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Little did Libia Roldán and Pablo Montoya know that again on September twentieth 1975, their new child, Juan Pablo Montoya, would turn out to be the hero of a rustic. A little bit boy whose ardour for racing introduced him to System 1 within the early 2000s. The time zone distinction was not an excuse for the Colombians to comply with their most profitable driver within the pinnacle of motorsport. His identify crammed headlines, he grew to become the picture of the most well-liked nationwide manufacturers, and his face would hold in youngsters’ rooms. He spent six years in F1, which made him well-known worldwide, and he proved that there are nonetheless information to be damaged outdoors of System One.
As he handed his mid-forties, the Colombian retains being a driver and embarks on a brand new journey, the European Series Le Mans with the DragonSpeed USA group alongside his son, Sebastián Montoya. We sat with the Bogota-born driver to debate this new chapter in his in depth profession.
Welcome to Barcelona, Juan Pablo. Please inform us what it’s prefer to be racing alongside your son in the identical group.
I don’t see Sebastian as my son right here however extra as my teammate; we deal with him equally. There aren’t any privileges. Final yr he did three races with us, and this yr he’s doing the entire season. We race collectively, and it’s nice enjoyable.
What did you get pleasure from most about this competitors?
Undoubtedly, having the ability to share the races with my son is implausible. I additionally just like the environment we’ve on the group, and it’s very enjoyable and easy-going.
How do you put together for these lengthy races?
I prepare rather a lot within the fitness center, however I’m additionally used to it. I’ve been doing this my complete life. For my son, these races are tremendous simple as he’s used to the F3 automobile, which is way more bodily and sooner, so that is simpler for him.
General it’s good enjoyable; nevertheless, it’s additionally a bit tough as a result of you’ll want to share the automobile with the opposite three drivers, and all of us must be completely happy and agree on sure issues for the group’s profit.
As you talked about, right here you share the automobile with three different drivers, but additionally, with greater than 40 automobiles on monitor, how do you handle all that visitors?
In these circumstances, you must be good however, on the similar time, extra aggressive. In any other case, it’s possible you’ll find yourself dropping loads of time in visitors. It’s the identical if you happen to crash into somebody, so it’s about discovering the proper stability between being progressive and aggressive, and generally it’s laborious to achieve that time.
And relating to technique, how does the group profit out of your experience?
I believe I add loads of technical experience to the group as I’ve obtained loads of expertise. I work rather a lot in the course of the weekend, however we don’t discuss a lot outdoors the race weekends. Final yr within the US, I was concerned rather a lot within the automobile’s setup. I’m not obsessed or choosy a couple of specific side of the car. The circuits and the tyres are totally different, and we should adapt. We, as a group, goal to seek out consistency as a result of we do loads of laps throughout these races, so we have to settle for that generally we gained’t really feel comfy within the automobile.
You’ve taken half in an important number of motorsport competitions. Are you able to inform us one thing you want and dislike about them?
It’s fairly laborious to inform. Each class has its issues; relying on the context, you might even see it pretty much as good or dangerous. System 1 is seen because the objective for each driver, and it ought to be like that, however have a look at me. I left F1 as a result of I obtained bored there. Due to this fact, I do suppose it will depend on the context. Nonetheless, I like System 1 these days, although. Automobiles are way more totally different, the competitors has modified rather a lot, and I believe it’s a lot better for the present. Alternatively, I’m uncertain if I’d’ve loved this period greater than the one I skilled.
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Barcelona welcomed the Colombian driver with open arms, and a whole bunch of followers waited for a signed autograph and an image with the System 1 legend. On the Catalonia Circuit, Montoya noticed, as soon as once more, that his identify was removed from being forgotten.
After a discreet first race, the American group awaits Le Castellet, the second spherical of a class that retains on difficult younger and skilled drivers.
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