England is likely to be reeling from one other painful soccer last defeat final weekend, this time by the hands of the Spanish staff, however on the race observe the consequence went the opposite method. Not as soon as, however twice.
British staff E.ON NEXT Veloce Racing got here away from the Hydro X Prix with two victories, beating Acciona Sainz on each Saturday and Sunday, making it the primary staff in a yr and 5 days to win back-to-back Excessive E rounds.
After going quickest in Friday follow, its drivers Molly Taylor and Kevin Hansen swept the board on Saturday, successful each of their qualifying heats and the ultimate, whereas additionally going quickest within the ‘Continental Traction Problem’ tremendous sector.
On Sunday, issues have been a little bit totally different, with no warmth wins or tremendous sector bests. The ultimate consequence was the identical although, together with one other last-gasp cost from Fraser McConnell, who – after bringing his staff’s automobile dwelling 1.435s again on Saturday – ended the race proper on Taylor’s bumper.
“It was a bit nerve-racking!” she tells RACER. “I knew I had a niche after which I used to be attempting to handle it. The observe was fairly tough and should you pushed too exhausting you could possibly come unstuck, it wasn’t as tough earlier than so I used to be looking for that steadiness of not backing off however simply not do something silly.
“Then Fraser closed the hole down and I used to be like ‘okay crap, I’ve acquired to drag my finger out once more and push once more’ so it was a little bit bit up and down and I most likely made it a bit too nerve-racking for myself on the finish, however there was no method he was coming previous. We have been taking that win.”
As Taylor resisted the Jamaican, Hansen was watching on from the Command Middle, having handed the automobile to his teammate with a 8.680s lead over Laia Sanz, who preceded McConnell. As McConnell took chunks of day out of Taylor, it’s a miracle Hansen had any hair left, as he could possibly be seen nervously wanting on, feeding data to the staff’s engineer who was in flip passing it on to Taylor.
“You must belief that your teammate will do a fantastic job and I actually do belief Molly however I clearly wish to give her the very best recommendation I can there and I attempted to look and provides my (assist) and use all our experience, all with out making a mistake,” he says. “It is vitally nerve-racking in these laps, particularly if you’re handing over, however she did a fantastic job and to cowl like that in the long run was sensible.”
It was Hansen’s considering, as a lot as his driving, that gave Veloce an early increase in Sunday’s last. After the Gridplay qualifying vote, he opted to decide on the far left on the grid for the race – the pattern for the weekend as much as that time had been to go for the proper, or as far proper as you could possibly, to sneak up the within on the first Waypoint. It appeared like a danger, nevertheless it definitely paid off as he swept spherical the surface and into the lead immediately.
“I noticed my brother (Andretti Altawkilat driver Timmy Hansen) go across the outdoors in qualifying and I believed once we acquired our choice after Gridplay that that was the one choice that was going to work so we wager on it, made a plan, we dedicated and it labored completely.”
Within the 4 rounds that Excessive E has held in Scotland, together with final yr’s Hydro X Prix, Veloce has received three of them. The staff is likely to be based mostly in London, nevertheless it’s made north of the border its personal.
“That’s good if you say it like that!” says Taylor, who strikes to inside one win of her former Rosberg X Racing teammate Johan Kristofferson on the prime of Excessive E’s all-time wins checklist after Sunday’s victory. “It’s been a great weekend. You’re at all times chasing and attempting to enhance so it’s been a number of work to attempt and ensure once we exit we’ve the proper package deal for the situations that we face, some good technique and a fast automobile.
Confidence is excessive within the Veloce camp. Picture by Dom Romney/Excessive E
“It’s been very a lot a staff effort, to get all of the execution in the proper moments proper isn’t straightforward in Excessive E so it’s very rewarding for all of it to repay.”
Veloce isn’t a lot driving the crest of a wave, however a tsunami proper now. The staff’s confidence has by no means been increased, and with two wins and three podiums from 4 to this point this season, it has by no means been in a greater place on the similar level in a season. However up subsequent is Sardinia – a spot that has been a lower than glad searching floor for it over time.
Season 1’s consequence was eighth. That was repeated within the first race of Season 2, with it slipping to ninth throughout that yr’s second go to to the island. Final yr the outcomes have been sixth, seventh, third, and one other sixth.
The staff’s very a lot an early championship favourite, very like final yr when it had two wins from the primary 4 begins. But it surely was the journey to the Italian island the place final yr’s problem finally unraveled, and that’s one thing that’s nonetheless on Hansen’s thoughts.
“We’re simply attempting to do our racing nearly as good as we will,” he stresses. “We’re studying from final yr that even should you’re main or issues are wanting nice, issues can flip round so we’re actually simply attempting to maximise each day.”
Taylor provides, “We did have a little bit of unhealthy luck final yr in Sardinia so I believe that’s one for us to essentially deal with to get the monkey off our again there.
“Sardinia’s very totally different, however Scotland this yr might be nearer to Sardinia than Scotland was final yr. In any case, it’s a brand new race, however we all know we’ve acquired the package deal, now we simply have to get Sardinia to work for us as a result of that’s type of the one we have to nail. So that is actually good preparation for that.”
However whereas Excessive E’s most visited venue is someplace it has by no means fairly managed to gel with till now, the overriding theme popping out of Scotland is that the staff has acquired a confidence increase on the proper time – and at a second when the collection had by no means been extra aggressive.
“It’s a large confidence increase,” Taylor says. “Everyone seems to be so fast so we don’t take something as a right. It’s by no means been as exhausting to achieve the ultimate on this championship as it’s now. You’re scrapping from the primary quali.
“So we positively don’t take it as a right, we all know the place we will nonetheless enhance as effectively, nevertheless it’s nearly placing our greatest foot ahead in each second and if we get the whole lot proper, that must be sufficient to win.”
As for Hansen, he sees the problem forward, and he’s relishing it.
“I take pleasure in a problem. We’ve had powerful occasions in Sardinia, the staff has had an extended, powerful historical past there which is only a extra thrilling factor to go there with two nice wins right here and deal with what we will enhance,” he says. “We like to vary historical past. For positive we’ve a giant mountain to climb and we’ve to maintain digging deep. We wish to get redemption in Sardinia.”
