“THE ROAD TO THE RACE” – CHAPTERS & SUMMARY OF OUR HUMAN AND RACING ADVENTURE – FINAL INTERVIEW WITH THE DRIVERS

“THE ROAD TO THE RACE”
A REAL HUMAN AND SPORTS ADVENTURE

“THE ROAD TO THE RACE” is the project of two gentleman drivers and friends who want to take the step into motor racing. trackdays.events has decided to take part in this great adventure in the category FFSA/TOURISME/TC and share it with you, so as to be able to describe the emotions they experienced from the inside. The aim of the exercise is also to show the ins and outs of such an adventure to any amateur driver who might want to start such a project.

Please find here below : the adventure teaser, an exclusive interview of the drivers, the tests and races summaries, the links to live races and the season calendar.


TEASER


THE ORIGINS OF THE PROJECT

trackdays.events : we’re here with the two initiators of this adventure. In addition to the funny teaser, which gives us a glimpse of your mutual backgrounds, tell us about the origins of this project.
Christian S : the idea had been germinating in my head for some time : what could be more intense than my trackdays at the wheel of my Corvette, already well prepared for the track and fitted with slicks ?
Christian vdW : yes, the idea came from him. At one point, he thought about buying a race car, but he realized that buying the car is one thing, preparing and maintaining it from race to race is another one. In fact, it is simply unrealistic for non-mechanics like us.

Why both of you ?
Christian S : we met and became friends through our respective Corvettes; we’ve been doing a few trackdays together every year for several years now. As far as this project is concerned, I didn’t want to live this racing experience on my own, but share my emotions on and off the track with a trusted friend who shares the same views and values as I do. So I told him about my plans.
Christian vdW : we’ve known each other for 6-7 years, through a mutual friend and coach. In the beginning, we only got together every year at Spa with another buddy who drives a Corvette; this outing to Spa is still a must for the three of us. In the meantime, other buddies have joined our trio. Then we drove together at Mugello, Castellet, Magny-Cours and Dijon. After a positive first racing experience with the Alfa you see in the teaser, I told Christian I’d be up for the adventure alongside him. And then we started the research mode.

Why this team, this FFSA/TOURISME/TC championship and this car ?
Christian S : we were looking for something that spoke to us, and it didn’t just happen easily. In fact, we were on several searches, the basic idea being to be able to run a race car at least as powerful as our Z06 and GT3RS (yes, in the meantime Christian has switched to Porsche…). And it was once again thanks to a Corvette (a tuned one, from our friend Peter) that I met Circuit Toys, who had just redirected their activities from garages and car tuners to a racing team via the purchase of two Hyundai TCRs. The chosen championship turned out to be the most interesting for all of us in terms of the car, the budget, the type of championship, the circuits and the number of races per weekend.
Christian vdW : several projects have indeed been studied within the framework of our financial resources. In motor sport, money is the sinews of war. If you have an unlimited or almost unlimited budget, you can do Porsche Cup, Ferrari Challenge or Trofeo Lamborghini, GT4, GT3 or proto. We each have a budget ceiling, so we had to take the time to study the various options carefully. The many discussions we’ve had with Circuit Toys have enabled us to see that we’re in line with our sporting and human objectives and values.

If we read your schedule correctly, you won’t be doing the first two races ?
Christian S : that’s right. There are a number of reasons for this : 1. technical : the car isn’t quite ready, 2. legal : I’ve got to get my license done and Christian has to renew his one, 3. time-related : work, family and other vacations also count in the balance, 4. budgetary : we’ve deliberately set ourselves a “morally acceptable” maximum.
Christian vdW : nothing to add, apart from the fact that, despite our unwavering passion for motor sport, we have to keep things in proportion and take into account various factors outside our passion.

One last question : two Christians, two “little” Swiss guys, sharing a car. Is it a coincidence, a wink ?
Christian S : life brought us together, we liked each other and we finally decided to live this adventure side by side. By chance ? Probably not. A wink ? Certainly. And that’s what makes us so special in this French FFSA/TOURISME/TC championship organized by SRO.
Christian vdW : we look forward to seeing you at our testdays and future races !


PRIVATE TESTDAYS
Intense and successful final tests at Nevers Magny-Cours

 

After a first morning session that allowed the team, the car and the two drivers to get back into the swing of things, the lap times gradually dropped as the day progressed and confidence grew. However, learning to brake with the left foot led to a few wheel lock-ups, even once with a visit to the gravel trap, but without any consequences or damage to the car. A poor quality of fuel played tricks on us (loss of power) before everything was back to normal. In the end of the day, both drivers were able to rack up the laps, get their bearings and continue learning about the car thanks to data analysis between each session. The team and drivers leave satisfied and happy after an intense day of work and fine-tuning. The Spa weekend is now fast approaching. Let’s race now !


RACES AT SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS JUNE 21-23

Summary of free practice and qualifying
This is it ! The two free practice sessions gave us the chance to come back to the magnificent Spa circuit and to calibrate the car. Qualifying, on the other hand, was a complicated affair, with Christian vdW’s session involving multiple yellow and red flags in the pouring rain, with only one possible qualifying lap (with a straightaway at the turn of La Source that did not really help); much better qualifying session for Christian S, who put in a fine performance on a track that was still tricky but drying out slowly and nicely.

Summary of races 1 & 2 (Saturday)
Race 1 : following the chaos of qualifying due to the rain, race management finally positioned us in p31/59 on the starting grid. After yet more yellow and red flags, Christian vdW managed to make up a few places to finish p25.
Race 2 : better qualified and placed on the grid, Christian S had a great race, overtaking many drivers. After being p15 for a while, he finished p19 following a small but worrying problem with the fuel pump.

Summary of races 3 & 4 (Sunday)
Race 3 : according to the FFSA regulations, Christian vdW was once again placed in p31; he got off to a good start and maintained his position. Some run-offs of other drivers and overtaking maneuvers enabled him to improve his position. Unfortunately, fuel pump problems reappeared but he was able to finish his race in p24, but not without having to let two TCA Minis pass him.
Race 4 : the mechanics worked hard to remedy the car’s woes; Christian S started the race, but after two laps under safety car due to a collision between two TCA-light 208 drivers, the fuel problems reappeared, to the great displeasure of the whole team. At the instigation of its driver, the team decided to withdraw from the race. A frustration for all concerned, but it is totally part of motor racing. See you now at Magny-Cours on August 24 and 25 !


RACES AT MAGNY-COURS, AUGUST 24-25

→ video Magny-Cours – qualifs

Summary of free practice and qualifying
Christian S. joined the track first this time, and enjoyed a trouble-free free practice session which enabled him to get back into the swing of things, while already achieving some good lap times. However, things were not the same for Christian vdW who, just as he was about to move the car out of the box, suffered a broken gearbox oil line, preventing him from taking part in practice. Two successive lap times of 1’54 and 1’55 at the start of the session showed the potential for further progress, before an unfortunate red flag wiped out all hope of doing better. What’s more, the stewards’ decision to cancel the 1’54 time for not respecting the limits of the track by 2-3 cm meant that the next lap’s time was also cancelled. As a result, the only time retained of 2’00 set at the very start of the session pushed him right back into the middle of the grid and, as usual, for the two races. For his part Christian S. achieved a magnificent qualifying time of 1.50.4 placed him in p9, also for his two successive races (race 1 and race 3).

Summary of races 1 & 2 (Saturday)
Race 1 : Christian S. started from p9 in a blistering heat, but realize a very nice race to finish p12. Driver and car really suffered.
Race 2 : finally positioned at p19 instead of p21, things were bound to start very differently for Christian vdW. However, halfway through the race, and after some fine overtaking, he was up to p13. A p10 or p11 at the end of the race was then fully conceivable. However, an overtake on a TC driver resulting in a touch between both cars and a drive through penalty for him (which some will find justified and others not) resulted in a final p17 position.

Summary of races 3 & 4 (Sunday)
Race 3 : starting at p8 following another driver’s penalty, Christian S. drove a perfect race in slightly milder weather, setting times very close to those of the race leaders. A great performance that earned him a magnificent p7.
Race 4 : starting from p19, Christian vdW managed to save the day by finishing p16, while bringing his Hyundai back to the box without any damage, despite numerous collisions and other drivers going off track.

→ video Magny-Cours – race #3


OUR TEAM – CIRCUIT TOYS

two drivers that’s great… but without a wonderful team behind you, you can’t do anything !

thank you all for your hard work and great support during race weekends !


RACES AT DIJON-PRENOIS, SEPTEMBER 14-15

Summary of free practice and qualifying
“An emotional rollercoaster” could be the title of the weekend experienced by our entire team ! Indeed, if Friday’s free practice sessions were a good start to the 2 qualifying sessions and 4 races to come, with times of 1’26.4 and 1’26. 9 by Christian S and Christian vdW respectively, it was a completely different story for qualifying, which both drivers experienced in the same way under sunny skies, a wintry wind and a dry but icy track, with each driver performing an inconsequential 360°, followed by a consequential landing in a gravel trap, thereby extinguishing all hopes of good positions on the grid. The stewards finally decided to place both drivers in p20.

Summary of races 1 & 2 (Saturday)
Race 1 : Christian vdW started well but lost the car in the “Gauche de la Bretelle” when he slightly blocked the rear brakes on a dry but still icy track; this could have proved inconsequential and he could have rejoined the race, but it was without counting on the presence of another competitor who unfortunately couldn’t avoid him in his rear slide, breaking the left rear axle of the car. Luckily for him, the other driver was able to continue and finish his race.
Race 2 : unfortunately lacking one of the crucial parts for the car on site, the mechanics could only wait for it to arrive a few hours later from the team workshop. But it was far too late to get back out on track, preventing Christian S from completing his first race of the weekend.

Summary of races 3 & 4 (Sunday)
Race 3 : following the unfortunate adventure of the previous day, Christian vdW spontaneously decided not to take any risks in his race in order to hand over to Christian S a car in perfect condition for his only race of the weekend. In any case, with a p20 and a race starting at 9.00 a.m. in the freezing cold (6° track temperature), the first 5-6 laps were uninteresting in advance, just long enough to bring the Hyundai’s rear tires and brakes up to the right temperature. A race to forget, but – as promised – the car returned to the pits in perfect condition.
Race 4 : start at 1:30 p.m., this time under sunny skies and on a dry track at a comfortable temperature (16°). Christian S now had all the cards in his hands for a great race. And this is just what he did, going from p20 to p11, with a superb “remontada”, lap after lap. The icing on the cake was that two of the five TCR drivers disappeared from the race lead, one via a fatal run-off, the other via technical problems forcing him to pit, leaving the door wide open to a potential podium finish. But Christian still had to finish the race ! It was with superb Swiss pace and consistency that he finally finished p11 overall and above all p3 in the TCR group, offering himself and the team a splendid first podium finish, extremely well deserved, and rewarding at the same time the immense work carried out by the mechanics throughout the weekend. CONGRATS to all for this p3 and masterly performance. The final meeting of the FFSA/Tourisme/TC 2024 season at Le Castellet is just around the corner, and the drivers and the whole Circuit Toys team are looking forward to putting in some fine performances to round off the season in style.


FINAL RACES AT CASTELLET / PAUL RICARD, OCTOBER 05-06

Summary of free practice and qualifying
This time, free practice and qualifying took place in sunshine and pleasant temperatures : another fine qualifying session for Christian S, with a magnificent 2’17 placing him p11 on the grid, and another more complicated qualifying session for Christian vdW, who had to deal with a red flag in the middle of the session and the cancellation of his best time for exceeding the tracklimit by just a few centimetres, unfortunately placing him in the middle of the grid and depriving him of any chance of fighting for the top 10-15 places (and this naturally for the weekend’s two races).

Summary of races 1 & 2 (Saturday)
Race 1 : a very fine, consistent race from Christian S, who was in fine form to finish p9 overall and p6 in our TCR category.
Race 2 : also a nice race from Christian vdW, who climbed 4 places to finish p20 after a long battle with a Ligier that finally blew its engine in the last laps of the race.

Summary of races 3 & 4 (Sunday)
Race 3 : it was under changing weather conditions, much cooler than the day before but fortunately without rain, that Christian S took to the track again on Sunday morning for a fine race, during which he had to battle long and hard against a Ginetta G56 of the GT Academy category to brilliantly maintain his position and finish p9 once again. It could not have been a more consistent racing weekend…
Race 4 : the last race of the season was rained out, so we set off for a complicated race, with rain tires, in the middle of the grid, with trajectories that would have to be adapted to the changing weather conditions, a wet, damp or dry track and finally the attitudes of the other drivers. As a driver in front of our Hyundai spun at the penultimate bend at the end of the first lap, Christian vdW narrowly avoided it by also spinning out on the wet track at this place, having already climbed 2 places; after a brief half-turn with no consequences other than to send him to the bottom of the standings, he then began a nice “remontada” which enabled him to finish in p21.

Box #8 : a pleasant surprise for the fans of the brand at the final round of the championship : the two Hyundai i30 N TCRs of the Circuit Toys team were present in the pits. The #30 for testing, qualifying and racing, and the #777 for additional testing. Both met with great interest from the numerous spectators who came to the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet.


THANKS

The two Christians would like to extend a huge thank you to all those who participated in any way in our human and sports adventure. It will remain forever engraved in our hearts, as we experienced emotions of a rare intensity with you. Our special thanks go to :

the entire Circuit Toys team
Max Cartoux, co-owner, team principal, our brilliant mentor, engineer and coach
Philippe Cartoux, co-owner, organizer and wonderful cook
Lorenzo, mechanic
Pierre, mechanic
Mathieu, mechanic
Nico, mechanic
Frédy, mechanic
Jess, mechanic’s assistant and organizer’s assistant
Pierre, mechanic’s assistant
Damien, mechanic’s assistant
Didier, mechanic’s assistant and truck driver
Thierry, mechanic’s assistant and truck driver
Mathieu, photographer

our wives

our families and friends, whether they were on site or behind their screens

all those who visited us in the paddocks or followed us from behind their screens

all the teams at SRO, the organizer of the FFSA/Tourisme/TC championship, and in particular Romain
all those who contribute to our well-being and safety on the tracks, i.e. :
circuit managers and their staffs, marshals, firefighters, doctors, paramedics, reception staff and all those who work behind the scenes


EPILOGUE
FINAL INTERVIEW WITH THE DRIVERS

trackdays.events : just as you described the beginning of this adventure as both human and sporting, how would you describe it today, very briefly and by way of introduction, in both respects ?

Christian vdW : on a human level, in my relationship with Christian first of all, it is totally in line with what I expected, i.e. friendship, sharing and respect at all times. But I think it is important to say that we have also developed wonderful friendships with everyone on the team. From a sporting point of view, my results are more mixed : I had some difficult moments and I would have liked to do much better. Sometimes I came within a hair’s breadth of a good to very good result, but…

Christian S : if I had not taken part in this adventure, something would certainly have been missing from my life. We experienced some extraordinary, intense moments, and the expression “emotional elevator” is not overused. I had a lot of fun driving, but also communicating, debriefing and improving, all in a healthy atmosphere and surrounded by caring people. Christian and I understand each other perfectly, and the chemistry has always been there.

Could you elaborate on the human side of the adventure ?

Christian vdW : in Circuit Toys we have found a young and new racing team which is simply extraordinary. Max, only 27 years old and co-owner of the team with his father, shows remarkable maturity as team principal, engineer and driver (analyzing data), coach (advising drivers), mechanic (he can dismantle and reassemble the car from A to Z) and human being. Along with his mechanics, who sometimes did some crazy work, he knew how to surround us and help us to make constant progress.

Christian S : objectively speaking, I do not think there could have been a better combo between the two Christian and Circuit Toys. On one hand, drivers new to motor racing, and, on the other hand, a young team looking for experience. The objectives were modest but realistic, and everyone knew what he had to deliver. The team may be new, but Max has a deep experience in motorsport. He is like a Swiss Army knife, he knows how to do just about everything, he has an immense sense of responsibility for his age, and he also knows how to surround himself with the right people when necessary.

And what about the sporting/racing side ?…

Christian vdW : as I said in the introduction, my results were clearly below my expectations. There are several reasons for this, including a few mistakes on my part and some bad luck in practice, qualifying and even the race. My biggest handicap was not being able to give 100% of my potential very quickly in qualifying, which penalized me each time for the weekend’s two races. And a few red flags waved at the wrong time did not help either… Starting in the middle of the grid definitely distances you from your group, increasing the danger of collisions, and you are never able to get back because the train in front of you has gone and the gaps between the different groups are growing lap after lap. You can fight for a few places, but it is impossible to get back into the top ten, as the performance of the other cars (apart from the 208s) is very close to that of the TCRs this year. Despite these difficulties, I had a great time behind the wheel of this Hyundai, making some nice overtakes and “remontadas”, warming up my personal ego a little in the process.

Christian S : the format of the weekend means that you have to perform very quickly. As Christian mentions, poor qualifying is very punishing and quickly relegates you to places on the grid where you should not be : the soft underbelly of the pack. On average over the 4 meetings, with tires at temperature, you have between 2 and 5 laps to “slam a lap time”, conditions permitting. Overall, I am very happy with what I have done, and the icing on the cake was a podium finish (3rd place) at the Dijon meeting in race 4. If racing is the pinnacle of what you can do in motorsport, then a podium is the pinnacle of what you can experience in motorsport. It’s an unforgettable memory and a truly special emotion.

In your opinion, what are the Hyundai’s intrinsic performances compared to other TCRs ?

Christian vdW : the Hyundai i30 N TCR is an extremely well-built car (congratulations to the Korean engineers) which has won numerous races and still has the means to fight at the front against the very recent Audi RS3 and Cupra Leon. But it needs the talent of an experienced driver to really exploit its full potential. For my part, I probably only used it to 90% of its potential. Despite a few niggles due to the car’s age, Max and the mechanics put in a tremendous amount of work every weekend to make the car as reliable and competitive as possible.

Christian S : a rough jewel. I don’t think the driver’s BOP 🙂 paid enough tribute to the car’s intrinsic qualities. Never tricky, always considerate, quick on the toes and agile in the corners, this is clearly a car that, if driven well, could play in the top 3 of the championship. The chassis dates back to 2018, but the engineers’ work has been so thorough that it can still compete with the current TCR field. I had really like to see Max behind the wheel for a qualifying session or a race, and use his lap time as a benchmark.

What are the biggest difficulties you have encountered in switching from the world of trackdays (which you know very well) to the world of an official championship ?

Christian vdW : I think the answer lies in solving a 3-part equation: the circuit, the car and the race. As far as the circuit is concerned, I think I can modestly say that I am very familiar with the 4 circuits we have raced on. But running a front-wheel-drive race car on these tracks was a complete novelty compared with our rear-wheel-drive GTs. The lack of pre-season driving experience – of which we were all aware – made itself felt in my driving, as it did against some very seasoned drivers who, for their part, know perfectly well how their cars behave on the track. If you put these two components together with the third, namely the race itself, with the rolling start, the field, the various weather conditions and all the exogenous factors, it is obvious that managing all three components at once is an absolute challenge for gentleman drivers initially mastering only the first of the three components.

Christian S : one thing is for sure : trackday and racing are two very different products. It is a huge mistake to confuse the two, because the only thing they have in common is that they both take place in the same place. The most difficult part of a race is the start. Since it is a rolling start, you have to be bumper to bumper right from the end of the formation lap. Then the cavalry is launched, and it is like an adrenalin shot. Concentration is at an all-time high, and you have to look both ahead and in the rear-view mirrors. Unfortunately, I have too often lost places at the start due to a lack of aggressiveness. Next comes managing the others and the traffic. Once again, the racing lines are not always identical to the qualifying trajectories. It is pure composition. You sometimes have to forget your bearings and improvise, especially in the first 2-3 laps. And finally, the time constraint can be difficult to manage. You can not do what you want, when you want. The 25 minutes of a sprint race go by very quickly, and you have to be focused all the time.

In your teaser, you talked about gentleman drivers wanting to become gentleman racers. What is the situation today ?

Christian vdW : moving from the world of trackdays to the world of racing, especially in a championship as tough as the one we raced in, was a real challenge. From Magny-Cours onwards, the apprehension I’d felt at the start of the season (at Spa in torrential rain) gave way to a real pleasure to find myself racing, to be more at one with the car and to make some great overtakes against drivers more experienced than me. What’s more, the scary starts became “challenging”, even fun. So this is probably the beginning of the answer to the question…

Christian S : experience is only as good as the person who has it. Today I am sure of one thing : “I am quick but not yet fast”. We are both still amateurs, but well-informed, enlightened drivers. I think I have learned a lot, and there is a lot I will be able to put into practice when the time comes to get back into my GT. In any case, Christian’s words sum up the changes in mentality I have observed. The fears and misgivings of the beginning quickly gave way to desire and excitement. This adventure has strengthened my competitive spirit. I think it is important to be stimulated, no matter what task you end up undertaking.

Let’s talk about finance ! Have you kept to your budgets, and what can you tell other gentleman drivers who might be tempted by your kind of adventure ?

Christian vdW : I say it again : in motorport, money really is the lifeblood of the business. Everything costs a lot of money : car hire (or purchase), entries, tires, petrol, travel, hotels, personal equipment and the inevitable damage to the car. Thanks to our very clear discussions with Circuit Toys before embarking on the adventure, and Max’s resourcefulness, great transparency and absolute honesty regarding repair costs, we were more or less able to keep to the budget we had set. But I would like to say this above all to young people : if you don’t have the money at the moment, save up first and then make your dream come true, because in motorsport, thousand-euro bills fly out the window.

Christian S : having a budget is good, sticking to it is better. The advice I could give to other gentleman drivers is to draw up a contract (which is what we did) and think about all possible scenarios. If you are going to share the wheel, you really need to do it with someone you trust. Money issues can quickly become a real problem, and given the sums involved, it is not going to be much fun. You also need to find out all you can about the team you are going to be working with, because trust is of the utmost importance here.

Any final words ?

Christian vdW : THANK YOU is certainly the first and last word that comes to mind. First of all, thanks to Max and Philippe, co-owners of Circuit Toys, without whom this adventure would probably not have happened. For them, as for us, this was a new adventure, and the human, sporting and financial respect was extraordinary. My heart goes out to the mechanics, who put their hearts and souls into providing us with a safe, reliable car every time. Finally, I would like to thank Christian for all the intense moments we have shared over the last few weeks. Our deep complicity and friendship is certainly the essential element to live such an adventure serenely and fully. Of course, I wish an adventure like this would never end, as evidenced by the time it took us to say goodbye in Le Castellet. One thing is for sure : this adventure was unique for each and every one of us; whatever the future project or location, we will meet Max, Philippe and the mechanics again. We will then all be smiling with 100% friendliness, complicity and sincerity. I can already see it on their faces !…

Christian S : unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and the adventure with Circuit Toys is no different. Max told me : motorsport is the most collective of individual sports. So I would like to take this opportunity to extend my warmest thanks to all those who, in one way or another, have made this adventure such a success. Well done to the mechanics for all their hard work, despite the not always easy schedules. We should have counted the number of car geometries :-). Thanks to Max and Philippe Cartoux for all the exchanges and communications (and there were some) we had. It was always done in a respectful, friendly and very professional atmosphere.


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