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Insight - JMW Motorsport
“But on the other hand, Michelin have been a fantastic competitor of ours for the last six years, so we know how good their products are. I’ve driven on Michelins in the past and when we were looking for an alternative, Michelin are clearly the first person you want to speak to, because you always know they’re doing to be very good in all conditions.”
So what do the drivers make of it?
“The tyres work really well with the Ferrari and fortunately everyone’s in the same boat,” said former Blancpain racer Dan McKenzie, whose previous experience is with Pirellis. “I did a stint and a half with tyres that almost were finished after qualifying; they’d already done a heat cycle and had a few flat-spots, so they were taking a real battering, but I was really impressed with them.”
said former Blancpain racer Dan McKenzie, whose previous experience is with Pirellis. “I did a stint and a half with tyres that almost were finished after qualifying; they’d already done a heat cycle and had a few flat-spots, so they were taking a real battering, but I was really impressed with them.”
The JMW Ferrari showed good speed through winter testing and translated that pace to Silverstone, with former Italian F3 champion Daniel Zampieri qualifying on the front row of the grid and McKenzie leading in the early stages, although a jump-start penalty and an unfortunately timed safety car limited them to an eventual fifth at the flag. Such disappointments are part and parcel of racing, as Sugden is well aware.
“We’re going to have some really tight races this year because every team has some very good drivers,” says Sugden. “We will always have a strong car I’m sure and we’re definitely in there with a shout, but every race is going to be hard. The races are becoming more and more about sprints; a lot is going to boil down to very small differences and individual performances, so it’s going to be tight. There will be days when you are competing for the win and others where you’ll be fifth.”
Drivers then, can make all the difference and McKenzie is hopeful that a strong showing so early on will bode well for the rest of the season.
“It’s a massive learning curve for me, as this is only my fifth race in GT's full stop,” he said. “I’m always picking up little bits here and there and that should make me a driver that will progress in the championship, so hopefully I’ll be stronger as the year goes on. I’ve learned a huge amount today and even though we didn’t get the result, the fact that