Super way to start
NEW Gold Coast resident Simona De Silvestro has told her brigade of fans they can expect better in 2018 after making a deliberate play to steer clear of other motorsport forms in the off-season.
Many Supercars competitors try to keep their eye in during the break, whether it is by taking driver coaching sessions as Cameron Waters did or by racing GT machinery in the Bathurst 12 Hour.
For De Silvestro, it was all about not breaking habits that had taken the best part of her rookie year to develop.
The big, heavy Supercar is a vast change from the light open-wheelers she has spent much of her career driving in IndyCar and Formula E.
“Driving-wise, I really adapted pretty good towards the end of the season to these cars,” De Silvestro said.
“I didn’t really want to drive anything else because they are pretty finicky and it kind of felt like I got in a good groove and really understood it.
“For this season, it just gives you a little bit more confidence starting off like that.”
The Nissan No.78 driver instead spent time back in her native Switzerland, catching up with friends and family and preparing for her move north from Melbourne.
It was the beach lifestyle that in part lured De Silvestro to Supercars and the Gold Coast will deliver that, even if it has been a rocky start on the weather front since her move last week ahead of the season-opener in Adelaide this weekend.
Raw numbers say 2017 was a tough campaign for the 29year-old but she believes better is in store this season having proven herself more than capable at last start in Newcastle in November.