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WTCC Marrakech
Valente frustrated with Tarquini over "stupid" collision
Hugo Valente was critical of his Lada Sport teammate Gabriele Tarquini after the pair came to blows yet again in Morocco.
Edited: May 9, 2016, 3:12 PM
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When the former was still a Campos Racing driver and the latter represented Honda, Valente and Tarquini had a big public spat last year at Shanghai after making contract on track.
Joining forces at Lada in 2016, the duo have already collided at Paul Ricard and in Slovakia and have now added contact in Morocco to the list.
Valente and Tarquini came together on the fifth lap of the main Marrakech race, the Italian sliding his Lada Vesta WTCC to the outside on exit of Turn 1 and closing the door on the twin car driven by the Frenchman.
After the race, Valente vented his frustrations with the move.
"I outbraked myself at Turn 1 and missed the first apex," Valente admitted.
"I knew he was going to be on the inside and so I elected not to take my normal line again, otherwise we would have made contact earlier.
"At the exit he just closed the line and I was as close as I could be to the wall, but we still touched."
Valente reckoned that Tarquini should make an effort to avoid colliding with his teammates.
"He is a bit too aggressive, especially with teammates, because he had gained the position already, he was faster and there were 17 laps left," Valente said. "He could have passed me later."
"That move was a bit stupid, because I had to brake at the exit of the corner, otherwise I would have sent him into the wall and that would have been race over for both of us.
"It's a bit silly, but that's the way he is and has always been, it's not just with me but with everyone."
"It's the way you need to be, you have to be like a dog on track, I'm not saying it's the wrong attitude, but he could take it easier with tea-mates.
"I didn't speak to him because I was sick, but there was not much to talk about. We spoke after Paul Ricard, then Slovakiaring, and nothing changed, so there is no point, it's always going to be the same."
Tarquini: Valente should have conceded the spot
Tarquini, meanwhile, had a different view of the incident, saying Valente should have let him through.
"Hugo went wide at Turn 1, of course I was accelerating from the inside and I squeezed him a little bit to the wall," he said.
"The point is that, when you see a team-mate is much quicker than you, you shouldn't compete with him. At least that is my philosophy and education. A teammate is not the first opponent to beat.
"The performance difference is clear from inside the car - if I were in his place I would have let him through.
"I understand he is young, it's normal he has this kind of reaction, but honestly I don't think I did anything wrong. Had he not run wide there, I would have probably lost a lot of time behind him.
"I had a chance and I took it, of course he had the wall on the right. Of course I had power understeer, but had I not accelerated that much, I would have stayed behind him."
When told about Valente's view on the incident, Tarquini said he does not agree with the Frenchman's accusations.
"I don't think it was an aggressive move. When I made a mistake with him at Le Castellet I apologised to him. I don't think this or the Slovakiaring clash were anything aggressive."
Pietro Casillo / TouringCarTimes
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