Inside ARL
Inside ARL's fill-in reporter, Phillip McRakk, spoke to Aeden Maddok after his Silver Division victory in the special event at Barcelona on Saturday.
Phillip:
First of all, congratulations on your victory. First in the Silver Division and fifth overall. Your first win of the season, how does that feel?
Aeden:
Thank you Phil. Yeah, it feels good to have finally gotten the top spot on the podium. I've had a fairly strong start to the season by keeping my nose clean while keeping a fast pace. I'm surprised that I was able to take the win over
@SydViscus; he was incredibly fast in the race and during the practice sessions.
Phillip:
With that victory you've moved into first place in the Driver's Championship. Every point gained in this race will certainly be important this season as the Driver's and the Team Championships are looking very tight indeed. You had mentioned being surprised to beat
@SydViscus, to what do you credit to getting the victory in the Silver Division?
Aeden:
I think it all came down to the difference in pit strategies. I opted for the one-stop while
@SydViscus went for the two-stop. I haven't reviewed the lap times, but I think
@SydViscus was both faster and more consistent. I know he had at least one off, but I had a couple small offs myself. I think if he'd have opted for the one-stop, you'd be congratulating him on the win instead of me.
Phillip:
Several of your competitors have commented on the F1500; some seem to enjoy it while others loathe it. What is your opinion on the F1500?
Aeden:
It's certainly a unique car, that's for sure. When I got in the car for the first time and ran a few laps, I thought, "Oh no, this race is going to be a disaster!" The car kept trying to kill me! I had more offs and hit the walls I don't know how many times; I'm sure the team was getting sick and tired of putting the car back together.
@SydViscus and
@Stryker13 both gave me some helpful advice one day while we were all practicing that really helped me understand what I was doing wrong. After that, I really started to understand the car a lot better which helped me not only finish laps without incident, but to also improve my pace. The car becomes quite fun to drive once you convince it to stop trying to kill you... as often anyway...
Phillip:
There has been talk about the creation of a series based on the F1500. What do you think about that and would you be willing to be a part of that series?
Aeden:
I had heard that idea thrown around the paddock a bit. I must say I was surprised there weren't more spins and crashes during the race and the fans certainly seemed to love it, so I certainly think that such a series could be viable.
Phillip:
And would you be willing to join that series?
Aeden:
Yes, I think I would certainly be willing to join the series. However, it's a matter of finding the time and funding (aka: the wife's good graces) to run that car in another series.
Phillip:
I know you run in the ARL Endurance series on Tuesdays...
Aeden:
That's correct Phil, I've been running in the ARL Endurance series on Tuesday nights. I've also been running the SNAIL Spec series on Sunday nights. I've got full rides in those two as well as this series on Saturday nights.
I've been trying to run in a few other series, but the funding just hasn't been available on a reliable basis. I've had the most luck with the ARL Super GT series, but I don't quite have a full ride for that series yet. I'm also working on deals to run in the SNAIL Porsche Cup (Friday nights) where I had an event win the only event I was able to get funding for. I've also been working on getting funding for running in the ARL Beetle Cup (Wednesday nights), the ARL Vintage Series (Monday nights), the SNAIL Gr4 Michelin Pilot Cup (Friday nights), SNAIL Rider Cup (unknown schedule), SNAIL GReaddy Z Challenge (Monday nights), and the IRS Red Bull Global RallyCross Series (Saturday nights), but haven't been able to work out deals yet on those.
Phillip:
Wow, sounds like you've got a pretty full schedule. Does that mean that you wouldn't be able to work out a deal for the possible F1500 series?
Aeden:
No Phil, I think that a deal is possible, but is by no means a guarantee. There's a good chance to find some funding for a Thursday night series, but I don't know that I'd be able to work out a full ride. I might have to work with my sponsor to transfer funding from one series to another if it should fall on another night.
Phillip:
What do you think about the upcoming race at Red Bull Ring? It looks like there will definitely be rain in the forecast.
Aeden:
It's going to be interesting, that's for sure. I think clean racing will be a main point of concern during the driver's meeting. Red Bull Ring is well known for having corners where drivers will dive into some of the sharper corners. Since its looking like there's going to be rain, that will also contribute to making the race interesting.
Phillip:
Are you concerned about the rain?
Aeden:
Not really. I'm used to driving on slippery surfaces, but it will be fascinating to see how the ballast affects the cars and which cars will be able to handle the rain the best.
Phillip:
Thank you for your time, congratulations again on the victory, and good luck in the upcoming race.
