16 / 34
16
WORLD AND LIFE
TCR CHAMPIONS 2016
NEWS
HOME
DRIVERS TEAM
Roberto Colciago
by Dario Sala
By the end of 2010 he had stopped
racing. Five years later the name of
Roberto Colciago resurfaced. And
what a comeback it was! Eight race
wins, the TCR Italy title and a victory
in the TCR International Series at
Sepang.
Why did you decide to return to
racing after such a long break?
“To tell the truth, I wouldn’t have
taken that break. But for a number of
reasons the conditions to continue at
a good level were not there, which
pushed me to stop. However, I have
maintained a friendly relationship
with JAS, and one day Maurizio
Ambrogetti and Alessandro Mariani
told me they had a Civic TCR in 2015
specs that I could drive in some races.
It started like this, and eventually we
raced in the whole season instead…
”
A season that culminated with the
Italian title; did you expect such a
result?
“I would be lying by saying that I did
not expect to win at least some races.
I knew the car was good, because I
used to shake down the JAS-built cars
before they were delivered to
customers. And I also knew that I
would be working with professional
people. There were all the ingredients
to do well, so I focused on improving
my physical form as I haven’t raced
for some time. I was not sure I could
win the title, but I was confident I
could give it a go. Eventually we won
at the end of a season that was more
contested than it appeared.
”
Then you were given the opportunity
to take part in Sepang, and you
won?
“
Although I have followed the
development of the Civic TCR and
spent many hours at its wheel, I must
admit that Sepang was a totally
unexpected surprise. I was told by JAS
that there was a possibility to make
an appearance in the International
Series, but I did not think of Malaysia.
I left in a hurry the day after I had
clinched the Italian title, knowing that
Giancarlo Bruno would be my race
engineer, and he knows a great deal
about the Civic and the series. We had
a few issues in practice, but as we
know the car thoroughly we knew how
to solve them, and we were able to be
fast straight away. The level of the
International Series is much higher
compared to the Italian championship.