Slovakia Ring Just Round Corner
After a thrilling race at the Paul Ricard racing circuit, France, the FIA ETCC championship is heading now for a racing circuit close to Orechová Potôň in Slovakia hosting another round, now for the third time, where the Křenek Motorsport team's pilots missed neither of them. Due to the absence of races in Brno, therefore no home event, the Slovak racing weekend is the one where a great deal of Petr Fulín and Michal Matějovský's fans and partners will come to see them. Naturally, the both pilots' aim in their BMW 320sis is nothing else but the podium finish to prove their roles of favourites in the S2000 category.
Petr Fulín: "I perceive Slovakia Ring as the most important racing weekend in the season. Because of the absence of Brno in this year's calendar of events, Slovakia Ring is actually our home event, where partners and fans are sure to be there. As to attendance and atmosphere, the weekends here are among the best in the season, therefore I'm really looking forward to the oncoming weekend. What awaits me is a fairly busy weekend in which different cars will be alternating. The Seat I'm gonna enter the WTCC in has a direct-shift gearbox and turbo besides the front-wheel drive. The clutch is not engaged while downshifting, therefore putting the brakes on is by the left feet. The technique of driving is different from that in BMW in the ETCC. Nevertheless, it's like that and there's nothing else to do but get to grips with that. Vice versa, I understand alternating cars as well as 42-kg-heavy weight, and perhaps wet races, as my personal challenge."
Michal Matějovský: "It's for the third time I've set off on the FIA ETCC in Slovakia, and for second with a rear-wheel-drive car with the Křenek Motorsport team. It's also the second championship event, and although I scored points and finished in fifth place in the first one on the Paul Ricard circuit in France two weeks ago, the points weren't as many as I had wanted to score due to the technical defect in the steering system in Race 2. Therefore scoring-point position on Slovakia Ring is hugely important for me. It's the track I know relatively well, and is a home one in a way. Many fans will come, I'm sure, therefore I'd like to get as best result as possible. The car suffered no damage on the wet track in France, is well fine-tuned, so I'm looking forward to the oncoming racing weekend very much."
Josef Křenek: "Slovakia Ring is our home race, and unlike the first one in France, we know the track very well. Although the circuit has undergone a change, lowering of the second horizon, this will hardly affect the car's adjustment. All team are gonna put in as best performance as possible, and I deeply believe that despite the weight handicap we're in with a fair chance of both drivers' podium finish."
The schedule of the racing weekend on the Slovakia Ring: Friday, 9th May, 10:20 a.m. - Test 1 - 60 min, 2:45 p.m. - Test 2 - 60 min.; Saturday, 10th May, 9:40 a.m. - free practice session - 30 min., 5:15 p.m. Qualifying Session - 30 min.; Sunday, 11th May, 9:55 a.m. - Race 1, 10:55 a.m. - Race 2.
The accompanying video looks back at Round 1 of the FIA ETCC 2014 in Le Castellet, France, for more information on the oncoming races on the Slovakia Rings click on www.ceskeokruhy.cz.
