Tom Coronel believes the fact that ROAL Motorsport are running just the one Chevrolet Cruze in this year’s World Touring Car Championship has already paid off, with the Dutchman mixing it with the manufacturer entries.
Coronel is the only driver for Roberto Ravaglia and Aldo Pero’s ROAL Motorsport team in 2016, following the departure of former driver Tom Chilton to the independent Citroën squad Sébastien Loeb Racing.
As a result, Coronel believes the extra focus from his team is already showing, with the experienced touring car star putting his car in a shock fourth on the grid in qualifying after his first Q3 appearance in over a year.
“In qualifying, I managed to do a really good lap and ended up between the factory drivers,” said Coronel. “How I did that lap, I don’t really know, but it is a clear sign that the car is up to it. That allowed me to move up into the third heat in qualifying for the first time in ages.”
Although Coronel made it to Q3 he failed to post a time, as brake problems struck on his only timed run.
“I had to deal with brake problems and decided to head back to the pits. Together with the team, we managed to solve the problem and thus, I was able to start the race.”
In the reverse-grid opening race Coronel’s fourth in qualifying became seventh on the grid, and the 43-year-old became embroiled in a number of close fights, including with compatriot Nicky Catsburg, before finishing in ninth.
“Now that was some really cool racing,” added Coronel. “I had a rocket start and I was in contention for a good result right away. It was real touring car racing including a little bit of contact. A great feeling to be able to race like that again!
“At the end of the race, defending my position became more and more difficult. I had a fierce battle with Nicky Catsburg with the Lada and there were absolutely no presents given; Volvo driver Thed Björk benefited from that, as he finished just ahead of us.”
Race two was more challenging for the Dutchman as, despite his second row grid position, he suffered from a poor start and slipped back over the course of the race, finishing just outside the points in 11th.
“At the start of the second race, I had a poor getaway,” explained Coronel. “I wanted to keep the revs as low as possible to prevent the turbo from kicking in, but this time, that didn’t work as well as in the first race.
“After that, it was important to make up as much ground as possible. Initially, that went well, but the power steering failed with three laps remaining and it was a close call whether I would be able to make it to the finish at all. With a lot of effort, I managed, but unfortunately, I finished just outside the top ten.
“I take home from this weekend that we were on the pace. It is clear that it pays off to have the full focus of the team on one car only. Now, we have to work on the set-up for the full race distance. We have to improve the tyre management to be able to fight to the max towards the end, too.
“All in all, it was a good weekend with a second and a third place in the privateers’ classification, which also made me score the necessary points. When we continue like this, there absolutely is more in store!”
Watch: Tom Coronel’s opening race highlights
Watch: Tom Coronel’s main race highlights