John Falb – Racing at the Red Bull Ring

Q: How has the start of 2016 been for you?

“Silverstone was a great event for us.  We had very mixed conditions and it was a new track for me so a challenge to get up to speed.  We were on pace for a podium ‘til we had a bracket fail and set us to the garage for repairs.  We got the car back on track and collected some good data we were able to use in Imola. 

“Imola was a new track for all of us but we rolled off the truck with a good car that helped us get up to speed relatively quickly.  We started on the second row and we stayed on pace for a podium through the first half of the race.  The race ended for us just as the FCY came out and not the way I had hoped, but again we learned a lot.”

Q: What were the reasons for your choice to compete in the ELMS rather than a US based series?

“ELMS has a few key things that tipped the scales for me over IMSA.  First of all the budget is better with six 4 hour events, so total running time is much less, plus the driver requirements in LMP3 allows for more ways to split the budget and sponsorship dollars.  Time is a big factor. With 6 events I am able to handle the travel schedule much better even though I am generally going 5 or 6 times zones further away from Las Vegas.  Thirdly, the LMP3 platform is so awesome!  The fields are full and the competition is very tough.  These are proper race cars with a heated Michelin tyre that works really well over a 2 hour stint.”

Q: The podium finish at the Road To Le Mans must be pretty satisfying, especially in front of so many spectators.  What was the reason for racing alone rather than with Sean or Enzo?

Le Mans!  Wow, what a cool event.  This is another reason I wanted to do ELMS.  To be able to race on that iconic track is huge.  With every lap being precious I wanted as much track time as possible so doing the event solo was an easy decision since Sean and Enzo couldn’t make it happen.  I still can’t believe I was on the Le Mans podium spraying Champagne with thousands of fans.  Hopefully we can get a 2 hour race next year.”  

Q: Have you been to the Red Bull Ring before?  What are your thoughts on racing in Austria?

The only track on the ELMS calendar I have been to is Spa.   This is really a learning year for me and I have been doing a lot of time on the sim.  While Red Bull Ring looks simple on paper there is a lot of elevation changes that you can never appreciate until you actually drive it.  I am super excited to race on this historically significant F1 track and will be watching the F1 race there with a new perspective.”