Auto Racing Digest
  • last year
Transcript
00:00All right, so we're here in the Era Motorsports Hauler with Stuart Wiltshire, and for people
00:05who are familiar with that name a little bit, he got a chance to race in IMSA this season
00:10for the first time in his career.
00:12But he's been obviously known to run with Era in the historic sports car races that
00:16they do.
00:17Obviously, he's here at HSR this weekend as we are here at Daytona for the Classic 24.
00:22I know we obviously saw each other last year, so first off, it's great seeing you again,
00:26as always.
00:28Obviously, this is a great weekend.
00:30You get to run a bit of a different car this time.
00:32Last time you ran an LMP2 car, this time you're running the Acura DPI from Wayne Taylor Racing.
00:37So how cool is it to be in this car, and what has kind of been the biggest difference going
00:40from the LMP2 to now racing in this DPI car?
00:43I can imagine it's definitely, technologically, it's a lot different.
00:47Dylan, thank you for having me.
00:5112 months on, we were racing the number 18, or 17 I think we took, the spare car for Era,
00:58just to have a bit of fun.
01:01But I invested last year when I heard that the Acuras were up for sale.
01:08And the first time we actually got a run out in the Acura was at Seabury last year.
01:15But what's the difference between the two cars?
01:18They're identical chassis.
01:20They're offensively the LMP2 Orica.
01:24But they have improved in many, many locations.
01:30Damping, engine, so many improvements there.
01:35We call it a P2 on steroids.
01:38That's the handle that it's got.
01:41But it's a wonderful car.
01:42It's probably, I've driven some wonderful cars, some real good cars,
01:47but it's probably the best car I've driven.
01:49There's a little bit of backstory with that car too.
01:51It's got a lot of history.
01:52It's won the Rolex 24, if I'm not mistaken, a few years ago.
01:55So can you talk a little bit about that?
01:57And just being able to bring this car back to Daytona.
02:00Not only that, the number 18 is here from earlier this year, which won the Rolex 24 as well.
02:04So a lot of history is right across from us here in the garage.
02:09I think if you look at the DPI, it's turned up here this weekend.
02:14Is it six?
02:15It's 16 guys, isn't it?
02:17It's such a wonderful group.
02:19It's such a, to be able to reenact history.
02:25But in fairness, these were current last year, was it?
02:28Or the year before?
02:29Yeah.
02:31Yeah, they were current last year.
02:33They did the Glen last year.
02:35And then they were put away.
02:38To be part of it, it's just a privilege.
02:41Myself and Richard Bradley, who is known as my driver coach,
02:49we decided that we were going to enter a few more races this weekend.
02:52So we're going to do the sprint races and the endurance and share some of the driving.
02:58So it's just a privilege to be here.
03:02Absolutely.
03:03And then talking about, obviously, this year, earlier in 2024, you got a chance to race,
03:08to make your IMSA debut at Mose Four.
03:10We talked a little bit about that before we started the recording.
03:13How did that deal come about?
03:15I know Dwight had stepped aside for a bit, and then obviously you were able to step in.
03:20But when you were able to find out the news that you got the opportunity to be able to ride in the LMP2 car,
03:25what was your first initial thoughts?
03:27And then getting to the track, I imagine there was probably a lot of maybe butterflies potentially running through.
03:32But what was just that kind of experience like in that first chance to step in the LMP2 car?
03:36I keep in touch with Kyle from ERA all of the time.
03:42We're good buddies.
03:44And an opportunity came up, I'm going to say a month or two before Mose Four actually became reality.
03:52And he said to me, do you fancy doing the sprint races?
03:55And after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, we agreed.
04:00We decided that we'd do Mose Four and Road America, the two sprints.
04:05And I turned up at the end of July to a circuit that I'd never been to,
04:12to an environment that is proper, I'm going to say, shark tank environment.
04:18And yeah, trepidation, anxiety, stress.
04:26People say as long as you're enjoying it.
04:29I don't enjoy one little bit of that.
04:32But what I can tell you is that from the day we went testing,
04:37so I think about two weeks before the race we'd done some testing,
04:40I could not breathe.
04:43I was that unfit.
04:44It was the first time I'd been in the car since I think it was December last year.
04:48First time in the car, I hadn't really done a lot of keeping fit.
04:52I jumped in the car there and after 20 minutes I was cooked.
04:57I got out of the car, I went home to the UK.
05:01I went into the gym every day for two weeks and I came back to Musball
05:06and I had the most wonderful time.
05:08Things worked for me.
05:10I got to grips with the circuit.
05:12I got close enough to the pro, which was always almost my main goal,
05:18and I kept it out of trouble.
05:20I delivered the car back on the lead lap, perhaps a bit fortunately,
05:26but I delivered it back on the lead lap
05:29and Ryan Diao was able to bring the car back.
05:35Within 20 minutes, he was P4.
05:40Unfortunately, he had an altercation with one of the back markers,
05:44I think everyone knows Rexy, in the wall with 20 minutes to go
05:48and we had a bit of a poor finish.
05:53Moving on to Road America, I was insistent on testing.
05:58We did a two-day test at Road America.
06:00I knew that the more time I could spend in the car, the better.
06:06The cool thing was, the first day on Road America,
06:10I was within two and a half seconds of the pro, Ryan,
06:14and absolutely buzzing.
06:17For half of the lap, I was almost matching.
06:21I was only a few tenths down.
06:23Unfortunately, when we came back for the race,
06:27I couldn't find that form in the car.
06:29I really struggled with the car itself and I didn't have a great race.
06:34I did deliver the car back on the lead lap, again through Fulcher,
06:38and we did finish P4, but I really didn't enjoy the experience.
06:44The car was outside of the window that I could actually drive it,
06:48and that was my experience.
06:50What was the biggest challenge adapting to IMSA racing?
06:54I know the fields are definitely sizable now
06:57and that could create for a bit of traffic.
07:00It's definitely a big factor in the race.
07:02What was that big challenge in adapting to IMSA-style racing?
07:05Traffic management, I think, is the key to anything.
07:08I think you need a degree of experience, special awareness.
07:12There's a lot of things that you need for that.
07:14I'm not going to say that I am the quickest through traffic,
07:19but certainly for the first couple of races,
07:22I am decisive.
07:25I had no issues other than the GTs.
07:31To be fair, the reason I'm not doing IMSA,
07:34one of the reasons is the car is too close to the GTs.
07:39It makes overtaking them so difficult.
07:43We've got no performance advantage down the straights,
07:46so it leads to a heightened risk of touching.
07:52I saw this.
07:54If I dived into a GT into a corner, it pushed me out of the corner.
08:00If I got side-by-side and they weren't comfortable,
08:03they'd push you off the track.
08:05I had this.
08:06To begin with, I felt, why are they wheel-banging?
08:12After a while, I laughed about it.
08:15It became an experience.
08:19Luckily enough, there was no damage.
08:22Luckily enough, there were no hard feelings about any of it.
08:26But I did find that driving a P2 in IMSA
08:32has a heightened risk to damage because of the closeness in performance.
08:38That's ultimately what deterred me from doing the 2025 season with Cobb.
08:46He did offer me a seat as the bronze for 2025,
08:52but unfortunately, I've made my mind up on that.
08:55How important was Ryan in that process?
08:58Ryan was a wonderful guy.
09:01Unfortunately, he's Scottish, so we had language barriers.
09:07But after I had a phrasebook, we could work out.
09:15With my broken Scottish, I could understand that he was wonderful.
09:19He's such a cool guy.
09:22I think he was keen to meet you for a chat as well.
09:28He made my experience so much better with Ira.
09:34This team, if I can just say, it's a family.
09:42Obviously, you've got Sarah and Kyle.
09:45I think he likes to be called Kylie.
09:49That's a first.
09:51It is.
09:53It's such a wonderful team.
09:55I feel immersed.
09:57I feel welcome.
09:58I feel part of the team.
10:01When you've got that experience, you just want to do well for the team.
10:07Going back to the IMSA experience, I felt so much responsibility on my shoulders.
10:13I've never felt that.
10:14I just drive myself in HSR or any of the other master stuff that I do.
10:18But I had such a responsibility for the team.
10:21There's 20 people all burning eyes into every movement you do.
10:28It wasn't fun.
10:32It wasn't fun.
10:33But it was an experience that I'm pretty sure I'll come back to.
10:37What is it about racing at Daytona that makes it special?
10:40This track is just so interesting.
10:42It's different.
10:43I'm going to start off with the external.
10:45P.F. Changs.
10:47P.F. Changs is my go-to.
10:50We're at the Outback this evening.
10:52The surrounding area of Daytona is wonderful.
10:55The temperament, the weather, the location.
10:59I'm privileged again to be here.
11:02Daytona is a circuit.
11:05I'm not going to tell you.
11:07It's not up there in my top five circuits.
11:10It is a challenge.
11:12But ultimately, it's an oval with an infield.
11:15They tend just to be more like makeshift.
11:21We see it all over Europe.
11:23Mons is one of those where they're not purpose-built circuits.
11:27I like circuits that challenge and flow.
11:32Road America is probably one of those that does that, ticks that box.
11:37But Daytona is a spectacle.
11:39To come here with six DPIs, the camaraderie.
11:44Again, I said this when I was on the podium earlier today.
11:48Bob Neopole.
11:51I had a small off-road incident in practice yesterday and damaged my front wing.
12:00He was there.
12:02Bob, can I borrow your wing?
12:04No problem, sir.
12:05I'm so grateful for this camaraderie.
12:09Can you imagine one of the IMSA teams borrowing?
12:12They wouldn't lend them a nut.
12:15We're all like-minded people.
12:18I like fun inside and out of the car.
12:21I think the respect amongst the drivers here is wonderful.
12:25I love coming here.
12:26I'm going to miss Sebring this year because I promised my wife that I would take her to the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix.
12:34Unfortunately, I'm not going to hit Sebring.
12:37I've got a significant plan for next year, including the two IMSA sprint races.
12:43We've been discussing doing that with Ira.
12:46That's it, really.
12:50Awesome.
12:51Just to wrap it up, you mentioned about representing Ira and the family atmosphere that this team brings.
12:58How proud are you to be able to represent the team here this weekend?
13:03When I do well, the team is stoked.
13:07That fires me as well.
13:10To go out and deliver a result without having an accident or incident is such a wonderful thing.
13:17To see the smiles on everyone's faces, they are such great people.
13:24They've even got French people here.
13:26They've got French people.
13:27We've met a few of them.
13:29The good thing is that I speak many languages.
13:33I'm able to converse.
13:35I even think in French sometimes.
13:37You're not going to like this.
13:39I'm actually part Scottish.
13:40Me and Ryan come from the same cloth.
13:44I can understand you.
13:46I can't understand myself.
13:48Stuart, I just want to say thank you so much again for taking some time.
13:51I want to say congratulations for all the success you've had this season.
13:54I'm looking forward to seeing what's to come.
13:56Thank you, Devin.