London, 22 February, 2010
I am coming back!
You are right, dear friends. It is legitimate from you guys to think: “What is
he doing, first he retires and then he comes back”?
It is true, about 16 months ago I announced my retirement. It seems like
yesterday. All the questions, the doubts, the uncertainties I had about
what to do and which direction to take. Big decision. I re-read, carefully,
what I wrote at the time and here is how it started: “Laguna Seca will be
my last race with an Audi prototype… Now I have to deal with my
“incurable” passion and enthusiasm that wants me to continue racing.”
So, I didn’t really say it was my last race, period! Inside I probably knew
that it would have been too difficult for me to stop altogether.
I love racing too much and although my new role as a Brand Ambassador
for Audi is very interesting and rewarding, it doesn’t fulfill my passion for
racing and my love for sportscars.
When I received the call from Drayson Racing, it didn’t take long for me to
realize that it was a great opportunity.
I received so much from racing; success, enjoyment, thrill, unforgettable
moments. The last 37 years of my life have been just…”a dream”. My
shelf is full of trophies, but that is not what I am racing for. I race for the
hard-to-describe feelings that you get while trying to drive a race car as
close to perfection as possible on the attempt to achieve the best result
for you, your team and all the people behind you.
This is what turns me on!
And this is what I’m expecting: to do the best possible job for the given
situation. I like to go home after a race with no regrets; besides the result
achieved, I want to have no doubts that there was nothing I could have
done to make it better. This is for me a great racing week end!
Driving for Drayson Racing will probably be a different dimension of
racing for me compared to what I am used to, and I am facing it with a lot
of enthusiasm and with an open mind.
The feelings that a prototype can give you are unique. It seems like
yesterday when I was driving the final laps in Laguna Seca 2008 of what
was going to be my last race in a prototype, I was enjoying every single
meter of the race track and in the same time I had tears inside my helmet!
Fortunately I drove most of my career for works teams. Both Team Joest
and Champion Racing have been like family for me. A bunch of extremely
competent and motivated people trying to do the best possible job. I am
expecting the same from Drayson Racing with the difference that there
will be less spare parts sitting in their garage and less people in their
computer room!
I am really looking forward to racing again in Sebring, Le Mans, Laguna
and Petit and to meet again the many fans which have been supporting
me so much in the past years.
I would like to thank Audi for giving me the permission to drive for Drayson
Racing.
One thing I learnt from life and I want to share it with you is: follow your
emotions and your passions. Failure is better than regret!
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