Yahoo Autos McConnell, X44 team hit reset with dominant Extreme E win
The prospect of two trips to Sardinia in a single year is a dream scenario. For Fraser McConnell however, it was something of a nightmare.
The Mediterranean Island seemingly cursed McConnell, teammate Cristina Gutierrez, and their X44 Vida Carbon Racing team. For the first three of four Island X Prix races this year, the team didn’t make it to the Final once, but on Sunday, the curse was finally broken with not only a Final appearance, but a dominant victory in it as well.
“To end the Sardinia tour on a high like this, it just shows we can do it,” McConnell told RACER. “The X44 Vida Carbon Racing team have all put 100% into this program, Carlin has come onboard to give technical support as well, and I feel like a monkey’s off my back.
“I felt like this place was cursed for me and I couldn’t do anything on Saturday, I felt a bit lost — we were one of the fastest cars, winning the race in Heat 1, and then the car broke down, a penalty in Q1, then into the Redemption Race and a broken car in the first corner. It felt like it was never going to end.”
Despite that feeling, the team and McConnell knew what they had in their arsenal, and knew that a mix of luck and execution would be key to banishing the demons.
“I spoke to the team manager Stephanie (Travers) and said, ‘What do we need to change? Something clearly needs to change because it’s not going good.’ She said, ‘Frazzz, don’t change, you’re doing amazing, just keep doing what you’re doing — your luck has to change because you’ve been fast and have been smart in the car, so don’t change anything.’
“So we executed the game plan without any bad luck or mistakes on our end and that’s what you need to win a race weekend here.”
After all the bad breaks, victory in Sardinia was particularly sweet for Fraser McConnell, Cristina Gutierrez and the X44 Vida Carbon Racing team. Sam Bagnall/Motorsport Images
McConnell put the team in a position to win after a blinding start in the final. With multi-world champions Sebastien Loeb and Johan Kristoffersson fighting for position on the charge to the first corner, McConnell grabbed the initiative, sweeping round the outside to take an assertive lead after the first Waypoint. It was a lead the team wouldn’t come close to relinquishing.
“I didn’t care who was beside me,” insisted McConnell. “Starting beside Seb Loeb, he was one of my heroes growing up, but that makes it even sweeter to beat someone like that — everyone here is so dominant on their day.”
But aside from placing the car in the right place, McConnell said setup changes, as well as the new start line location for last weekend’s races, also helped X44 capitalize.
“The starts were clearly in our favor with this new setup and with the new track layout, and we took advantage of it,” he said. “When you find something that works, you have to really abuse it in this series because it’s so tight and everyone is so good. If you think you’ve found a little advantage, you need to squeeze everything out of it.”
Much like the skies over Sardinia, the clouds over X44’s season have now parted, and McConnell is keen to carry that momentum into the final two rounds in Chile in December
“I love Chile! Love the track in Chile, the mines, the drive from the hotel to the track is a little long, but the view that you get on the way is pretty spectacular,” McConnell said. “I’m looking forward to it.
“Unfortunately, we’re not in the championship position that I’d have liked to contribute to the X44 team, but we’re going to make the best of every situation we get and try to continue this run. The goal is a threepeat from now with the two events in Chile.”
