final drive - Mundo Motorizado

PicS: lAt ARcHive
FINAL DRIVE
race OF MY LIFe
andrea chiesa
■ Mexican GP ■ Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez ■ March 22, 1992 ■ Fondmetal GR01 ■ Scraping onto the grid
Wedged into tiny Gr01, Chiesa
fends off Stefano Modena’s Jordan
making my first f1 start
was a dream but getting into the
race had been a nightmare.
The Fondmetal GR01 chassis
was quite competitive in 1991 when
Gabriele Rumi bought the team
from Enzo Osella. But by 1992
when I joined the team it was not
so quick. The biggest problem was
that the cockpit was so tiny.
To make it worse, at the start of
1992 the FIA started a rule that the
pedals had to be behind the front
axle. So there was some space but I
just couldn’t use it. Crazy. At least
the new GR02 car was coming after
three races, or at least that was
what Signor Rumi told me!
Going into qualifying we were
really up against it because the
team had to change the engine. The
mechanics were working frantically
but it was not possible to get
everything ready until halfway
through the qualifying session. So,
I got in the car and flew out of the
pitlane – no speed limit in those
days! I went up through the gears,
down the long straight and when I
got to the first corner the throttle
was wide open still. Luckily there
was a lot of grass at the exit of the
first corner and I was able to stop
before I hit anything.
86 autosport.com January 31 2013
“The lap came from a very deep anger within me. When
I got out of the car all the mechanics lifted me out
and threw me in the air and cheered. It was fantastic”
At this stage there was 20
minutes to go in qualifying and
my adrenalin levels were out of
control. I ripped the seat out of the
cockpit and started running back
up the side of the track to the
pitlane. Well, I can tell you that it
was the best work-out I have ever
had! Over one kilometre with
overalls and helmet on, running
IN PROFILE
like crazy in 85-degree heat at
massive altitude and with all that
air pollution, too. I got back to the
pits and was close to a heart attack.
The mechanics had seen me
running back and got the T-car
ready, but it was set up for
[team-mate Gabriele] Tarquini
who has much shorter legs than
me. I threw my seat in and they
runner-up In THe 1987 ITaLIan
Formula 3 Championship,
Milan-born Swiss Andrea Chiesa
spent four seasons in the FIA
Formula 3000 series, winning
at Sicilian venue Enna-Pergusa
for Roni Motorsport in 1989
before claiming two second-place
finishes the following season.
He competed in three grands prix
for Fondmetal (Mexico, Spain
and France) during 1992 before
turning to sportscars. More
recently, Chiesa, now 48, has
raced in International Superstars.
did the belts up. It was crazy, like
when you are a kid in a toy car.
To this day I do not know how
I made it into the race but I
qualified in 23rd position. The
lap came from a very deep anger
within me and it worked. When I
got out of the car in parc ferme all
the mechanics lifted me out and
threw me up in the air and cheered.
It was a fantastic feeling.
Lining up on the grid the next
day was a tremendous experience
and there I was making my grand
prix debut. The race itself was good
but I spun on lap 37, mainly due to
the cramp I got in my legs because
of the lack of room in the cockpit.
Of course those three races that
Signor Rumi promised in the GR01
became seven! When I finally got
into the GR02 at Magny-Cours,
[Mauricio] Gugelmin pushed me
off on the first lap and the chassis
was destroyed. That was the end
of racing for me in F1 because I
was forced back in to the GR01 for
Silverstone and Hockenheim and
there was no chance of getting it
on the grid again. But I will never
forget my first GP, especially what
it took to get there.
Andrea Chiesa was talking to
Sam Smith