Media Centre, Wuhan International Street Circuit, 18h30, 7 October 2018
 
In attendance:
Gordon Shedden, Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team, first position Race 3
Frédéric Vervisch, Audi Sport Team Comtoyou, second position Race 3
Denis Dupont, Audi Sport Team Comtoyou, third position Race 3
 
Q:
Gordon, your first victory in the championship after what I’d imagine were some of the hardest and most intense races you’ve experienced.
 
GS:
Yes, wins in the WTCR don’t come easy and today has been exactly that: trials and tribulations, ups and downs from a fantastic qualifying this morning to qualify on pole position and then get involved with somebody who hit me in Race 2 and broke the steering rack. The guys at WRT did an amazing job to replace the steering rack. I didn’t even think I’d make the grid to be able to start from pole position. Race 3 was very eventful, there was lots going on. Denis [Dupont] was exciting… but we made it to the end and it’s fantastic to get my first win and also to have two more Audis on the podium. It has been a fantastic day for the RS 3 Audis.
 
Q:
At that first corner you mentioned the driver sitting right next to you here. There was some contact. What actually happened and what did it do to the car?
 
GS:
Street circuits are notoriously tight and it’s obviously difficult to judge braking points, and I was determined to make sure I got to Turn 1 first. A little bit of contact – and a strange one later on when Denis clipped a tyre bundle and it threw it into the side of my car. It sounded crazy in the car, like a bomb had gone off. I’d never heard anything like it and didn’t have a clue what had happened. But the car survived and we made it to the end, and that’s all that matters. First win and I could not be happier.
 
Q:
Is it fair to say you have never been hit by a tyre bundle before?
 
GS:
It was just so strange because I had no idea what had happened, I was just minding my own business. The resonance was so loud it was deafening in the car – it was crazy.
 
Q:
Frédéric, still chasing that first WTCR OSCARO victory, and a sixth podium for you now. Could you have done anymore to beat Gordon?
 
FV:
First of all, congratulations to Gordon. I think he deserved his win, he’s had a difficult season and it’s good to see him up there with all the Audis, so congrats again. Congrats to Denis as well, who did a very good job, since last week, he found really good pace. We had all cars in the points and on podiums more or less, which is great. In Race 3 I think I had a bit more pace than Gordon – not a lot – but to find a clean overtaking [point] was quite difficult and I didn’t want to cause any unnecessary contact. I think I have to be happy with second. I was quite constant all weekend and hopefully I can have some more like that.
 
Q:
Denis, before last weekend you hadn’t scored a podium in this championship and now you have two. But your race looked a bit entertaining to watch on live TV. What was it like from your perspective?
 
DD:
It must have been a good show and I’m sorry for Gordon at first because it was not what we wanted. I hit the tyres after the long left and I didn’t want to hit him, so I went straight into the tyres that finally hit him! But the pace was really good at the beginning which is very positive. Better than Race 2 actually because the pace was not there, but we made changes and that was very positive.
 
Q:
The next race is Suzuka, a circuit many have not been to before. What do you think it could bring for you?
 
DD:
I think it should suit our Audis on the straights, but we will see also with the BoP and the compensation weights and so on. But Comtoyou has done a very good job and I’m pretty sure we will be as competitive as we can be. 

ENDS