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work in lower tier categories like Formula 3
or even in karting. In that kind of
environment the young mechanic can
quickly learn to perform simple tasks in a
determined amount of time, and to listen
the driver and engineer. If the mechanic is
good and really has a passion - both
elements are essential! - he will quickly be
noticed by the GP2 or F1 teams because the
drivers or engineers moving to the upper
categories will definitely remember him».
It's not necessary to be drivers or
mechanics to experience the emotion of
racing. From race stewards to track
directors, what are the other figures
involved in racing?
«First of all, we must remember that every
profession require adequate preparation.
Especially in Motor Racing. The Motor Racing
community is so small that amateurs are
quickly discovered and removed because a
true sporting spirit and some real honesty
are required. Among the other figures
needed in Motor Racing, in addition to
drivers, engineers of mechanics, there are
the companies that design and build the
tracks, the suppliers of technical material
(helmets, shoes, suits, steering wheel,
timing and management softwares for
gearboxes and clutches...) the suppliers of
sensors, tires, shocks, fuel cells, brakes and
radiators. There are even materials
engineers for the supply of special steel and
carbon fiber and telecommunication
engineers. And the list could go on and on».
Let's move to a delicate subject. A
driver's parents can be a resource but
also an obstacle in a career. What have
you experienced on this matter?
«…See the same as for managers. Parents
push their sons and aspiring drivers to
satisfy the parent's desires more than their
own. And it happens that someone suddenly
refuses to continue in the same career of a
father of a grandfather: for example, let's
look at the son of Damon Hill and nephew
of Graham Hill, who decided to retire. On
the other hand, there have been some
different and bright examples. Graham
Rahal raced Indy cars for rival teams of his
father's. I've seen a father and a son race
one against the other like Mario and
Michael Andretti, and in recent times
Michael and Marco. I want to remember the
wise words of Khalil Gibran, author of "The
Prophet". "You are the bows from which
your children as living arrows are sent
forth. The archer sees the mark upon the
path of the infinite, and He bends you with
His might that His arrows may go swift and
far.
Let your bending in the Archer’s hand be for
gladness; For even as He loves the arrow
that flies, so He loves also the bow that is
stable".
Let's try to walk a mile in a fan's shoes.
Can you give some suggestions to
spectators in order to increase the level
of their competence and learn how to
evaluate a race, a driver, a team's
performance in a more attentive way,
less supporter-like and more like an
insider? Are there some tricks that can
help to decrypt a race from outside the
pits or cockpit?
«In the end, it's the generic and passive
spectators who pay the bills and that's why
they have the right to understand. They
don't deserve to be fascinated with images
and enchanted with words by occasional
commentators that describe live situation
they don't even understand themselves. The
active and passionate fan goes way beyond
that and breathes the smell of racing, the
fuel, the rubber, the hot metal. The
passionate fan arrives in Indy at sunset to
absorb the bitter smell of the new day, when
drivers and mechanics get ready to fight in
front of 500.000 spectators».
Last but not least, a philosophical
question. Do you think men act in the
same way on-track and in everyday's
life, or motosport accentuate our strong
and weak points?
«Great people, when seen very close, seem
usually deformed in their passions and
character. Yes, the racing arena reveals the
truth behind a man. Biante, one of the Seen
Wise Men of ancient Greece said "if you
really want to know a person, put him on a
stage". In modern language we would say,
"tell me how you use power, and I will tell
you who you are"».
