Craft-Bamboo Racing CEO Richard Coleman has criticised the ‘galling’ weight difference between the team’s SEAT León and the newer Volkswagen Golf TCR cars, after the SEATs failed to take a win for the second successive meeting.
Lead driver Pepe Oriola headed into the Italian weekend with a slender two point advantage over team-mate James Nash in the drivers’ championship standings.
Whilst the Spaniard has in fact managed to open up a 15-point lead over Leopard Racing’s Stefano Comini after the latest race weekend, courtesy of a stoic drive to second in race one and a fifth in race two, Coleman continued to be unimpressed with the difference in weight handed to his team.
Not only have the Gold TCR cars driven by Comini et al been given a 40 kg weight break, but with Oriola having an additional 20 kg of success ballast for his efforts at Spa, the weight gap was notable for the Imola races.
Coleman’s mood wasn’t helped by an engine failure on Nash’s car which forced him out of both races, whilst the third SEAT of Sergey Afanasyev suffered a broken driveshaft at the start of race two.
“A race weekend of ups and downs,” summarised Coleman. “There were a lot of challenges with the timetable being compressed to just one day.
“I am pleased with Pepe who had a strong weekend from beginning to end, his qualifying lap was about as good as I have ever seen from him. If it wasn’t for that 20kg of success ballast I am sure it would have been pole.
“A tough weekend for Sergey and particularly for James but I am sure that the drivers and the team will bounce back from this disappointment.
“It is also still galling to see the VW 60 kg lighter than Pepe, there is just nothing we can do towards the end of the race given that the lighter VW is so kind to its tyres and brakes. I am hoping that this will be addressed for the next race.”
Oriola himself remained positive, despite the difference in weight, having extended his points lead and stayed out of trouble in two action-packed races.
“I’m a little bit disappointed with the race two result as I lost my podium position and a lot more points,” said Oriola. “But it was still really lucky because I wasn’t involved in any incidents and I was able to finish both races. I am now leading with 15 points and I hope to do well at the Salzburgring, so my championship is going the right way.
“In the second [race] the difference of 60 kilos between the SEAT León TCR and the Volkswagen was important in the final laps. It has been a very intense day, with no time to rest, but I leave Imola with a larger lead.”