Season Review 2021 – A New Challenge for Jean-Claude Saada

As Saada himself admits, the first race in the new car had its challenges. The Sonoma circuit had not been on the Challenge calendar since 2016, which represented his only prior experience at the circuit. “It was a pretty steep hill.  Sonoma could have been a lot better, but it was the basis for a progression”. From there, the team visited some of the most famous tracks in the country, with Saada’s confidence and comfort in the car growing each round. “By the time I got to VIR I was definitely more comfortable in the car. It’s a process. You need seat time and instruction to gain the experience”.

To that end, Saada has surrounded himself with the best. The team is none other than AF Corse, and Jean-Claude credits them and his coach, Conrad Grunewald, as critical ingredients to their success: “AF Corse doesn’t need an introduction from me.  I can see why AF Corse is so successful overseas.  It was a perfect marriage. And Conrad is someone where you can give him four tires and a rubber band and he’d make a race car out of it. He’s very analytical and very precise and we blend together very well”.

Looking to the future, Saada won’t close any doors, but has a clear-eyed perspective on what the future holds. “I’m a gentleman driver and I don’t have anything to prove.  I have 488 GT Modificata coming and I want to have the most fun with that car because it’s the GT3 on steroids. I need to be quote un-quote the master of this car as much as I can before I say I’m ready for Le Mans or Spa”.