Young Driver Challenge: Good race debut of the first finalist
YOUNG DRIVER CHALLENGE On the first weekend in August, a dream came true for Gustavo Xavier. As the first of the three finalists in the "AutoScout24 Young Driver Challenge powered by SEAT", the Zurich native contested a race for the ADAC TCR Germany at the Nürburgring. After regional and national eliminations, test drives and a licensed course, it was on the weekend of August 5/6 at [...]
After regional and national eliminations, test drives and a licensed course, the time had come on the weekend of August 5/6 at the Nürburgring. Gustavo Xavier, the first of the three finalists chosen from a total of 1250 candidates for the "AutoScout24 Young Driver Challenge powered by SEAT," made his racing debut in the ADAC TCR Germany at the Nürburgring.
The Zurich native with Brazilian roots, who turned 21 this weekend, drove a Seat Leon TCR perfectly prepared by Topcar Motorsport from Uetendorf. After test drives on Thursday, the first direct comparison with the competition took place in free practice on Friday. As in all TCR championships worldwide, the German series uses touring cars with around 350 hp, two-liter turbo engines and front-wheel drive.
Considering the experienced competition, it was not surprising that the newcomer's lap times placed him last on the list of 39 (!) names in each case - but his ranking looked much better in the two races.
In the first race over half an hour, Xavier saw the chequered flag in 30th position on Saturday, and in the second race on Sunday even in 25th position. His regular driving style and numerous incidents, which caused several yellow phases, had flushed him so far forward that it was even almost enough for points (for the top 20).
From an initial gap of 7.24 seconds to the fastest time in the first free practice session, the young driver improved to a 2.5-second gap to the pole setter in qualifying and from the fastest lap time from the first to the second race from 3.9 to 2.6 seconds. That's something to be proud of.
The young drivers are accompanied and coached by professional racing driver Fredy Barth. Gustavo Xavier described how he felt about his first race weekend in an interview after Sunday's second race:
Who puts themselves in the best light?
The sponsorship project for young racing drivers launched by AutoScout24 together with SEAT Switzerland continues in mid-September. From September 15 to 17, Oliver Holdener (Bennau) must or may prove himself as the second finalist at the Sachsenring. Orhan Vouilloz (Chardonne) will be the third finalist at the ADAC motorsport finals at the Hockenheimring from September 22 to 24.
The performances of the three "Young Drivers" are compared and critically evaluated by racing professionals and AutoScout24 brand ambassadors Fredy Barth and Nico Müller. If one of the three finalists stands out with above-average performance and brings the unconditional passion and willingness for car racing, AutoScout24 and SEAT Switzerland will enable further involvement in the 2018 racing season with financial and advisory support.
www.autoscout24.ch/ydchallenge
