Tenth overall for his debut in the Andros Trophy ice racing series in Val Thorens this past weekend, former Formula 1World Champion, Canadian Jacques Villeneuve displayed impressive driving skills and adapted quickly to his Skoda Fabia Silhouette.
Villeneuve is the new teammate of Olivier Panis at Skoda Team France. Villeneuve had originally planned to contest only four races, but he is now very temped to do more races!
"I attended an event of the Andros Trophy at Isola 2000 some time ago," Villeneuve said.
"It was fun to watch and the cars seems interesting to drive. But to perform well in this series requires all the right conditions. And it happened recently. I talked with Olivier, I asked him several questions, and I felt it represents a good compromise between car control and fun".”
The Canadian said he was surprised by the type of driving the 300-horespower, four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering Skoda Fabia required.
"It's very surprising. It looks nothing like the other cars I used to drive. It goes through the corners sideways, or even in reverse sometimes. The more it slides, the more gas it requires, which is the opposite of the cars and I used to. My main concern was not to damage the car for Oliver who is in the fight for the title, “ Villeneuve confessed.
The former teammate of Panis at BAR in F1 said he may do more races. "My agreement with Skoda was only finalised very late, just one week before the first race in Val Thorens. I am still working hard at finding a drive in NASCAR in 2011, and that’s why I agreed to do just four races. But I had so much fun last weekend that I’ll try to do the race in Andorra,” Villeneuve added.
The Canadian said he was happy with his progress. “I am quite happy. I think I learned the most during the final heats when he was in traffic. I had the chance to see what the other drivers were doing. During the first outings, I simply tried to get to grip with the car and find the limits of the cars. After that, I began to set quicker lap times,” Villeneuve explained.
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Villeneuve is the new teammate of Olivier Panis at Skoda Team France. Villeneuve had originally planned to contest only four races, but he is now very temped to do more races!
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| Jacques Villeneuve (Photo: WRI2) |
"I attended an event of the Andros Trophy at Isola 2000 some time ago," Villeneuve said.
"It was fun to watch and the cars seems interesting to drive. But to perform well in this series requires all the right conditions. And it happened recently. I talked with Olivier, I asked him several questions, and I felt it represents a good compromise between car control and fun".”
The Canadian said he was surprised by the type of driving the 300-horespower, four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering Skoda Fabia required.
"It's very surprising. It looks nothing like the other cars I used to drive. It goes through the corners sideways, or even in reverse sometimes. The more it slides, the more gas it requires, which is the opposite of the cars and I used to. My main concern was not to damage the car for Oliver who is in the fight for the title, “ Villeneuve confessed.
The former teammate of Panis at BAR in F1 said he may do more races. "My agreement with Skoda was only finalised very late, just one week before the first race in Val Thorens. I am still working hard at finding a drive in NASCAR in 2011, and that’s why I agreed to do just four races. But I had so much fun last weekend that I’ll try to do the race in Andorra,” Villeneuve added.
The Canadian said he was happy with his progress. “I am quite happy. I think I learned the most during the final heats when he was in traffic. I had the chance to see what the other drivers were doing. During the first outings, I simply tried to get to grip with the car and find the limits of the cars. After that, I began to set quicker lap times,” Villeneuve explained.
Click on the icon on top of the page to see the photo gallery.
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