Blog
Szymon Ladniak provided an interview for us. How is he happy with 2020 season? And what is his plans for this year? That and also much more you can learn from this interview.
Szymon, you completed your premiere season in TCR Eastern Europe last year. You finished 11th in the overall standings with 24 points. How are you happy with 2020 season?
The 2020 season was a really big challenge for me. I was ill during the half of the season and I didn´t have a chance to prepare. I was also rookie so many things were new. But at the end, I’m happy about my pace, especially from the end of the season. I would like to add that I had the same amount of points as the 10th driver (Carol Wittke – editorial note) in the championship.
In the previous years, you raced especially with Renault Clio car. How difficult was the transition from Renault Clio car to TCR car for you?
The main difference is in aerodynamic packet. The faster you go, the more grip you have – it sounds easily but it was difficult to understand it. TCR car has also more things to set up. And also the most important thing is power. You simply have much more horse power and it gives you more fun on straights. There are many differences, but finally, it was not so difficult as I thought.
What was your biggest problem when you got used to TCR car?
As I said in previous question, I needed time to understand how the car with aerodynamic packet behaves, especially in fast corners. But apart from this thing, other things went more easily.
Szymon Ladniak took his best result in 2020 TCR Eastern Europe season in last race at Hungaroring – he finished 5th.
Your teammate was Jáchym Galáš at GT2 Motorsport team. He achieved the title of vice-champion in 2019 season and finished third in 2020. In both seasons, he became the Junior champion. Did the cooperation with a such fast driver help you in some way? How was the coopeation with him?
We had a big mutual respect and we’ve always tried to help each other on the track and privately like teammates. It’s good to have such an experienced driver like Jáchym because it’s easier to make a good set up for car so it’s helpful. But obviously, the second car in your team is a car which you want to beat first.
But we won´t see Jáchym in GT2 Motorsport during 2021 season. He will race with Hyundai i30 N TCR car of ACCR Czech Talent Team. What did you expect from him? Do you think that he can challenge also Dušan Borković (if he will return to TCR Eastern Europe) with the same car and win the title?
It’s difficult to say, but I think he’ll be quick because he’s just a fast driver. Maybe he will have a chance to fight with Dušan. But we need to remember Dušan has a Hyundai support. We will see. I’m fully concentrated on myself.
But what´s your plans for 2021 season? Will we see you again in TCR Eastern Europe? And if so, will you continue with GT2 Motorsport or will you race for some other team?
For sure, I’ll continue my journey with GT2 Motorsport, but I’m not really sure about racing series. I’m talking to my sponsors. We’ll choose soon.
What do you think about TCR Eastern Europe? How do you evaluate this series as a championship?
TCR Eastern Europe develops and it is really visible. There are more drivers and more new cars. The level of competition is high and I really enjoyed racing here.
