As the famous movie characters for the new year go to the bath, so WTCC drivers, accompanied by a series of management and VIPs on Friday after the free practice going in the tent the organizers at Happy Hour. Visit free, dress — too. Someone comes «branded» under the command of someone to «citizen.» When on the road there is someone from the family, they are also included in the number of guests. Light snacks and soft drinks. Important in this event — communication. Also optional riders can speak with personal invitations to journalists and «necessary» to the correspondent of the official television broadcaster.
In Slovakia, I was lucky to be among admitted to «personas.» According to organizers, similar to a regular event — a rarity among major international competitions. Why «Happy Hour» — probably because everyone is happy: the race has not started yet and the losers, and no discussion of the race drivers. Generally in the WTCC reigns a very positive atmosphere. No, of course, there are clashes after the end of the race, like last season, agreed to a verbal battle the current pilots of Lada Sport Rosneft Gabriele Tarquini and Hugo Volan. Tom Coronel of private Roal Motorsport team loves to splash out emotions. Even Yvan Muller is sometimes very harsh. But, as said already this season Gabriele Tarquini, conflict episodes, in theory, should not be made public. As a rule, the incident is exhausted in just a dozen minutes. Nobody drags hostility from stage to stage. This is the opinion of the Italian pilot, a veteran of motorsport and world touring. With regard to personal feelings, I can say with confidence that none of the boxes are not «hanging» negative. If you do not interfere, you will never run. Choose a minute, ask a question — do you have to answer. Very high degree of pathos in the last two seasons differed «Citroen Racing». This year, their arrogance just began to wane. Maybe because the group supports their cars last season. At the two-time champions boxes quiet, deserted
... Even photographers there, while in the pits of other teams in the allowed time a crowd of guests and press.
At the time, «Harmony» has left very suddenly with his longtime driver James Thompson.
And at the end of last season, Rob Huff moved to the «Honda» on their own initiative. I asked ladovtsev: «Well, you Rob...» The team was told that Rob relations were very good, but James Thompson, who suddenly appeared in this year as a pilot team of Rene Munnich, come, greet, communicate. These are the «Happy moments». In fact, it is a credit to the pilots and touring, and commands, and the series as a whole.
On the «Happy Hour» we did not come all the pilots, but most. Yvan Muller almost no one spoke. He sat at the table and paid attention to your loved ones. But others actively «hung out». Dutch Tom Coronel and Nick Katsburg communicated to his «Datca».
Rob Huff sat for a while at the bar, and then somewhere evaporated.
Several riders took part in the testing of 3D glasses, which demonstrated fare on the route Slovakia Ring in the first person. And it is the «face» could turn his head, and, depending on this, changed direction and vision. Tom Coronel said that it would be better to install cameras on the race car, rather than a safety-square, as did home device.
The event invited the pilots junior series — Eurocup touring the ETCC — Ulrike Krafft to award a special prize for his achievements. Little Ulrike looked quite funny tall among the pilots, but there was, it seems, is happy paying attention.
Only pilots Syan Racing Team, acting on the Volvo, there were mansions. They came, said hello, but that all communication ends. As explained to me later informed people, Swedish pilots — beginners in international competitions, so it happened. It seems not very well turned out. But the Swedes, apparently, do not take the initiative. They only long enough about something talked with WTCC promoter Francois Ribeiro. But later in the main race of the weekend Ted Bёrk came fourth, not bad for beginners, which was carried out in just the second race of Slovakia.
Recently, social networks dispersed picture, where almost all of the riders, «Formula 1» of the year plotona photographed together for the meal. Comments were filled with phrases like «How great is that they eat together like this.» Besides the «Formula 1» a huge number of small and big championships, where a similar picture would have gone unnoticed. Well, that such that all pilots come together not at the briefing, and for your meal? Last year, the head of the FIA, Jean Todt, visiting Moscow Raceway track during step the WTCC, journalists complained that few reports on the race «Formula-1», but all the attention to the processes taking place around. Of course, if no one dared to say that when there is almost no race as such, and to write that it is necessary, that there are all sorts of stories, sometimes not the most attractive from an ethical point of view. Conflict of Tarquini and Volan also tried to inflate the scale of world news, but there are all the «meat» was quickly eaten, and now drivers all speak together as a team, and I can say that talk is absolutely normal.
In general, the WTCC, of course, is not devoid of sports and racing incidents off the track, but they either quickly blown away, or do not come to the surface — the popularity of touring can not be compared with the untwisted «Formula 1». Yet such vnegonochnoe semi-official «pre-party» definitely deserves the right to life. And, again, the press get positive points and what tend organizers Series.
Photo: author
