“It was a dream debut.” Thus begins our chat with Alessio Rovera, who made his debut in the LMP2 Class of the FIA World Endurance Championship by winning the Pro / Am victory at the 1000 Miglia di Sebring.
A few words that contain all the emotions of this guy who is forging ahead with the ease and serenity of a true Champion, which in fact he is having won the title in LMGTE AM in 2021 after taking home the 24h of Le Mans at the first. attempt of his life last August.
And it was precisely the iris achieved together with François Perrodo that guaranteed him the transition to official Ferrari GT driver and the arrival in LMP2 with the Frenchman, who strongly wanted him together with the AF Corse team and Nicklas Nielsen aboard the Oreca 07-Gibson # 83.
Motorsport.com then reached the Varese area to talk about this new challenge that he is facing with his usual determination and concentration, as we have seen him do since his successes in the Italian GT Championship.
# 83 AF Corse Oreca 07 – Gibson: François Perrodo, Nicklas Nielsen, Alessio Rovera
Photo by: AG Photo
Those who get off to a good start are already half done, they say. Are you happy with how the season started?
“It was a dream debut for us, a new car for teams and drivers, so many things to learn in a short time because even though we did some tests in the winter, there are teams that have been racing with the Oreca LMP2 for several years and therefore are already in place. But we were ready, the car was exceptional “.
Pole Position in Qualifying and victory in Pro / Am fighting with the best LMP2s. Better than this…
“Oh yes! Nicklas did a great qualifying and in the race we proved that the pace was really fast. François was consistently the fastest of the Bronze competitors and I managed to go very fast in my shifts during the 1000 Miglia. he could have hoped for better, yes. But it must also be said that the whole team did a great job, the mechanics were impeccable in giving us a perfect car. We were ready to be great and the cohesion in the group made the difference. “
For a change, you raced on a new track you’ve never seen before. Tell us about Sebring.
“It’s fantastic, very ‘old-fashioned’ with very few escape routes, full of bumps. You have to try to be very clean in driving and keep the same trajectories. Missing them even by just 20cm could compromise all the cornering. I liked it. very much and it exalted me, it is a track that allows you to make a difference, precisely because of its characteristics “.
# 83 AF Corse Oreca 07 – Gibson: François Perrodo, Nicklas Nielsen, Alessio Rovera
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Is the AF Corse team of men the same as the one that followed you last year?
“Most of the mechanics, yes, then of course others who have more experience with LMP2s were added, such as the head of the machine. The engineers are the same, we added one that follows data and telemetry, very good and prepared. , who integrated very well with the rest of the team. “
You don’t change a winning team, that’s the saying you often hear when certain statements arrive …
“Perrodo’s goal was to keep the people who had worked with him in the past two years, clearly adapting to the new category.”
How much has this helped you to be ready for the first outing in this new Class?
“A lot: having a team you already know, like dynamics and whatnot, certainly helps. I think it was a bit more difficult for the mechanics than for the engineers, at least in getting to know the car. It is my feeling, but it must also be said that the pit stops were perfect, which is no small feat when we consider that there are tires of different sizes and new guns to remove them. The guys have adapted well and have done their homework. even with very fast times. I would say that the car was handled well by the team “.
# 83 AF Corse Oreca 07 – Gibson: François Perrodo, Nicklas Nielsen, Alessio Rovera
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Let’s move on to the car: how did you feel with the Oreca?
“It is beautiful to drive, it has a lot of downforce and I honestly thought it was a little more ‘physical’, with all these lateral accelerations in the fast corners. I actually adapted very quickly, as a driving style is a bit ‘ more aggressive than GTs due to higher cornering speeds and harder braking “.
Did the fact that you have been a formulist in the past, getting on an LMP2 awakened certain skills?
“In some respects, yes! The driving style is quite similar in the fast corners, then obviously in the slow sections everything is different, also because I think there is more grip on a GT equipped with ‘Confidential’ tires rather than with the LMP2 Goodyears. which are hard compound. In the fast my past on single-seaters I must say that he gave me a hand and I had no big problems getting used to it. On the contrary, with these cars you go faster than Formula 4, so they are exciting to drive “.
How do you refine an LMP2?
“It must be said that it is a fairly standard car, especially in the various electronic settings. While with the Ferrari GTE these things had a greater field of action, here it is not that we can move too much”.
So is it a car that guarantees the driver the most to make a difference and exalt himself?
“Yes, both on a technical and practical level. It allows you to push more than a GT. I’m not saying it’s easier because they are different things, but on an LMP2 the limit of the car is higher and therefore you have to be able to reach it “.
Is there anything that particularly impressed you in the comparison with the new LMP2 opponents?
“In terms of lap times, I have to say Nielsen and I were already competitive. François did it very well. I would say that we can grow in traffic management and overtaking, things that more experienced drivers like Di Resta or Albuquerque do better. . In terms of riding, I think we are there, so I would say that these are the things to fix for the race “.
# 83 AF Corse Oreca 07 – Gibson: Alessio Rovera
Photo by: AG Photo
How did you feel with the tires and the new biofuel?
“With the tires well, we found a set-up that allows us to be quite ‘gentle’ on them. They have a particular compound since there is an initial peak, then they lose performance, but from then on they are constant for the two. stint to do. There is not much to say about petrol, theoretically it should have made us lose a few HP of power, but honestly I didn’t notice any differences “.
In LMP2 you are all armed with Oreca: how does the manufacturer support you in terms of data?
“We do not have data exchanges with other teams, in GTE Michelotto’s engineers followed us step by step, while here you are a little more left to yourself. The team engineers try to adapt everything to the needs of teams and drivers” .
How many tests did you do before starting the season?
“We had the car in November 2021, we went to Portimao, Barcelona and Aragon, so all in all not a lot of time on the track.”
It is something that bodes well in view of the next commitments …
“I am very confident, as are my teammates. For the next races we will see, the fact of having raced on such a particular track as Sebring has reshuffled the cards a bit and perhaps gave us a hand. But now we have they are waiting for tracks that the other teams know very well and on which they have already carried out tests and races. We will still have to work a little bit on the set-up, but I think we will have no problems going fast in the next outings “.
Beyond Sebring, which as you said was a particular track, do you think that in the next events you will still be able to play it in Qualifying and the race against the best of the LMP2 and not only among the Pro / Am?
“I trust the team a lot and I am convinced that we will be able to find the best solutions for every situation with our engineers. At Sebring everyone could come up with something, guessing it or not. The next outing will be in ELMS at Paul Ricard, a more traditional and flat track. so the teams that know the car best could have an advantage at the start. We will do some tests at the beginning of the week, then the race weekend will start, so I think we will arrive prepared and without problems. “
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