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JD Motorsport, owned by Roberto
Cavallari and Alfredo Cappelletti, is one
of the most iconic teams of the series.
The two are respectively known a John's
and Dedo (that explains the team's
name) and they were able to fight at the
top end of the charts in a really
competitive environment like the
Formula Renault 2.0 ALPS. It's nothing
new though, as this is their favourite
playground, the one where they feel
stronger. Their team have always been
competitive as demonstrated by their
impressive roll of honour. Coming back
full-time to the ALPS championship this
season, the Piedmont-based operation
was back in the hunt for wins with
Matevos Isaakyan, a talented Russian
youngster who emerged as one of the
most dangerous rivals for Nyck de Vries
before settling for third place in
standings.
This is an obvious question. How does
your 2014 balance look like?
“Let's say that our season didn't start in
the best possible way given that we
missed the round at Imola for age issues
with our Russian driver. Then, it has
clearly been a positive season. We hit
the podium almost everywhere and we
also got a stunning double win in
Austria. We also had some bad luck as
happened in the races at Monza. But
definitely ending up third in the
championship with a rookie and after
missing two races can't really be
considered a negative outcome".
Also, you did this in a competitive
series like ALPS...
"We must not forget this aspect. At
Jerez, for example, we had a good
qualifying and were less than two tenths
of a second away from de Vries, but
then we were only fifth of our group and
tenth on the grid. It's well-known that
the ALPS championship, NEC and
Eurocup, are all very demanding and
competitive. I want to say one thing
though. If a driver wants to become the
best driver in the world, he has to battle
with the best. And under this particular
aspect, the Renault championship have
been the best possible choice for the
last 20 years. History says it all".
You've been back to the
championship full-time after making
other experiences. Are you satisfied?
“It's our first full season in the ALPS.
Last year, we only made part-time
appearances because our main program
was the NEC. We fought at the front end
Matevos Isaakyan
Roberto Cavallari