying. It’s the first time we drive the 308 TCR in a long distance race and with the ABS. This means the car is heavier and slower on a single lap, but for sure having the ABS in such a long race with uncertain weather conditions will make us more comfortable. The race will be long, we know the car is reliable, but then all will be up to the strategy, choosing the right moments for pitting and changing the tyres.”
