FIA GT Championship

Planetlemans talks to Xavier Maassen

© Planetlemans - Gerlach Delissen

Former World Series by Renault driver Xavier Maassen will make his debut in the FIA GT Championship this year. Maassen will race for the Selleslagh Racing Team, joining Christophe Bouchut in a Corvette C6.R. Planetlemans talked to Xavier about his upcoming season.

PLM – Last year you competed in the Renault Formula 3.5, tell us about your experience;

XM – Last year was a difficult one for me. I had quite a competitive car, to fight my way into the top ten of the championship, but things didn’t really worked out as planned. Minor difficulties and some bad luck turned my season into a slight disappointment.

PLM – Were you able to enjoy the season, due to this struggle?

XM – Yes, of course. Last year certainly had some highlights for me. Racing in Monaco was great and has always been a dream. Next to Monaco I always enjoy racing at my favorite circuit in Spa-Francorchamps were we I was very competitive.

PLM – This year you’re making the switch from Formula- to GT-racing, how come?

XM – Over the winter we sat together with some experts, to talk about my future plans and possibilities. A lot of options crossed my mind; another year in World Series, DTM, FIA GT or LMS. The goal towards F1 is very hard to achieve. So that’s why I had to be honest to myself and had to set new goals for the future. FIA GT has shown to be a very competitive and spectacular Championship in the last couple of years with a lot of potential for the future (GT1 etc.). That’s why FIA GT was the best choice for me.

PLM – Where do your future goals lead to then?

XM – My biggest goal would be to gain a seat in a factoryteam, in GT or endurance racing. Having the possibility to compete in major championships and finally win the 24 hours of Le Mans.

PLM – This year you’ll be driving for the SRT team. How did you two come together?

XM – As I set my goal for FIA GT, I had an appointment with Stephane Ratel of SRO. We talked about some possible options for me and arranged some meetings with possible teams. Due to that we had meetings with some of the major teams. We also had an appointment with Patrick Selleslagh of SRT to talk about the possibilities. This was a very nice conversation, which had an immediate click for both parties. After this we sorted out the necessary contractual things and the deal was made.

PLM – What’s your first impression of the Selleslagh team?

XM – Comparing it to the other top-teams in FIA GT, SRT is a small, but very professional team that has proven its strength over the last seasons. They have a acquired a lot of experience with the Corvette cars thru the years which gives me a good feeling that we can be looking forward to a strong season.

PLM – You’ll be sharing your seat with Christophe Bouchut, an icon in FIA GT. What’s it like having him as teammate?

XM – Up till now we only worked together during a few test sessions. This went really well. Christophe has a lot of experience in GT racing and I believe that I can learn a lot from him and work closely together, to achieve the best results.

© Planetlemans - Gerlach Delissen

PLM – Can you give a brief report about the test sessions in Monza?

XM – Monza was my first acquaintance with the C6.R. Coming out of a World Series and stepping into a GT racer, is quite a change and not only because of the roof above my head. In the beginning I had to get used to the view from the cockpit. The chassis around you, needed a little adaption, but I got used to that after completing a few laps. At the end of the sessions I was able to set about the same lap times as Bouchut did. This surprised the team as well as myself. The C6.R is a very well engineered car with a great balance, which gives the driver a lot of confidence driving it. The car made it possible to adapt real soon and be competitive. In the end of the day we even set the best time overall.

PLM – Must be great for SRT to have two fast drivers?

XM – For SRT and also Bouchut it was quite a surprise, my speed at Monza. Being fast in a formula car, doesn’t mean you’re fast in a GT car. Fortunately the car suited me and made it able for me to get this result during the tests. But, let’s wait and see till after the first race in Silverstone.

PLM – The new season is about to start, what are you looking forward to, the most?

XM – That will of course be the 24 hours of Spa-Francorchamps. It’s great to take part in one of the most famous endurance races. I love this circuit and am hoping to welcome a lot of my fans over there. Apart of the 24 hours in Spa, there’s Oschersleben and Zolder where I also look forward to. These circuits mean something special to me.

PLM – What do you expect for the first race in Silverstone?

XM – Silverstone will be the first benchmark for this season. At first the teams goal for Silverstone was a top five finish, but after being quick during testing, we will be fighting for a podium. We’ll do our best to be in front of our competition.

PLM – Which teams do you expect to be strong this year?

XM – Last year’s top teams will have a good package for this year too, thinking of for example Vitaphone Racing and Jetalliance who will all be very strong. Let’s not forget about the Phoenix Carsport Racing, competing with a Corvette as well.

PLM – And what are the SRT goals for the entire season?

XM – In beginning we set goal for podium finishes. Depending on the results we will try to compete for the overall championship win. This all might be too premature, let’s wait and see for the first few races.

PLM – Next to achieving the goals you just mentioned, do you have some other plans this year?

XM – Well….. I’m talking to a few teams to try to get a seat for the 24 hours of Le Mans, this June. It would be a dream come true, taking part in the world’s greatest 24 hour race. Nevertheless, most of the teams have completed their line-up, so we’ll see.

PLM – Xavier, we wish you a lot of success for the upcoming season, and like to thank you for the interview.

XM – Thank you!

The first FIA GT race of this season will be held on April 20th at the Silverstone circuit.