Laguna Seca GP is currently the single most successful event in Undiecar history with 28 drivers on the starting grid, a ton of dramatic events happening on every level. Let’s hear some opinions from podium finishers of this great season opener: Matt Fretwell, Nikolay Ladushkin, and Olivier Dean.
Matt Fretwell – Laguna Seca GP Winner, 2nd place in qualification.
Undiecar: Matt, congratulations on your first road and second overall victory! Laguna Seca seems to be one of your favorite tracks, you were exceptionally fast there in Season 3, and now returned and got a confident win. Tell us, what is so special about this track for you and why does it suit you so well?
Matt:
I just enjoy the track, I raced it a lot in skips and in the lower formulas because it has always been a popular free track. I did quite well in the lower formulas there and I guess some of that helped me for Undiecar.
Undiecar: You had a tough fight with Christophe Fuchs here in Season 3 and now won it with more than 12 seconds advantage. Did the level of competition drop or is it you, making progress faster than the others?
Matt:
I don’t think the competition has dropped at all, in fact, I think it’s better than ever, with 5 people within a tenth in practice and many big names being in the races now. It’s taken me a long time to get used to the Indy car, and in the last 2 seasons, I certainly haven’t been confident enough in the car, having made a few scrappy mistakes. I’ve just been trying to iron out the mistakes and hope that the pace comes too, and with a bit of luck that could turn into a decent performance! I honestly think I won last night because I was lucky I managed to break away from the field in Niko’s slipstream and just prayed I didn’t hit a wall.
Undiecar: This race was one of the most crowded races in Undiecar history with 28 drivers on the starting grid. You had several close calls with lapped cars this time. Talk us through it, how did it feel, was it a problem? What was the most dangerous episode of the race?
Matt:
Lapped traffic was one of my main worries this race. I could tell when I was behind Nikolay that it seriously harmed him, and there were so many times he lost time because of awkward positions he caught lapped cars in! I just tried to be as clear as I could with my moves, and luckily it paid off. I did have one moment where I had to overtake 2 cars that were within a second on the track who were battling for position, and after I had overtaken them I saw explosions in the mirror and suddenly received a 4x, but luckily it was just netcode so no harm done!
Undiecar: There are many new names in the results table now, some of them joined the series in the middle of the previous season. You are always a strong championship contender. Who in your opinion are drivers to be aware of?
Matt:
Nikolay IMO is the strongest undiecar driver, certainly in terms of stats. I’ve also seen crazy speed from Olivier, Jack Godden, Sam and Henry Bennett. I think it’s going to be a very tough season
Undiecar: You participated in the Daytona24 event couple of weeks ago. How was it and how did it make you faster as a Dallara driver?
Matt:
I wouldn’t say it helped much, if at all. The merc gt3 is a very different beast and I had been driving it for a long time before I drove the Indycar, so it was much easier for me to settle into and drive without crashing all the time! I think just getting used to the Indycar and its violent ways over a few seasons has helped me the most, along with a huge dose of luck!
Undiecar: Thank you for your answers and we wish you all the best for the season to come! See you in Phoenix!
Nikolay Ladushkin – 2nd place, pole position.
Undiecar: Nikolay, you got a pole, you were leading the race, creating a gap and… boom! What happened there? Why did you spin out and lose more than 12 seconds?
Niko:
Well, it wasn’t that comfortable as it may sound from your description. I couldn’t run away from Matt, and he was putting some constant pressure on me. But my spin still was stupid and all my fault. Matt made a little mistake and I managed to create a 1.5 seconds gap. I decided to push before my pit stop and was going for an amazing lap (about 1:08.4-5). I wanted to complete it and pushed the throttle pedal in the last corner just a bit too early and too hard, and spun immediately. Matt flew by, and I had to sit there and wait till some of the lapped guys pass me safely. I came back and pushed for the remainder of the race, but couldn’t close the gap he created. All I’m trying to say, Matt was being humble by saying he got lucky. He was amazing. He was fast, consistent and got a totally deserved win.
Undiecar: Last season you had some technical difficulties that made you skip 4 races. Did you manage to get over it?
Niko:
Pretty much. I had many problems with my connection, and then my wheel died. But thanks to Racing Joy Motorsports I bought a new wheel to compete in Daytona24. So it’s all OK for now. Locked and loaded, ready for new challenges!
Undiecar: What do you think of your championship chances for this season?
Niko:
I think it’s too early to tell because one race doesn’t show you the whole picture. There are new guys from another series like Sam Douqa or Alvaro Sanchez or John Garrett who are definitely fast and can fight for winning races and the whole season. There are guys like Olivier, Matt, Ryan, Jelle or Michael, who are always fast and consistent too. All I can say for now is that I hope for a season with closer results. Like in S3, when it all came down to the very last race of the very last round. And I hope that I’ll be up there in the main battle.
Undiecar: What are your plans for the Team Championship?
Niko:
They’re not realistic 🙂 . Jake Conway is a perfect teammate but since he doesn’t have time to compete this season, I’m all alone and don’t stand a chance against ‘Soiled Undies‘ and ‘Tiburon Racing‘. I’ll be happy to find a teammate though, so if you want to join ‘Rabid Squirrels’ just let me know!
Undiecar: Ok, Niko, thank you.
Olivier Dean – 3rd place, 4th place in qualification.
Undiecar: Olivier, you are starting this season being the reigning champion. Does it boost your confidence? How does it help you or bother you?
Olivier: Bwoah… No, nothing really changed. I still wanted to finish on the podium in this first race so that the “rookies” of this season respected me in next races.
Undiecar: You seemed to have a pretty quiet race. No real challenge behind you, Matt and Niko running away in front. Did it feel the same way from inside of the cockpit? What do you think was the most challenging moment of your race?
Olivier: It was a race where I could not hope to get the victory, so I was already happy to leave p4 at the start… I made a small mistake that cost me a slowdown and I dropped to the 6th position, it was the most difficult time to keep calm and go back… A while later I was back 3rd and had to face the return of Henry Bennett who was faster than me (0.5s / lap) but once he almost caught me waited and made a mistake followed by the second one and it gave me a pretty relaxed finishing stint.
Undiecar: What do you think of the next stage (Phoenix Roval)? Did you race this track in any other series? What do you think is the key ingredient to success there?
Olivier: I hope to expect a circuit similar to Charlotte road that suits me better with fast curves, I don’t remember racing there… I think it will be necessary for me to train there before the practice session of the race to at least have a good knowledge of braking points.
Undiecar: This season we have a lot of various racing formats. What do you think of the longer race format like we had here at Laguna Seca? What do you prefer: two shorter races or a single longer one?
Olivier: 2 races generate more adrenaline and I like it slightly more… but the championship is very interesting as it is now and I know we will always find opportunities to make it better in future.
Undiecar: The last lap of the race started a controversial discussion on the Henry Bennett’s move against Jelle Verstraeten. What do you think judges should do? Was this overtake legal? Who is to blame?
Olivier: I haven’t discussed it with Jelle yet, but I really hope that Undiecar officials can make a wise decision on this episode. It’s pretty obvious if you ask me.
Undiecar: Thank you, Olivier! Hope you have a great season ahead of you.
You can see the results of the race on the event page. Make sure to check out Jelle Verstraeten’s video footage from the Season 5 opener.
Stay tuned for more interviews, insights, and footage!