Polish racing driver Robert Kubica tested the Mercedes AMG C-Coupé at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo today. After the life threatening accident in Ronde di Andora rally driving a Super 2000 spec Skoda Fabia through which the crash barrier penetrated and nearly severed his arm, Kubica made a successful return to competitive racing in September 2012 when he won the Ronde Gomitolo Di Lana rally in a WRC car.
Kubica said “My first day of testing in a DTM car was great fun and I learned a lot about the series and the DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé. The first installation lap was in the dry, then a few heavy showers of rain came down and we had to wait for the track to dry out. All in all, it was a good experience, getting to know the car in different weather conditions. I was able to get to grips with the DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé and felt very comfortable in the car, even though after my long break it meant adjusting to the high downforce that a state-of-the art DTM race car produces. I’m very pleased with my performance on this first day of DTM testing and had no problems whatsoever in the car.”
Robert Kubica has said that he looks forward to returning to Formula 1 and the Valencia test might well be the first stepping stone. The Mercedes AMG C Coupe with its high downforce will give Kubica a taste of a ‘proper’ racing car on tarmac. “I’m really pleased that Mercedes-Benz is giving me the opportunity to test their DTM car and I’m looking forward to getting acclimatised to a race car again. It will be in proper testing conditions, on a permanent circuit, and it’s important because the DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé has good levels of downforce.” he said yesterday.
Kubica also adds that the future isn’t clear yet. “It’s still too early to make any statements about my future because of this one test. I’m just looking forward to tomorrow and we’ll see what happens after that.” he added.
Robert Kubica has also made it clear that after the numerous surgeries, the issue is not the strength of his arm, but the rotational movement needed to handle the wheel in confined spaces. “The bigger problem is the limitation in the supination and pronation of the arm and the limited functionality in my fingers” he said.
