Andros Trophy - F1 on ice with Villeneuve & Prost
This weekend saw the excitement of the Andros Trophy come to Val Thorens; a spectacular event in which top-class racing drivers hurl their vehicles round an ice track in the centre of resort.
Long popular with ex-Formula One racer Alain Prost, another famous name joined in the fun this weekend. F1 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve tried his hand in a Skoda Fabia, coming 12th on day one and 14th on day two, leaving him 10th overall once the scores had been compiled.
A keen skier, Villeneuve said that he likes “sports where there's plenty of sliding, skiing in particular... I've never driven on ice before, so it's all new to me!” He found the new technique to be a bit of a challenge though, noting that “It's nothing like the cars I'm used to driving. You come into the corners sideways or even in reverse! The more you slide the more you have to accelerate: it's exactly the opposite of what you do in a single-seater... On my very first outing I spent most of the time going wide and I ended up on the snowy parts of the track trying to find the limits and to understand what can happen if you go push too hard.”
Alain Prost has been a regular feature on the ice driving circuit for a number of years now and he aquitted himself extremely well this weekend, coming 3rd on day one and 1st on day two in his Dacia Duster (apparently that's a type of car, not a cleaning appliance.)
Villeneuve is scheduled to compete in the upcoming Alpe d'Huez, Saint Dié and Super Besse rounds of the Andros Trophy and it sounds like the Canadian is determined to improve on his debut performance, “I'm happy with the way I've progressed and it was in the finals running mid-field that I learned the most. That way I was able to see how my main rivals were driving... However, being competitive is one thing, fighting at the front is another. From what I've learned, experience plays a major role in this type of racing, and that's what I've got to acquire first of all.”
You can catch Alain and Jacques at the next stage of the Andros Trophy in Alpe d'Huez on the 17th and 18th December.
