René Rast's face is usually adorned with a smile but at Spa this morning it was wider than usual as the friendly German went through his final checks before his first public LMP track action tomorrow.
“I am really looking forward to this weekend and my first appearance in the WEC,” said Rast as he completed the paperwork for the official drivers’ administrative checks. “I have had some good laps in the car in testing so I am quite well prepared to make my first race with Audi Sport Team Joest.”
Rast will share the #9 Audi R18 e-tron quattro with Marco Bonanomi and Filipe Albuquerque this weekend in a car, which unlike the #7 and #8 versions will not run in low drag configuration in readiness for Le Mans.
“For us, this weekend will be all about gaining more experience in the car and to prepare more the challenge of Le Mans. We will work on all the routines and procedures but the main thing is to get as much mileage as possible and more data for the higher downforce car for later in the season.”
Rast is also impressed with his first active weekend in the WEC paddock, saying: “It is a Championship which as we all know is growing all the time. It is a very good feeling walking in to a paddock like this, very nice."
Photo: CIRCUIT DE SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS (SPA, BELGIUM), WEC 6 HOURS OF SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, TRACK WALK, WEDNESDAY 29 APRIL 2015. Audi Sport's Rene Rast (on the right) with his engineers on the pre-race track walk.
