GTWC | Drudi, a weight lifted: “There are few opportunities like this”

It was a dream come true, if not a redemption, that Mattia Drudi experienced in the crazy 24 Hours of Spa, where he obtained his first triumph in this competition valid for the GT World Challenge Europe and Intercontinental GT Challenge.

Calm, calmness and kindness are the characteristics that usually distinguish the Romagnolo when you meet him in the pits or in the paddock, always available for a chat or even just a quick hello. So it’s very nice to see him indulge in the right celebrations for an undertaking that was incredible in how it developed.

Already in the last few days, when we stopped briefly inside the Comtoyou Racing garage, we had found him calm and confident that Aston Martin could be competitive, even though the unknown weather was a bugaboo for everyone.

The race, as we know, took place in mixed conditions, with a sunny start, a overnight downpour, intermittent rain until dawn and then the last part being dry again. But the twist materialized when, 45′ from the end, Alessandro Pier Guidi’s Ferrari was blocked in the pit lane by a broken-down Lamborghini, thus giving the go-ahead to the Vantage #7 of Drudi, Marco Sorensen and Nicki Thiim of take the lead and go on to win a race that Aston Martin had missed since 1948.

“It’s fantastic and I still don’t know what to say because I had already come close to winning in 2020, but I came second. Getting this success in my first year with Aston Martin and the new Vantage is special, I’m very happy to share it with Marco and Nicki who have a lot of experience with this type of car and the brand”, said Drudi smiling when he entered the press room for the conference.

“I couldn’t ask for anything better as teammates, we only started working a couple of months ago and we immediately got along very well. We prepared the race in every single detail and I would say that we truly achieved a great result.”

#7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO: Mattia Drudi, Nicki Thiim, Marco Sorensen

Photo by: Emanuele Clivati ​​| AG Photo

Still smelling of champagne and with the huge Spa 24 Hours Centenary trophy under his arm, the driver from Rimini then stopped to talk to Motorsport.com and other journalists, always keeping a smile plastered on his face that he will carry with him for a long time to come.

“I’m very, very happy and I admit that up until 40′ from the end we didn’t even expect it given that the Ferrari was very fast and had more, even though we had a pretty good pace. Obviously you can never say never, but in last two hours I’m convinced that the 296 had something more”.

“I was also unlucky with the traffic encountered in the last stint, in 4 laps I lost about 6″ and therefore I told myself that it would have been better to manage until the end”.

“They also told me this on the radio a couple of laps before the last stop, but as soon as I got back on track I received the message that the Ferrari had had a problem and that we were first. From then on I concentrated fully to bring the car home, staying away from curbs and very careful when lapping”.

“In general it was very tough, during the night we saw that at a certain point the track was drying and I put on slick tyres; just at that moment it started raining again and I lost a minute per lap in the two laps I tried to do”.

“Really, it was very complicated and I’m really tired, both physically and mentally. We’ve always been in contention for success, so we needed maximum concentration and attention.”

#7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO: Mattia Drudi, Nicki Thiim, Marco Sørensen

Photo by: Emanuele Clivati ​​| AG Photo

“We had no contact with other cars, the car was practically perfect and we also avoided penalties. I really took a load off myself after that victory I lost in 2020. Few opportunities like this happen, being able to seize it in the first year with the Aston Martin is really nice!”

First year of Aston not only with a brand new Vantage yet to be discovered and developed, but also working for the first time with the English brand after years of Audi Sport and a team, Comtoyou Racing, which is completing the same apprenticeship path as Matthias himself.

But things went well right from the start and by taking one step at a time it seems that further satisfaction can be achieved.

“The future? Even at Paul Ricard we were competitive despite being at our debut and struggling in the forehand, we brought home a seventh place. The package is good and I’m confident”.