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May 05, 2011
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The GPVWC Press Conference took place after the 2011 South African Grand Prix. Under the direction of Adam Smith, the top three classified drivers of the race were Lee Morris (ENG, Draig Racing), runner-up Jason Muscat (MLT, Red Archer VRT) and third placed Joe Consiglio (MLT, Nordsjoen Racing).
Q. I'm here with the top finishers, fresh off the tarmac at Kyalami. First today was Lee Morris of Draig Racing. Lee, 5 out of 5, talk us through your strategy today.
LM. Today we decided to try a 3 stop strategy in an attempt to catch the others out, as it turned out 2 and 3 stops were very close. With Jason Muscat driving a superb race yet again, I think 3 stops were quicker overall but we had some issues with pitstops and I had alot of fuel onboard for final stint which didn't help. We were a little caught out as this is the first time we ran 3 stops this season.
Q. The car is rumoured to be at the back of the grid in terms of upgrades, can you shed any light on whetherthis isaffecting you?
LM. This I didn't realise? I thought we were very close to the leaders in equipment terms. I know some teams have taken massive leap forwards, our car handles nice, it just seems at the end of the races people have a better pace than us which is strange. I will have to look into the upgrades to see if we are behind, but as for affecting me - I don't think so. We have a nice cushion now so we just have to defend, this season may look like it's over but it's far from it. If Jason keeps going how he is and with Joe always there we have to be careful.
Q. Jason Muscat of Red Archer Virtual was a very close second today. Jason, yet again we see you in a close battle with the championship leader. What was going through your mind when you caught him with 6 laps to go?
JM. Yeah, I was pushing very hard in the last stint, I noticed Lee was struggling and I tried to get him and try to lead him to make some sort of mistake. I knew it would be very hard to overtake around here but I had to try. Then on the last 3 laps my tyres where totally worn out and had to back-off and settle for second.
Q. How happy are you with the car at this stage in the season, considering you're able to battle with Lee who's proven he's dominant?
JM. I'll rate it 10 out of 10, it's handling exactly as I want it. Can't be any better.
Q. What's your current plan as we enter the middle of the season, considering your latest performances?
JM. Keep doing what I'm doing and try to make a win stick next time round.
Q. Alright Jason, Thanks alot, great show tonight. Finally, we have Joe Consiglio for Nordsjeon. Joe, I'd describe your race as unlucky, would you agree?
JC. I guess I was abit unlucky but in all honesty I didn't quite have the pace of Lee or Jason today. We made a mistake putting Softs on the car in the first stint and as a result my laptimes really suffered. I had a good little fight with Jason in the opening laps but I knew it was only a matter of time before he got past, like I said my pace was awful at that stage of the race. For my 2nd and 3rd stints we put Super Softs on the car and my laptimes definitely improved. I was about 3 seconds away from Jason in 2nd but I was really pushing like hell just to match him. I think I was simply pushing too hard because mid-way through the race I span underbraking and lost about 4 seconds. At that point I should have eased off but I kept pushing. After my 2nd and final pitstop I spun again and this time damaged my front wing. It happened at turn 2 so I had to do a full lap at low speed to get back to the pits. After that I emerged in 6th and when things played out I found myself only 4 seconds ahead of Ojay. After some time to settle I managed to extend that gap to over 12 seconds and come home in 3rd place. I think overall I was quite lucky to get the podium today, so I guess we'll just take the points and move onto the next one.
Q. You've had a relatively mediocre season so far so an ex world champion, what do you personally think is lacking from your outfit?
JC. Well I would hardly call it a mediocre season, 3 poles, 3 podiums but I guess you're referring to the lack of wins so far. The great thing about this league is that it's not only the driver that determines the results. Development, engine and resources all play a massive role and sometimes it's not possible to maintain such a high standard. The competition is so close that you can easily slip behind in the space of a few races.I dont think theres one particular area we're lacking, just a combination of small things and possibly a bit of luck. All in all I'm just here to race, its a long season so we'll keep plugging away and hoping for good things.
Q. We saw you have a spin at turn 3 up the hill after a stop, can you tell us what happened there?
JC. Basically, cold tyres and lack of concentration. Just tapped the wall but it was enough to damage the front wing. Like I said I was lucky to finish 3rd after that.
Q. Thanks all for your time. We will see you in Austria next week for Round 6 of the GPVWC Superleague.
Q. I'm here with the top finishers, fresh off the tarmac at Kyalami. First today was Lee Morris of Draig Racing. Lee, 5 out of 5, talk us through your strategy today.
LM. Today we decided to try a 3 stop strategy in an attempt to catch the others out, as it turned out 2 and 3 stops were very close. With Jason Muscat driving a superb race yet again, I think 3 stops were quicker overall but we had some issues with pitstops and I had alot of fuel onboard for final stint which didn't help. We were a little caught out as this is the first time we ran 3 stops this season.
Q. The car is rumoured to be at the back of the grid in terms of upgrades, can you shed any light on whetherthis isaffecting you?
LM. This I didn't realise? I thought we were very close to the leaders in equipment terms. I know some teams have taken massive leap forwards, our car handles nice, it just seems at the end of the races people have a better pace than us which is strange. I will have to look into the upgrades to see if we are behind, but as for affecting me - I don't think so. We have a nice cushion now so we just have to defend, this season may look like it's over but it's far from it. If Jason keeps going how he is and with Joe always there we have to be careful.
Q. Jason Muscat of Red Archer Virtual was a very close second today. Jason, yet again we see you in a close battle with the championship leader. What was going through your mind when you caught him with 6 laps to go?
JM. Yeah, I was pushing very hard in the last stint, I noticed Lee was struggling and I tried to get him and try to lead him to make some sort of mistake. I knew it would be very hard to overtake around here but I had to try. Then on the last 3 laps my tyres where totally worn out and had to back-off and settle for second.
Q. How happy are you with the car at this stage in the season, considering you're able to battle with Lee who's proven he's dominant?
JM. I'll rate it 10 out of 10, it's handling exactly as I want it. Can't be any better.
Q. What's your current plan as we enter the middle of the season, considering your latest performances?
JM. Keep doing what I'm doing and try to make a win stick next time round.
Q. Alright Jason, Thanks alot, great show tonight. Finally, we have Joe Consiglio for Nordsjeon. Joe, I'd describe your race as unlucky, would you agree?
JC. I guess I was abit unlucky but in all honesty I didn't quite have the pace of Lee or Jason today. We made a mistake putting Softs on the car in the first stint and as a result my laptimes really suffered. I had a good little fight with Jason in the opening laps but I knew it was only a matter of time before he got past, like I said my pace was awful at that stage of the race. For my 2nd and 3rd stints we put Super Softs on the car and my laptimes definitely improved. I was about 3 seconds away from Jason in 2nd but I was really pushing like hell just to match him. I think I was simply pushing too hard because mid-way through the race I span underbraking and lost about 4 seconds. At that point I should have eased off but I kept pushing. After my 2nd and final pitstop I spun again and this time damaged my front wing. It happened at turn 2 so I had to do a full lap at low speed to get back to the pits. After that I emerged in 6th and when things played out I found myself only 4 seconds ahead of Ojay. After some time to settle I managed to extend that gap to over 12 seconds and come home in 3rd place. I think overall I was quite lucky to get the podium today, so I guess we'll just take the points and move onto the next one.
Q. You've had a relatively mediocre season so far so an ex world champion, what do you personally think is lacking from your outfit?
JC. Well I would hardly call it a mediocre season, 3 poles, 3 podiums but I guess you're referring to the lack of wins so far. The great thing about this league is that it's not only the driver that determines the results. Development, engine and resources all play a massive role and sometimes it's not possible to maintain such a high standard. The competition is so close that you can easily slip behind in the space of a few races.I dont think theres one particular area we're lacking, just a combination of small things and possibly a bit of luck. All in all I'm just here to race, its a long season so we'll keep plugging away and hoping for good things.
Q. We saw you have a spin at turn 3 up the hill after a stop, can you tell us what happened there?
JC. Basically, cold tyres and lack of concentration. Just tapped the wall but it was enough to damage the front wing. Like I said I was lucky to finish 3rd after that.
Q. Thanks all for your time. We will see you in Austria next week for Round 6 of the GPVWC Superleague.
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