Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Pepe Oriola is ‘really worried’ about recurring poor starts in the TCR International Series, after the Spaniard failed to capitalise on his front-row grid position in the first race at Spa-Francorchamps.
Oriola started the race alongside fellow SEAT racer Dušan Borković, but with the duo both getting poor starts in their León TCR cars, Honda driver Aku Pellinen was able to take the lead before the first turn.
Oriola then passed Borković for second further around the opening lap, but was unable to significantly close on Pellinen until the end of the race, by which time he opted to settle for second rather than make a risk last-ditch manoeuvre at the final corner.
“I’m happy, but I’m really worried about the starts,” said Oriola to TouringCars.Net. “I also had a poor start in race one in Estoril, and I don’t know what happened when I put down the power, it was just down on revs.
“It’s a pity because Dušan had the same as me, and if I had a good start I would have been leading and would probably have won the race. The Honda was good at the beginning but at the end I was faster.”
Despite failing to take a potential win, Oriola was happy to keep amassing crucial points and avoid taking unnecessary risks, with his third podium of the year moving him to within two points of championship leader Morbidelli.
“I was not going to risk it in the last corner to try to pass him [Pellinen], but yes we have to work on the start – it’s a big problem and I don’t know what’s happening. If we can solve that we can do a good job tomorrow, and in the end what I need is to lead the championship on Sunday, so tomorrow I need to finish in front of Gianni [Morbidelli].
“I’m happy with the result, the car was really good in the middle and the end of the race. At the beginning he [Aku] had a really good first lap, so I guess they had higher pressures or something.”