Ok.Quote:
Originally Posted by dimviii
Hayden asked me quite early after we started working together if I wanted to come to a test. I declined, because I said it was very important that we get the basic theory down first, and really work on that (which still is a work in progress, and will be for some time, even tough Hayden takes things in a lot faster than I expected.) I knew from previous experiences that it can be (understandably) difficult for a driver to take new things in, in regards to driving technique, on a test, because even tough its a test its still a high stress environment. And there are also different aspects on a test, because this is often the first time you meet the team, with mechanics, engineers, codriver etc, and that can also be a "risk" if it doesn't work out, and can be a strain to he future working partnership. And I also dont wont to be present at a test if I feel I am not making a contribution, then I would just feel in the way.
I met Hayden and John in the airport in Warsaw, and we drove a Hyundai i20 together down to the test area. This was the first time Hayden and me met in person, so that was nice. And it was also nice to meet John. They are very nice persons both of them, but you already knew that.
From a rally fans perspective, when you come to a hotel in the middle of nowhere where a lot of cars from the same brand are parked outside, your heart starts racing a bit because you know its something special going on. We arrived in the hotel quite late in the evening. So it was all about getting the key and going to sleep.
Morning after it was breakfast. Here I met Rui for the first time (Rui Francisco Soares.) He is Haydens trusted race engineer, and has been for many years. Rally is a team sport, and for Hayden Hyundai is off course the team. Here you have prob about 200 people all working in one form or another to win WRC rallies. Within a team, there is what I call the "micro team". This is often the driver, codriver and engineer, but can be a few more people depending on the driver and how he works. For me coming from the outside its off course very important to get along with the micro team, and you never know how open the race engineer is to accepting new people, new ideas etc.
Rui is a very nice guy, and I felt (hope he feels the same) that we got along really well. He welcomed me in to the team - and thats always a good way to start. In some instances my work can be a link between the engineer and the driver, and I felt that really went very well. (And again, I hope Hayden and Rui felt the same.)
Outside of the micro team you have the main team. And meeting the Hyundai team (test team) for the first time was also very interesting.
When you come to a place in the middle of nowhere in some countryside, and there is parked two big trucks, and there is a lot of persons all working very intensely on a rally car, and with all the crowds and things from a WRC rally taken away, its easy to throw the parallel to the military. It could just as well have been some special forces detail, with the driver and codriver being the sharp end. The logistics are very similar, and you get a sense of both urgency and serious intent.
Both the engineers and mechanics had some good "war stories" to tell from a long life in motorsport. Especially the engine engineer had worked on a lot of interesting projects up trough the years.
When the test starts, its all planned out very meticulously. Drivers work differently. Some drivers drive, then give feedback, and let the engineer(s) do the thinking. Hayden is very involved, so together with Rui he has a very detailed plan for the test (most detailed I have seen.) First day was Wednesday, and the test started at 8 o´clock. And every run was planned in regards to set up changes (the set up part I off course can not go in to). It was raining, and because of the sunny forecast I hadn't brought any rain gear, but it was something in Haydens driving I wanted to see from the outside, so I found a very good spot for it in the wet. This worked out very good. On the way back I wanted to see the same corner from behind, and knew there was a chance he maybe could throw some gravel in my direction. Well, lets say I underestimated that a little bit. I got completely covered in sandy, wet mud. But it was important, so it was worth it.
After some runs, first with John, and then Rui in the passenger seat, Hayden asked if I wanted to come. I had "warned" Hayden that it might be difficult for me to give any good feedback from the passenger seat because of the speed, and all the things that are happening. We took one run to acclimatise (he off course tested some changes on that run to), and then I was going to try to give some feedback. I had planed this a little beforehand, deciding on some simple words to use on corner entry and exit, and with some short comments on the straights. This actually worked very good, and what is most impressive is that Hayden is able to take it in and do changes on the trot. He has impressed me hugely in this respect all from the very beginning, but still does.
In regards to being passenger in a WRC car, its off course completely ridiculous.
The acceleration is very good, but the braking on gravel is such that your eyes feel like they are going to pop out of their sockets, your limbs are thrown forward, and you really feel the strain in your neck when you try to keep your helmet covered brain box from detaching from the rest of your carcass.
Compared to a "normal" rally car everything happens so much faster. So as soon as you have braked, the car is hurled around in an impossible rotation angle, and you are seeing the world from out the side window while you try to get to grips with what is keeping the car attached to the loose gravel road in that impossible speed. The grip is just unbelievable.
After the acclimatisation run, then the analytical part of the brain takes over, and you got to get in the "zone" or "flow" to be able to think fast enough to give any decent comments. For me - and I think its the same for many motorsport drivers and codrivers - it feels like the whole world is slowing down.
If it hadnt been like that, I think it would have been very difficult to have time to give any useful input. All tough its also on my part always room for improvement, this means we have another tool in our tool box in regards to moving forward towards Haydens world championship.
It was a two day test where both driver, codriver, engineers and mechanics all play their role. And its all about grinding away towards future goals. Hayden has - how should we put this - quite a decent work ethic. Wednesday the driving/testing started at 08.00. It went on all the way to 18.00 (thats when the road was opened for traffic), with just a short lunch brake. Then debrief and dinner on site. (A very nice Spanish guy that stood for the catering, he also had a long history in motorsports.) Back to the hotel. I was handed some onboards for analysing. Hayden went for a run. We met at 22.00 in the lounge to go trough the plan for the day after in regards to driving. This lasted to about 24.00. And then it was on it again the day after.
For me it was a very good experience, because I felt it clicked well with both the micro team and the general team, and that I was able to make some real contributions to Hayden (which is off course the most important things). Just what we are working on I am not going to disclose, but both Rui, Hayden and me worked together to get there, and when we were done (all tough you are off course never done) the adjustments was also very visible on the data, which for me is off course a good proof of concept. So all in all a very positive experience, I hope I get to repeat many times in the coming years.
On a side note: What is important for rally talents that are trying to make their way up the ranks to know, is that it isn't mainly the driving on a rally these guys get paid for, but the immense work they put in in between.
Ogier didn't just land on the top of the podium by chance, he worked very hard to get there, and the same is true with Hayden.
