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Derani debrief: prologue done; Next stop - Silverstone

It was a quiet test in some respects for Derani and G-Drive Racing.

#28 G-Drive Racing Ligier JS P2 Nissan: Gustavo Yacaman, Pipo Derani, Ricardo Gonzalez

#28 G-Drive Racing Ligier JS P2 Nissan: Gustavo Yacaman, Pipo Derani, Ricardo Gonzalez

Adrenal Media

Pipo Derani
#28 G-Drive Racing Ligier JS P2 Nissan: Gustavo Yacaman, Pipo Derani, Ricardo Gonzalez
#28 G-Drive Racing Ligier JS P2 Nissan: Gustavo Yacaman, Pipo Derani, Ricardo Gonzalez
#28 G-Drive Racing Ligier JS P2 Nissan: Gustavo Yacaman, Pipo Derani, Ricardo Gonzalez
Pipo Derani
Gustavo Yacaman
Press conference for the North American WEC drivers: Ricardo Gonzalez

Pipo Derani is getting set to make his WEC debut aboard the No.28 G-Drive Racing Ligier-Nissan at Silverstone in two weeks’ time. The Brazilian sat down with Motorsport.com's Sam Smith after the test last weekend to discuss preparations and his aim for the season ahead in LMP2.

“We managed to put together a good programme at the Prologue test despite some limited track time for us last week,” said Derani. “We tested a good range of technical possibilities throughout the laps we did and got some useful feedback which means we go in to the first WEC race at Silverstone with quiet confidence.

It was a quiet test though in some respects for Derani and G-Drive Racing, as long-term the team were thinking about what might benefit them later in the season.

“The main reason we limited the track running is that we have a confirmed strategy on our engine which means we will have a fresh unit for Le Mans,” confirmed Derani. “We even sat out the first two sessions because of the strong wind and the fact we didn’t want to put too many miles on the engine.”

Derani only completed a handful of laps during the test but his pace was impressive, as he peaked on a 1m48.607 in the night session during the first day.

“It was very difficult to see the comparison between our Ligier and the new ORECA for example, but at the end of the day we were not there to be the quickest,” stated the 21 year-old Paulista. “We were there to see what we need to analyse for Silverstone and in the end we think we have some very good pace and we know the promise is there.

“The real pleasing aspect of the test was that the three of us; Gustavo (Yacaman), Ricardo (Gonzalez) and I continued to build our relationship together and there is a nice feeling inside the team. It was the first on this track for Gustavo and he only had a few laps on old rubber before he went on to the new Dunlops we will use this year. He did really well and set the best time in the session on Sunday, but as I say it was really not worth analysing the times too closely at this stage.”

Derani is now getting his head down in to the data as he prepares for more time in France with the team ahead of travelling to the UK next week.

“I will go to the teams’ headquarters in Le Mans and we will analyse all the data from the test. There will be a lot of preparation ahead of Silverstone but the G-Drive team and everyone at Oak Racing and Onroak are very impressive and meticulous in their details. We will make sure we are ready to go for it to our maximum, not just for Silverstone but for the whole WEC season.”

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