James Calado believes a slice of luck is all that he and Gianmaria Bruni need to get their FIA World Endurance Championship campaign back on track at the 6 Hours of Nürburgring, after a mixed start to the season.
The no. 51 AF Corse team has borne the brunt of the reliability problems on Ferrari’s new-for-2016 488 GTE, suffering the heartache of losing victory at Spa to engine problems with nine minutes to go and falling victim to overheating problems at Le Mans.
The duo have a 41-point deficit to make up to the championship-leading No. 66 Ford, but Calado is encouraged that the pace he and Bruni showed to come through to second from the back of the grid at Silverstone will stand them in good stead for the remainder of the season.
“The car is fantastic, it's a great car to drive and we are always normally first or second in terms of pace, but unfortunately we have been unlucky,” he said. “Our pace at Silverstone was the best, we were leading Spa comfortably and we were strong in Le Mans.
“We are quick, we just need a bit more luck going forward as we have lost three potential wins and a lot of points so far. This is the way it goes sometimes.”
After an abortive Le Mans where Ford showed their hand, Calado knows Ferrari is likely to face a stronger challenge than in the opening two rounds, but the Britonwelcomes the competition.
“We learnt that we have a tough challenge on our hands competing with Ford, no surprises of course,” he says. “They finally showed true pace and we will need to fight hard to try and beat them in the next few races. I think if luck turns around, we will put up an entertaining battle.
“Our goal is to win the last six races and become champions. It will be tough, but with improved reliability we can do it. We have the best car, the best team and the best drivers to make it happen.”
James Newbold
