Gabriele Tarquini aiming for home podium “for his fan club”

Gabriele Tarquini announced his retirement from racing at his home race at Adria. The driver from Giulianova in Italy took the decision after his most recent win at Aragòn in Spain, while also citing his qualifying struggles and a general steady dip of his motivation as reasons why he will stop.

“I took the decision after my win in Aragòn”, said the Italian to TouringCarTimes.

“I have to say that in general I struggled a bit too much in qualifying lately, and honestly in this championship it is all about qualifying, once you get that wrong you are in trouble. There’s also a little bit of a dip in my motivation, so it was time to call it a day.”

Reflecting on his career, the former world champion cites his titles as the best moments:

“Obviously when I think of my best moments in the sport there was nothing like my two world titles, they were definitely the best moments of my sporting life,” said Tarquini.

As for the toughest time in his career, Tarquini recalls being fired by Honda in 2015 as the most difficult time, but also a pivotal moment in the rebirth of his career:

“When I was fired by Honda in 2015 it was after the last race of the season, and honestly I think they thought it was the end of my career. That is when a bit of ego and pride crept in, I wanted to prove them wrong and honestly I was lucky that Lada at the time decided to bet on me, as there was no question I was a bit of age by then. After that I obviously started working with Hyundai, which became like a family and gave me a wonderful chance to prove myself again.”

With two races still left in the season, the Italian’s goal is to take a podium in his home race to thank his fans for their continued support throughout his career, actually citing them as one of the reasons why he continued for such a long time.

“There are so many people coming from my home town of Giulianova this weekend, including the mayor and most of the city council. They are all part of a huge fan club, they followed me all around the world and were definitely one of the driving forces behind my motivation. I want to score a podium this weekend for them as a way to thank them for their unbelievable support.”

When asked about his favourite car from his career, Tarquini once again proved how much he enjoys developing cars, which he may continue to do in the future:

“Of course the best car is the latest, so I will always say the Elantra TCR. She is a daughter of mine, just like the i30 N TCR, and I had a fantastic time developing them. I’m talking to Hyundai to stay within the family and perhaps be a test driver for them. I enjoyed my time at Hyundai and I believe I can still be helpful by offering my experience.”