What you haven't yeen yet: Spain edition

2010. szeptember 23. 12:10 | még nem szólt hozzá senki.  szerző: Viktor Adorján

The European part of the 2010 FIA World Touring Car Championship came to its end in Valencia but the fact that this was the ultimate event this year on the Old Continent didn't affect the weekend so much. Check out the details that you haven't seen yet from Spain!

Setting up a bumper

Its late in the hour on Friday night when Norbert Michelisz's mechanics are discussing whether they should start to put on the blue FÓLIA onto the spare bumper for the SEAT Leon TDI or they should leave it for early Saturday morning. It is a tough choice as there is no solution only a little less bad but eventually they vote for doing it at night instead getting up earlier. Putting on the FÓLIA is really a task which is not worthy for these guys who are able to make a badly crashed car ready to race again in 20 minutes time but unfortunately it just part of the business. Just like other tasks that wouldn't be welcome by anybody but have to be done.

Because of this we should stop again and highlight the efforts these guys are doing sometimes in the front line and sometimes in the background to make the car and also its environment work over the course of the weekend.

Zengő greets the others

Team principal Zoltán Zengő greets the opponents on the grid before a decisive race in the SEAT Leon EuroCup. This gesture is something that Zengő has brought with himself from the days when he worked as the head of the circuit racing division of Hungarian motorsport federation (MNASZ) therefore every driver was some ways connected to him.

His attitude haven't changed much no matter that he is now running an operation in the highest level of touring car racing unlike a few years ago when he was on the grid of a Renault Clio Cup race in Hungary. The base and the spirit are the same and these relationships are essential to be built up in any kind of competitive environments.

Speed limit

Quite a few things are common on a racetrack and a public motorway but it is the speed limit at the pit entrance that is the same for sure. For safety reasons the speeding in the pitlane is strictly monitored, sometimes a little bit too strictly as Gábor Wéber's case proved on the qualification for the penultimate race of the SEAT Leon EuroCup in Valencia.

Wéber approached the pit entry faster than it would be allowed after the white line and the measurements indicated that he was speeding in the pitlane. The only problem was that data provided by SEAT Sport from the data logger of the car proved that by the time Wéber went across the line his car was under the limit and the measurement took place earlier than it should have. Stewards investigating the matter had to accept the argument and cancelled the case which was a relief for the whole team following a series of strict penalties that the drivers had to accept.

Inform him NOW

In some cases racing is all about speed and reactions and this is true not only for the drivers but for the team around them as well. A great example for that was Lap 2 of Race 1 of the SEAT Leon EuroCup when the team saw Michael Rossi driving his car into the gravel. It became immediately obvious that Gábor Wéber must be informed to stay out of any potential troubles from that point as since Rossi wasn't on the circuit anymore Wéber was not under pressure to perform, he only had to conserve his third place and score six valuable points to his account.

The only problem was that even before the race started Norbert Kiss checked the radio with Wéber but the Hungarian driver didn't respond which meant that the connection was lost between the parties. Therefore the only way to communicate with Wéber was the good old pitboard that none other than team principal Zoltán Zengő showed to one of his longest serving drivers.

Arena

The round before the field arrived to Valencia was held in Germany where the facility that hosted the race was known as Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. With our full respect we should note that if there is a place which is similar to an arena in terms of motorsport, it is Valencia especially when it is full of people. Sadly the WTCC clashed again with the calendar of the MotoGP that has got deeper roots in the country but as Norbert Michelisz pointed it, the races are mostly well attended on the Spanish circuit.

Valencia is nearly flat only minor ups and downs can be found in the layout which makes it perfect for the spectators who can follow the cars almost over the whole lap. It is quite unique, as much as it is hard to find a venue offering similar experiences for the fans possibly except the Hungaroring which is situated in a similarly fortunate geographical environment. Let's hope the Balatonring gets finished sometime in the future as it was inspired by the Circuit Ricardo Tormo.

Ready to help

A few minutes before the deadline to leave the pits the mechanics of SEAT Customer Technologies were still working very hard to make Marc Carol's petrol powered SEAT Leon ready to line up for the grid to participate on Race 2. At a point it seemed the mechanics were short of tools to work with then Zengő-Dension Team's team principal quickly grabbed a console full of tools and rolled it over to the neighborhood.

Zengő kept being available to help if needed instead heading to the grid and just like the others close to the situation, he too applauded the efforts of the mechanics. As Ildikó Szabó, CEO assistant of Zengő-Dension Team added, it was just like back in Brno when Norbert Michelisz's car had to be put together and SEAT mechanics joined the team to make it possible to race with the car.

And, we can add that this is the same spirit that powered Zengő years ago when a similar situation occurred in the Suzuki Swift Cup after a nasty crash.

Soldiers on the sideline

Previously we put emphasis on the role of the mechanics in this huge organization but we must not forget the people either who are working around the circuit all day long each day. The photo features fire marshalls wearing the mandatory uniforms despite the very warm conditions but credit also goes to everybody who are putting this world into motion starting from KSO's Marcelo Lotti until the guys taking the containers onto the right places in the paddock.

Without them racing simply wouldn't be possible as the stages need to be build to play on and while the drivers are pushing to reach the limit, several eyes have to keep them watching to be ready in case something goes wrong. Fortunately this year only a few accidents happened that needed quick reaction but just like the drivers, these people also need to have the edge whether there is a chilly fog in Germany or the sweating hot temperatures in Spain.

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