after sustaining floor damage from a kerb on the opening lap meant things didn’t get much better therein, before the glorified test session was eventually cut short forty minutes before the end by engine failure.
“Silvestone is really the worst conditions we could have, so this weekend will be a chance to get information about the car and put more laps on it,” Liuzzi admitted. “We still have a long way to go and when you are racing here and you are ten
seconds off the pace it’s not so nice, but Christian and I believe in the job Colin is doing. This is good preparation for Le Mans.”
ByKolles at least managed to outqualify the fastest LMP2 entry at Spa with revised bodywork and a new gearbox and suspension, before mechanical gremlins again struck. But despite the travails, it is evident that both men have nothing but respect for Kolles, whose roster of drivers
down the years resembles something of a who’s who of motorsports, with the likes of Adrian Sutil, Andre Lotterer, Narian Karthikeyan, Pierre Kaffer and James Rossiter among his list of alumni. From the junior formula to DTM, sportscars and Formula One, you name it, Kolles has done it, often on a tight budget with the odds stacked against him.
“He’s always managed to put a team on the grid, which is never easy, especially here when you’re having to fight against manufacturers,” says Klien. “You cannot compare a private team with the resources they have to manufacturers; you can only compare it to Rebellion in the end. Even in Formula 1 in the really difficult times like in 2010 with HRT, he made it possible for the team to race. He just lives for the sport.”
“He offered me the opportunity to race at Macau in Formula 3 in 2002, so I’ve known him for many years and I’ve always respected him a lot as a person and a businessman,” Liuzzi adds.
“With him I always felt that black is black and white is white. He always was very serious and straight-up. He likes a challenge because many times he has been on board with projects like HRT or Caterham or this one, which is really difficult because you are fighting against manufacturers or teams with a huge budget. But he always made a good job with the resources he had, so I’m sure he will find the right way. It will take time, but sooner or later we will find out way out of the tunnel.”
However the latest Kolles adventure pans out, you can bet that Klien and Liuzzi will have relished their surprise reunion, if only to recapture the youthful exuberance which saw Liuzzi lay claim to the crown of the ‘paddock’s best dancer’.
*It was announced before e-Racing went to press that Tiago Monteiro would join Pierre Kaffer and Simon Trummer in the ByKolles lineup at the Le Mans 24 Hours. It is unclear whether Liuzzi and Klien will return to the project later in the year.
eRacing would like to thank ByKolles Racing for their assistance over the Silverstone weekend.