Daniele Cascardo has been the benchmark for pace in the last fbl season. But the title was denied to him in a heartbreaking way again. It’s clear we needed to talk!
FBL: Did you already digest the end of the Championship?
Daniele: In e-sports, like in life, nothing can be taken for granted. This is one of the biggest lessons that anyone needs to learn – sometimes at his own expenses. To answer the question, it hurts but I have already digested it and I’m super happy for my teammate.
FBL: You became second in the championship in season 1 because you were down on wins, now you were defeated by a point. What do you think of your season?
Daniele: Up and deep downs. Apart from Interlagos, I have reviewed three key moments of this season. Monza, totally my fault for lack of concentration, Canadian Motorsports and Brands Hatch where I could have easily won. Motivation to do better next season is there, and I will need to go through some changes in race approach and concentration.
FBL: How did you find your way into simracing?
Daniele: I’ve always been passionate for racing – since I was 5 years old. I lived near Imola Circuit and I was always there with one of my neighbors when free practice was allowed. Like most people, I started my adventure with a pad and Gran Turismo. Then, with first savings, I bought my first wheel: Logitech G25 and I started with Need for Speed Porsche 2000 (AKA Need for Speed Porsche Unleashed). I never stopped since then.
FBL: One tends to regard you as the Gilles Villeneuve of the FBL. Always pushing, never just managing pace. But statistics show you’ve also been the third cleanest driver of the season. How would you describe your approach on track?
Daniele: My approach is always emotional, and even if I’m leading a race I never manage the gap. This was one of my biggest mistakes so far. The other issue is relative to the data that I want to check during the race: gap, lap times, fuel consumption, pit stop strategy. This brings me in a dark area where I’m losing concentration and the error is there, since I’m quite always driving to the limit.
FBL: Have you been superfast from the beginning of your simracing career, or is there something you learned and can share with us, that may help increase our pace?
Daniele: I started 7 years ago with Mazda. Every car has it’s peculiarity and Radical is super fun, way more than a GT3. Radical suffers of some understeer. To compensate this issue it is necessary to slightly anticipate the turns, let her go and try some trail braking. Especially with trail braking I’m still practicing, since it’s not an easy technique.
FBL: We’ve seen you in trouble exiting the pits twice this season. What went through your mind when you weren’t moving for seconds at Interlagos?
Daniele: DAMN!!! Exit lap is critical and I know that…. But I still went on the throttle too early. Emotional approach… Immediately after, I went again in the pits to serve the 30 s penalty and I gave everything from that point on – with some other mistakes, of course that came from the willing to recover as much as possible.
FBL: Maybe you wouldn’t even have been in this situation if you did not miss the race at Nürburgring. What do you think about the next seasons having drop-weeks added to the regulations?
Daniele: At Nürburgring, most probably, I wouldn’t have won but I could have managed Nihad and probably with a different end. In any case, I don’t think that Nürburgring was crucial for the final result as explained above.
FBL: What do you think of the 90 Minute format in the fbl’s Radical Endurance Championship?
Daniele: I love it and we should maintain it.
FBL: Any changes in gear and equipment planned for the next season?
Daniele: Nope, I’m already with top notch equipment on both PC and simulation rig.
FBL: Is there a chance that we see you join the FBL-Racing-Team, when they get on track for Endurance Races?
Daniele: This is something that I’m seriously considering but I need to solve some issues because I definitely don’t want to ruin other people race but we need to talk more deeply on this.
FBL: Where can we meet you on track beside the fbl, and what cars do you take to the virtual track beside the Radical?
Daniele: At the moment I started Assetto Corsa Competizione on line and I suck… On iRacing mostly Radical, sometimes in fixed F3 and GT3 but in this period I have only few hours per week to run.
FBL: What’s your goal for the next season?
Daniele: Add consistency and Win.
DANIELE CASCARDO
Located: Bologna, Italy
Profession: Freelancer
Social Media: You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin