Lower track temperatures this evening and the inherent fast-starting nature of the Peugeot 308 TCR give Aurelien Comte optimism he can fight for victory in the second FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) race in Slovakia tonight.
Comte – who was pipped to pole position at the last in Super Pole by the Hyundai i30 N TCR of Norbert Michelisz – has shown good pace all weekend in the DG Sport Competition machine.
By virtue of the reversed top-ten, he will start tonight’s race from P9.
He briefly ran in the final podium slot in the opening contest but lost out to Michelisz’s team mate Gabriele Tarquini.
Comte attributes that position switch to a loss of tyre temperature, but hopes the cooler air climate at 18:00 BST when the race starts this evening will help that.
“I find a very good set-up for the car, I like very much this circuit and my feeling with the track is really okay,” said Comte.
“In Race 1 we had a problem with the temperature of the tyres and for this reason I lose some place.
“But it was a really good race and we are really happy to race this evening because the [lower] temperature can help us.
“Peugeot Sport work a lot on the start procedure and we are really, really quick to start.”