21/05/2012 One. Two. Testing. Testing – Tom Sharp’s VCARS Diary
One. Two. Testing. Testing
Tom Sharp’s VCARS Diary
Dateline: Friday May 18th 2012
VCARS Driver Tom Sharp is at Oulton Park today, for a spot testing ahead of Round Four of the Ginetta GT SuperCup. 20-year old Tom has had an incredible start to the 2012 season, winning all but one of the opening nine races and finishing second in the other (one… two… geddit?). Just back from a holiday in Turkey, VCARS caught up with a suntanned Tom to find out how he’s feeling about getting back behind the wheel.
VCARS: Why are you testing today?
TS: “Look, any track time is important but given that there’s such a big gap between the Ginetta GT SuperCup Round Three at Thruxton (28th April) and Oulton (9th June), it’s doubly important. Today is a general testing day which means any race-ready car can come along and make sure everything is right ahead of the June meet. We’re here really to try and establish where we need to be for our qualifying lap and to get the car ready for three lots of sixteen laps in the Round Four’s races proper.”
VCARS: What sort of things will you be looking at?
TS: “Well, clearly we can’t change the engine, all Ginetta GT SuperCup cars are identical in that respect. We can look at how our tyres perform and how we can calculate fuel accurately. Plus, for me, it’s a chance to really re-familiarise myself with the track. Oulton Park is a track I’ve never won on but, ironically, it’s one I really like driving on. Of all the tracks on the Ginetta GT SuperCup series, it’s narrow, it really undulates and the lap length is pretty long so there’s a lot to concentrate on for long periods.”
VCARS: You’re leading the Ginetta GT SuperCup by quite some distance, how does that affect you mentally?
TS: “The way I, and my team, are looking at things, is that the lead allows us to drive a little more steady, not take so many chances; we know that we don’t have to keep winning race after race. I’m not saying I won’t be trying to do exactly that but I won’t be putting myself in difficult situation to do it. It’s more about maintaining what we’ve got than going out and trying to blast everyone off the track. Plus, we’re only at Round Four of ten round, it’s still quite early in the season and so much can happen, I won’t be taking anything for granted.”
VCARS: On the subject of stamina, are you keeping yourself fit away from Ginetta?
TS: “I’m working hard on my physical fitness with a personal trainer twice a week and once alone. To be honest, it’s not massively important in Ginetta as the races are comparatively short and the cars comparatively light. I’m really trying to build strength and stamina for my long-term objective of racing sports cars. Racing sports cars over longer time periods will obviously push your body further and if/when that chance comes along, I want to be ready.”
VCARS: Thanks for your time Tom, and good luck at Oulton.
TS: “No problem, cheers.”
Tom Sharp is sponsored by VCARS. Our cars are nationwide. At www.vcars.co.uk you can search and compare prices from both independent and franchised dealer networks. Service excellence and value is guaranteed!
Catch all the action from Oulton Park on 9th June by watching live coverage on ITV4 from 11am until 6pm.
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