Motorsport: Start of the season for Simona de Silvestro
MOTORSPORT This weekend marks the start of a new chapter in Simona de Silvestro's career. In Adelaide, she will contest her first two touring car races in the Australian Supercars Championship. Almost everything she has to do and had to learn anew so far. Simona de Silvestro has been in Australia for exactly one month now, in order to establish herself as a professional racer in her new home [...]
Simona de Silvestro has been in Australia for exactly one month to acclimatize to her new home as a professional racer. She has taken up residence in Melbourne, which is also home to her Kelly Racing team. The brothers Rick and Todd Kelly, who also drive themselves, are supported by Nissan Motorsport (Nismo). For Simona, Michael Caruso and themselves, the Kellys and their team field a total of four Nissan Altima V8s in the Virgin Supercars Championship.
This is the most popular racing series in Australia and New Zealand. This is contested against 650 hp 5-liter V8 touring cars of the type Ford Falcon, Holden VF Commodore and Nissan Altima. Mercedes-Benz AMG C63 and Volvo S60 would also be eligible, but are not yet in the 2017 field.
The first race of the 2017 season takes place this weekend in Adelaide. The last time the Australian Grand Prix was held on the now 3.22km street circuit was in 1995. Since 1999, the V8 Supercars have been the main attraction there. Three weeks later, the touring car cracks will then be guests at this year's Formula 1 season opener in Melbourne.
Simona de Silvestro is the first woman in four decades to be given a regular place. This is secured for her by the race series organizers, the South Australia Tourism Authority and a major sponsor. They are all hoping that the entry of a woman in this male bastion will attract increased interest from sections of the population and the media that are otherwise not so keen on motorsport. For Nissan, she will also act as a brand ambassador.
For the time being, however, no one should expect miracles. Her experience with these touring cars is limited to the Bathurst endurance race in 2015 and 2016 and the pre-season test in Sydney. In addition, she is the only rookie in the 26-strong field alongside Alex Rullo, who is only 16.
Simona de Silvestro: "I feel like I have to relearn everything. I have to get used to a completely different driving style than I did with the IndyCars or Formula E. I'm not used to it anymore. My previous mechanisms are no longer useful. I got along pretty well with the harder tires in the tests, but I haven't gotten everything out of the soft tires yet. With this weight (over 1400 kg including the driver) and so much power, you have to be careful not to ruin the tires too quickly. The cars themselves are very fast and cool to drive."
The first two races in Adelaide will be over 250 km each. This is a special challenge at the start of the season, as it's not just pure speed that counts, but above all concentration over the full distance. If you make a big mistake and go too hard, you lose. However, Simona is familiar with such street circuits between concrete walls from many US races in the Formula Atlantic and IndyCar series. Since she doesn't know the drivers and their behavior on the track, nor most of the circuits, the Swiss doesn't have high expectations yet.
Simona de Silvestro: "I want to see what happens in the first races. In the previous racing series I was always able to compare myself with well-known drivers, but here I have no clues. I'm not used to the door-to-door battles and jostling that occur in touring car racing. That's why I only set my goals after some time."
In any case, as the only European in the field of Aussies and Kiwis, she expects no female bonus.
Simona de Silvestro: "I've never had that one. I think there are quite a few machos driving around, racing at the limit... But it's certainly fun. My first race will certainly be interesting and intense."
