(12/12/2006)

Ni Amorim talks straight

Ni Amorim raced in the 2005 season of the Le Mans Endurance Series, a championship in which he was not as fortunate as the 2004 British GT Championship. However, the driver from Porto knows that every year is different and hopes to return to his good results in 2006.

It was with these expectations in mind that he spoke in an interview about the past and about his sporting future.

Ni Amorim Interview

1. How do you weigh up the season?

It was not a positive year, except for the experience I gained which could be useful for the future. At least I hope so.

2. What expectations did you have at the outset and what objectives did you have in mind?

Sincerely, my expectations were high as the team I chose has a long honours list and has even won Le Mans so my objective was to fight for the title. However, things didn’t go my way.

3. As your results fell short of what you wanted, can you say you’re disappointed?

In a way, yes, as I worked hard in the winter to develop the car together with the team and this didn’t lead to good results.

4. What was it that went wrong?

The engine’s reliability was our only problem. In terms of the chassis we were always competitive and I am in no doubt that we would have been very happy if the engine had collaborated.

5. What lessons can be learned from this season?

That appearances can deceive! In theory we had a good engine, good tyres, a good chassis and good technicians, or rather everything looking good and in the end things did not go well. In terms of the engine we had the official involvement of Mechacrome which, as you know, has already been responsible for Renault’s F1 engines.

6. In view of what happened, do you still think that this was the best option?

The future is in God’s hands and I can capitalise on this experience in the future.

7. What were your other options and what were your reasons for the choice that you made?

I wanted to race with prototypes and I had only done so once with a manufacturer’s team. This experience with Oreca fascinated me although at the time I could have opted for Scuderia Itália with a 550 Maranello. It would have been easier to set up the project. But nothing ventured, nothing gained…

8. What was the best moment in the year?

Without a doubt it was the second place in the SPA 1000 km and my driving sections in Nurburgring when I was the fastest on the track.

9. And the worst?

My part in the Le Mans 24 Hours. We pulled out very early on, which was a shame as in theory we were well prepared with the promise of a reliable engine with a good performance.

10. What are your plans for 2006?

There are a number of opportunities but it is still too soon to decide. New championships are appearing in Europe which could be a possibility. Nevertheless to have another shot at the ELMES was something I would not mind doing. As I would also like to better my performance for this year.

Three questions to Ni Amorim

1. What you think about this year, in competitive terms?

"This year isn't quite good. Because, in five races, my best place was a 5th place. This is obviously less than my expectations in the beginning of the Championship."

2.Talking now about the future, do you believe that the Saleen could be enough developed for future fights to the victory? And the team Graham Nash Motorsport really corresponds to your expectations?

"I'm sure yes! The car is quite good, with a very balanced chassis and very impressive aerodinamically. Probably we need more tests e better tyres, what means more than 1 second by lap - and, of course, more competitiveness. I believe that the car is finally reliable and, with a new 7 litres capacity engine, more powerful, we are in good shape and, of course, in the good way for better results. Who knows, may be a position in the first three...

About the team Graham Nash Motorsport, was a good team, is true. But they are racing mostly in national GT championships. So, the FIA GT Championship was clearly a very difficult and demanding challenge and, at the time, my team is simply adaptating herself, in good shape, to this new challenge."

3. Really the Saleen is competitve enough to fight for better results? In your opinion, what is the best car in the championship?

"The car is really competitive. However, we need works very hard to explore all is great potential. In my opinion, the best car in the championship was the Ferrari 550 Maranello."