Bachler: Qualifying to Play Key Role to Detroit Success

Photo: Brett Farmer/IMSA

Klaus Bachler believes that qualifying will play a key role in the outcome of this weekend’s Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic, as the AO Racing driver seeks his third consecutive IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Pro class victory.

Bachler and defending class champion Laurin Heinrich, teamed with Alessio Picarello, won the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring before the Austrian-German duo recently coming out on top at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

They enter Saturday’s 100-minute contest on the downtown streets of Detroit with a 70-point lead over Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports’ Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims.

“I really love street circuits,” said Bachler. “I wish there would be more races on the streets. And it’s my first time in Detroit.

“Of course I will work a lot on the simulator. [The] good thing is that my teammate Laurin, he drove there, and the team was also there last year with the victory.

“For sure I’m feeling special to come back there. The only thing you can do is try for the same and have a look on the things the team did last year, like how the free practice goes into quali and the race and this is the only thing at the moment we can do.

“We also know that it’s a short weekend, so Friday is really busy with two free practices and quali. You need to bring it at some point, because there’s no room for any mistakes. Otherwise, the weekend can be over quite early.

“It will be difficult because I think qualifying and starting position is very important.”

When asked for AO’s approach into the weekend, Bachler said: “Just do the same as Laguna and Sebring.”

He added: I mean, just be fast, no mistakes, good strategy, but I don’t think it’s only the Fords which fight with us for the championship. I think there’s so many more other cars.

“And every weekend everybody has a chance to win and in the end, the point system in IMSA is that way that it will be really interesting on the last race at Petit and maybe the last hour at Petit.”

While being new to the Detroit course, Bachler’s first street race came in Porsche Carrera Cup Germany competition in 2012 at the Norising.

“It’s not like Detroit, but in the end, one small mistake destroys your weekend or at least in the race and something in the race,” he said.

“Every lap you get closer and closer to the limit and at one point you touch the wall.

“Honestly, I fell in love with it when I went to Monaco for Porsche Supercup. I have to say, the race itself is difficult to pass there. But in free practice or qualifying, you know you have to do… qualifying is the most important part of the weekend.

“If you do a solid start in the race, if you don’t hit the wall, everything is normally sorted. Hard to pass in Cup cars there.

“It’s where I fell in love with street courses.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John