Countdown to the Continental Monterey Grand Prix
Transcript
00:00 [Music]
00:15 We're in the final countdown here in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship
00:18 and that means the pressure is rising for everybody,
00:22 whether you're the driver, the mechanic, the team or the manufacturer.
00:26 So what does it mean to win a championship?
00:28 Is it all about individual race wins?
00:30 Is it about conserving the equipment, just getting points?
00:33 To find out, I thought let's go and talk with the respective class leaders in GTD and GTLM
00:39 and find out how they're treating these final two races.
00:42 [Music]
00:44 When it comes to GTLM driving, a good place to start is always with Corvette
00:47 and we're one of the superstars of the number three car, Antonio Garcia.
00:51 Antonio, at this time of the year, so close to the end of the championship,
00:55 how do you, how does the team approach these last couple of races?
00:59 I think we just need to keep focused and do our thing the best way we can.
01:05 I mean for sure you think about the championship more than just the single race result.
01:10 I mean if you start thinking too much about the championship,
01:12 that may go against you on the overall result anyway.
01:16 So you just need to forget about a little bit of that.
01:19 Again, you really need to be aggressive.
01:21 Who is your greatest competition? Are they all the competition?
01:24 All the GT field has been very competitive and very close to each other.
01:28 Every single race maybe is one team that doesn't have quite the pace,
01:32 but we saw everybody is able to win races here,
01:35 so who knows who will be competitive in the next races.
01:38 [Music]
01:40 Now over in GTD, it's all about consistency as the key to getting to the top of the championship leader points.
01:47 And Christina Nielsen in the 63 Ferrari, you've really, you haven't topped the podium this year,
01:52 but you're topping the charts.
01:54 Does that mean you obviously want to race victory before the end of the season,
01:58 but you want the championship more? How do you deal with that?
02:00 You know, we have a pretty high podium finish rate.
02:04 Over 50% we got six podium finishes so far.
02:07 It really shows that consistency is the key.
02:09 That's why we're leading at the moment.
02:10 We had a rough start to the season with the DNF from a first place with two hours to go at Daytona.
02:15 That one looked to be our victory. We're still looking for it this year.
02:18 So hopefully we can score one at one of the last races. Petit would be the cherry on top.
02:23 But it is about winning the championship, and if that means giving up one or two positions
02:28 to maintain the points lead and not risking it, it's worth it, I would say,
02:32 because nobody remembers one victory. Everybody remembers a champion.
02:35 [Music]
02:37 You've got to keep the motivation as we are going to win in whatever form that victory comes.
02:43 How do you extend that across all the team?
02:45 As a driver, it's very important that the team play off you, don't they?
02:48 Yeah, for sure. I mean, Scuderia Corsa and working with Alabao San, it's just a great dynamic.
02:53 They're very relaxed. We enjoy it. We have fun. That's why we're here. We enjoy what we do.
02:58 And to be honest, last year, the time where I really felt like I was under pressure was
03:02 when they told me, "You've got two laps to go."
03:04 And I knew when I finished those two laps, we would have won the championship.
03:08 So that was the first time I really felt like, "Okay, don't put it off. Don't put a wheel off."
03:12 But now, we're still fighting. It's still game on.
03:15 I think our force is that we never underestimate anything or anyone,
03:18 and we just keep our heads down and do the best that we can do.
03:21 [Music]
03:23 Well, there you have it. If you want to be the team that wins in any category,
03:27 the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship,
03:29 you better have the perfect balance of preparation, performance, patience, and aggression.
03:35 [Music]
03:38 [Music]