Oleksandr Gaidai

 

The first PCCI test day at Imola is over. Come Ledogar demonstrated the second time result, 0.038 second after Riccardo Agostini. Oleksandr Gaidai has the 4th position according to the results of the first day. It's 0.674 second after the leader. At this both pilots were demonstrating the best times within the whole day. In brief, the day was successful. But we have to say that it was very intense...

 

O.Gaidai: "It was wet in the morning. It began to dry up about 2 p.m. and we changed the tyres to slick; the only wet area was the artificial grass beyond the asphalt. There were many red flags and many drivers flew out.


When I entered the track on the new tires, there was a lot of gravel dissipated and I lost 0.1 – 0.2 second there. I think that I could have 1:47.1 – 1:47.0 (and had only 1:47.346) time result. It was achievable, but not better.

 

 

To be honest, I was driving at the end of tether on the wet track today. And after the change to slick something was going wrong all the time. Firstly, there was a runlet in one place that impeded to use the grip of the new tires. People started to slide, fly off to the backyards, and it was clear that there was no possibility to improve the results. Then there was a red flag, later it became wet... First and last, I didn't manage to use the first kit of tires as I planned to.


But we are to go to Le Mans with this car in three days, so I hadn't the task to make the car completely inoperable. In general, we didn't break anything and had a good result, because it was not a race, it was an adjustment to understand where we were.

 

I was glad that the people who were my competitors last year were now driving behind me. Agostini is a very fast pilot, the one who won Formula 3, so it is the good motivation for Come too. And I want to take my lead from Giraudi, it will be rather important marker. Last year he was the third, and I was pursuing them being outside the qualification. And if I am able to pursue him in the qualification, the season will be completely different, because one thing is to start from 6-8th position and the other – from 3rd or 4th. If you start 3rd, there are two cars ahead. And they won't hit each other. And when you start from 6th or 7th position, this situation is possible, as from 4th and 5th: somebody pulled up sharply, somebody didn't, and you are hit among them. It's better to start not further than the second line. You can also start from the third one, but it will move you away from the possibility to compete for top-3.

 

Turning to today, it became clear by the evening that there were 5-6 drivers to compete for top-3 in the season. It is crystal clear that the two pilots drive faster than the others – these are Come Ledogar and Agostini."

 

 

C.Ledogar: "It was a good day, but I'm not surprised: I've already had the possibility to repeatedly observe how the Tsunami RT team has been working. Its efficiency and competence are not new for me. We know what can be improved and know how to do that.


I'm quite happy with my driving: it was wet in the morning, and the track dried on in the afternoon, but I was not driving on the new tires, and it's a good result for these tires.


I haven't puzzled out yet, who is my main competitor. I don't know Italian pilots yet, and we were so good today that I didn't understand who is the driver I would have to pay attention on during the first PCCI round. Maybe I'll be able to tell that tomorrow or a few days later. "

 

 

 O.Gaidai: "Of course it's good that I have a teammate who is faster than me and whom I can take cue from. I drove alone the previous years. It's very hard during the racing weekend, because everybody improves his results, and you can take cue only from yourself, and it's hard to understand where it is possible to drive faster. And now I start to hurry myself a little bit and understand that I can drive faster. And I drive faster, sometimes moving beyond your abilities.


Tomorrow it will be another practice day. Our "French" car with which I participate the PCCF, will have already departed to Le mane, so we will have to share the "Italian" one".

 

 

It was a good day, but I'm not surprised: I've already had the possibility to repeatedly observe how the Tsunami RT team has been working. It's efficiency and competence are not new for me. We know what can be improved and know how to do that.