The young Quebec driver did not miss his entrance in the Champ Car Atlantic series by signing an impressive victory on his first weekend in Portland. Motivated by this unexpected result, the Brooks Team has reserved the Gingerman Raceway in Michigan to allow Kevin to continue his adaptation to the single-seater car and thus to acquire more experience. The goal of these tests is also to develop a good relationship between the driver and the team.

Communication is a very important factor if a team wants to be successful. The Brooks engineer was very impressed by the quality of Kevin's feedback in order to improve the car's setup during the first race weekend.

"We made good decisions in Portland regarding the car setup, says Kevin. It was very competitive, but it was only one race, will we be able to repeat what we had in Portland? Ponder the young driver. We have to realize that we had luck in Portland. We only tested two days before the race, which is clearly insufficient to control all the technical aspects of a single-seater and, nonetheless, we managed to bring a very competitive car to the track. We are still in a learning period and this week's testing will allow us to find out which level we're at right now."

"It's good that I can get back on the track before the Cleveland race, adds the young man. It is important to be at the wheel in order to better understand the car. We will be able to explore different solutions to optimize the setups. This way, if we arrive on a race weekend where it doesn't go very well with the setups we anticipated, we will have other options that will allow us to try and improve the car's handling."



Pressure?
In every level Kevin went through, he had to deal with pressure. After his Portland win, we could believe that it should release some of the pressure from his shoulders, not at all. This victory in Portland has the opposite effect, the expectations are even greater for the Quebec driver.

"I've always had to deal with pressure and it stimulates me in order to perform well. For my start in Champ Car Atlantic in Portland, I had a secret goal, which was to finish in front of some drivers. I wanted to prove to everyone that I had my place here, in Atlantic, and that I didn't deserve to stay home and watch the races on tv. It is this kind of pressure that pushes me to the limit… Pressure? Bring it on, I can take it!" says Kevin laughing.

We often say that champions are condemned to win… It is the case for Kevin. While certain drivers have a budget to "buy" a race seat, Kevin can only count on his raw talent.


Next race

Kevin will discover a new racetrack: Cleveland. It is a very particular racetrack as it is built on an airport runway. The track offers large run-off areas, but the biggest drivers' problem is to find reference marks in the breaking areas.

"I've never been to Cleveland, nor on a similar track, however, I adapt fairly quickly to the new tracks, declare Kevin." Questioned about his goals for the next race, Kevin answers: "For this third race, I do not set any personal goals, I'm still on the learning curve. I do not want to set my Portland win as a reference point, everything went well and it was maybe a bit… too easy! When everything turns in your favor during a whole weekend, you become unbeatable. To be realistic, let's say that a top 5 in Cleveland would be a good result and a podium would be fantastic", concludes Kevin.

Since his brilliant win in Portland, the Quebec driver has been very sought after by the media. "It hasn't stop for the whole week, confided Kevin. It was non-stop, we received invitations from media from almost everywhere and I had to go, its part of the job of a race car driver. I'm starting to feel comfortable in interviews, but the place where I'm starting feel very comfortable is behind the wheel of a race car. That's I love to find myself the most."

The team from OnRoule.ca will follow this week's testing and will keep you up to date.