2013 Euro Racecar - Bolisetti qualifies 18th in season opener

FILE PHOTO: Sailesh Bolisetti

Nogaro (France) - India’s Sailesh Bolisetti, driving a 400 bhp, V8-powered Chevrolet Camaro SS, qualified 18th for the season-opener of the 2013 Euro Racecar season at the Circuit Paul Armagnac, here on Saturday with bad weather influencing the performance.

Two practice sessions on Friday and another one on Saturday helped Bolisetti, in Team Scorpus Racing colours, acclimatise to the conditions and slick tyres.

A few mechanical niggles including a leaking rear differential and a glitch in the fuel system ate into his track time during the practice sessions, but he managed to build up his confidence behind the wheel of the 400 bhp, V8-powered Chevrolet Camaro SS.

“This car demands a very different driving style compared to cars I’ve raced before. The tyres are really wide and grippy, so you can be really aggressive with the car into the corner, and drift to maximize corner exits,” Bolisetti said.

Despite a marked improvement in pace, qualifying turned out be a disappointing affair as a couple of minutes into the session, another car went off track and got stuck in a gravel trap which brought out yellow flags in that sector, forcing Bolisetti to slow down.

“Hopefully, we would be able to show the true potential in the race and finish higher than our qualifying position with an improvement in pace. That’s my aim for now – improving my own pace with every passing session and learning as much about the car in the process,” said Bolisetti.