Nash was pleased with his and Team Aon's WTCC debut in Monza - Photo Credit: fiawtcc.com
James Nash is confident that he and Team Aon will finish within the top ten at their second World Touring Car Championship round at Valencia this weekend.
“While a top ten grid and race finish was the aim before Monza, and will be again in Valencia, I couldn't be too disappointed with our performance,” he said.
“We had the usual new car teething issues which you expect but what did set us back was destroying much of the front bodywork in race one when I got pushed into somebody else's accident at the first corner.
“The team only had a ten minute window after the race and before race two to make repairs and it was quite frankly amazing that they managed to get me onto the grid for the second race. The car though ran well considering that both it and the team are brand new to the WTCC this season.”
Nash feels that data from a recent test at Valencia will help them to become more competitive compared to Monza.
“We had no data for Monza to guide us on car set-up unlike the other teams, which was bound to make a difference, but nevertheless, our pace particularly in the race morning warm-up when we ran comfortably inside the top ten was very encouraging. We will have data for Valencia having tested there a few weeks ago so I'm confident that we'll achieve our top ten target in Spain.”
Having had a busy time getting ready for Monza, Nash has been able to use the gap between the two races to spend time with friends and family, as well as sponsors.
“It has been nice to be home for a couple of weeks. Before the first race at Monza I was away testing so it's been great being able to catch up with family and friends. I've also had time to meet the guys at Laser Tools for a fun day at Rockingham Motor Speedway. Laser Tools are one of the team partners this season so it was great to meet them away from the pressures of a race weekend and be able to thank them for their support which is invaluable.”
