Karen Gaillard: Off to a new adventure 🎥
PREMIERE IN DUBAI On Sunday, Karen Gaillard travels to her biggest racing event to date. In Dubai, the winner of the 2019 Young Driver Challenge will start her first 24-hour race in a GT prototype. On her Youtube channel, which went online on January 6, Karen Gaillard was the first to post a short film of the December event with the Vortex Light in Le Castellet [...]
On her YouTube channel, which went online on January 6, Karen Gaillard was the first to post a short film of the December mission with the Vortex Light in Le Castellet.
It was only on December 13 that Karen Gaillard contested her final race of the year at Le Castellet's Circuit Paul Ricard as part of the FFSA Roscar GT Challenge. At the same time, in a career that began two years ago, it was the first with the most powerful race car to date that the 18-year-old from Freiburg will pilot in the coming season - starting on January 15/16 at the Dubai 24 Hours.
December foretaste
In the traditional opening race to the intercontinental 24H Series, the winner of the 2019 Young Driver Challenge will take turns at the wheel of the Vortex GC10 V8 with three Frenchmen. This is a French-built GT prototype with a tube-frame chassis, 6.2-liter engine from Corvette, racing ABS and traction control.
Karen Gaillard: "Previously, I drove a few Ultimate Cup races with the weaker Vortex Light. I got on very well with the bigger car right away. It's mega cool to have a lot of power and aerodynamics as well as driving aids at my disposal for once."
Everything new in Dubai
With third place in class, the V8 debut ended appealingly, although much more would have been possible due to the significantly faster lap times than the Porsche GT3 Cup ahead.
In the 24H Series, the car will be assigned to the GTX group, in which three Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo will be the opponents of Vortex SAS. Everything will be new for the Swiss: country, people, race track, opponents and also driving at night.
Karen Gaillard: "At an Ultimate Cup race in Magny-Cours, the finish was in the dark. The driving worked out well, but in Dubai it will certainly be a different story. In addition, I've never competed in such a big and long race. My two 12-hour races with the Cupra TCR from Topcar Sport were interrupted in the evening and finished the next day. So everything will be a new experience for me."
Focus on France
Karen has largely fixed her further program. With Vortex, the winner of the Filière Endurance 2020 in France (AutoSprintCH reported) will compete in the Ultimate Cup Series 2021. This has been organized by the French for two years under the auspices of Auto Sport Schweiz.
At six events - five in France, one in Aragon/Spain - it will compete with team partners in the GT Endurance Series field, as it did occasionally in 2020. This year, however, with the powerful Vortex V8.
In six more race weekends, she will compete solo in the Sprint Cup by Funyo Automobiles as part of the Championnat de France FFSA in two 20-minute short races each with the small Funyo unit sports car. This constant alternation between sprint and endurance races, and from the small to the large sports car, should help her progress as a racer.
Everything revolves around cars
With 13 fixed race weekends so far, with long journeys, preparations, fitness training, sponsor care and much more that such a program entails, there would not be much left for her skilled profession. Therefore, after completing her training as a nurse, she swapped her white coat for mechanic's gear.
At home in Pont-la-Ville above Lake Gruyère, she now works in her father Eric Gaillard's garage. The change of industry has another advantage for her.
Karen Gaillard: "When you drive fast, it's important to know how everything works. That's why you should also understand the technology, which I'm now learning with Dad. Now that I'm a trained nurse, I can still get involved later."
