Interview with Carlos Alberto Reutemann

11/27/2013: First part of the interview to Carlos Reutemann Carlos Alberto Reutemann, argentinean F1 driver The swimmingpool All ready to receive the argentinean with the checkered flag. The Rascasse turn, last 300 metres, the argentinean is approaching to the Rascasse turn. Atention Argentina, atention! Argentina Televisor Color and this Grand Prix of Monaco for the argentinean! The applauses in advance! He will win. He won! Won Carlos Alberto Reutemann! Final, finally! Well Carlos! Here are hugs! Won Carlos Alberto Reutemann! You continue, please. WINNER: CARLOS REUTEMANN Well, here we are in a new interview for A Toda Velocidad and this time we are with Carlos Alberto Reutemann. Very, very good afternoon! Hi, how are you? Well, thank you very much for let us doing this interview to you. And the question, the first question, is: if we gave you a time machine to go back in time, in what car and in what circuit you like to see yourself? Well, through my trajectory, we would say... I had satisfactions with many types of cars. At every moment... at every moment I had satisfactions for example when I ran the Fiat 1500, I had satisfactions when I ran a Turismo de Carretera´s Falcon. I´m talking about many years ago. In Huayra prototypes from year ´68 wich were very good. In a Fiat VWA from the Automóvil Club Argentino that was a Formula 2 which was very good too. Later we made a qualifying with some Brabhams from a Magazine called Automundo. In a qualifying to choose 6 drivers to run an international season. and I drove a Brabham BT 15 that are some here in Argentina that have some collectors, that were like riding a bicycle. So throught all the years I always always had many satisfactions with cars in general. If I had to pick one that i like to sit and drive again, would be the 1981´s Williams at Monza circuit. That would be a really impressive, very good car. That would be that race you would like to relieve? We would say that was a very important qualifying of Italian 1981´s Grand Prix that later the race was complicated because it started to drizzle and were cars that had little downforce, but hey, were cars that went really well. Okey, Carlos, our program talks about real and virtual racing. We have a league where we compete virtually through racing simulators and wanted to know if you had tried any simulator, if you were sitting in a chair in front of a monitor, if you had tried it, what do you think of this discipline? Yes, I was in the Williams, in (Dicor?), about 3 years ago approximately a day I went to visit Frank Williams. And well, at one point Frank Williams said "Come here that we will show you something". And we go down in an elevator and arrived to a place that was a shocking place, that was a place as from another scale, something like a futurology set, future, a very strange thing, and there was the simulator. Were you surprised really. Yeah, when I saw all the equipment, all the number of monitors, all that was there, it called my attention a lot. And well, at one point says Frank "Well, there´s the monocoque,sit down". Well, so, I sat on the carbon fiber monocoque. They begun to move it, move it forward like this and, well. I put on the belts; put on the gloves; everything and then he tells me "And what circuit do you want to drive?" And I said "Well, Montecarlo." And indeed, they put Montecarlo on the screen and I was in the line of Montecarlo, in first... in the line where... in Princesse Grace that is the avenue that is being passed on the main straight, where is the boxes straight. And, nothing, well, he says "Start, start and go." And it was. So, just like the cars exactly start; you put 1st, everything exactly the same and you began to run at montecarlo with an Formula 1. And you start to accelerate and you start to feel the same way, the braking, the force from back, exactly the same. and is where current formula 1 drivers train. Exactly... And although it is a world with which you are very familiar, you seemed something strange or new or ... New, yes. Because I am from another generation. That´s is I see that the drivers today have much reliance on electronics. Even when you see the confidence the young guys, boys at 10, 12, 14 years old have with the games they have. With the Play Station and all that it shows clearly that the drivers of this generation, the current generation pilots of all categories, have much to do with that. The Formula 1 may be is the maximum because the number of electronic control it have is really infinite. That is, if one sees the races will see many devices electronic control of the car, from different parts of the car, engines, exhausts, etc.., which is unlimited. Then you have ..., linking with modern electronics is remarkable. All Right. Well, now you were going to ask about the "Green hell". Our program .... in 1975 you won in the long Nürburgring... Nürburgring ... long ... ... ask what can you tell us about that '75 race in Nürburgring, what you remember of that victory ... Yes, the long Nürbrurgring was circuit, very, very shocking , right? There are 22 kilometers long, has 174 turns. And they , uh..., we would say to learn to see, to know the secrets of each curve, it takes time, right? It takes a long time. The more one run in the circuit , the better. The first impact I had was from doing it in tourism cars to know it, I 'm talking about many years before race it, and then sit in formula cars because much changed height. Then so much changed the perspective of vision. Then from the touring cars from a height looked one way and then when we went up to the cars of Formula 2 and Formula 1 , significantly changed the perspective of vision. And memorize 174 curves was too important and then had a characteristic that until kilometer 12 we steped down the too complicated Adenauer for example, it was a complicated issue. After that it we step up, it came the Karussell. And after the Karussell, beginning the returning, say to the pits, from kilometer 13 or so and were 10 kilometers every time steping down very fast corners , isn´t it? If you would have to choose the cutest sector of Nürburgring... would be Flugplatz, would be Adenauer Forst, would be Klostertal, perhaps the Karussell? Each has its own, isn´t it? Each has its own, has ... very shocking turns, right? Turns very shocking, none is a similar to the other, are all of different characteristics. For example there was ... Adenauer downhill; Adenauer Bridge for example, had a turn were 3 in one and ends in a chican...., a return, and you had to makeyourself an straight in the middle of the three turns for brake in straight line. It has a number of things ... I unfortunately lost a race in that sector in hands of Mr. Hernán Destéfanis, I lost a race in exactly this sector. The car lost its tail there .. , and well, I ended up against the guard rails. But hey, it's virtual history. Well, there we listen to Tonga and the next question is, you were present at Niki Lauda´s accident in the championship where was a fight between him and James Hunt. You was there and this resulted in your move to Ferrari. Tell us how was the accident and later... Yeah, in fact, in fact, um ... I came late. When I reach the Lauda´s accident, I arrived late. Because I was eh, pretty behind them and I did not arrived at this moment ... In fact, the accident occurred and I had just passed, so take me long to get to where the accident had occurred. So pretty much when I arrived, it was almost all over. So, I arrived at 7 minutes or so. And then, well Lauda had that accident so shocking, isn´t? And from that the Nürburgring put it in discussion about the issue of security. Because it was very long, and if you had to come up with the security, and especially fire, there was a lot of fire at the time, was very difficult to arrive fast around the 22 kilometers. You had to have firemen every 300, 400 meters or less and to have in 22 kilometers one each... 3, 4 firemen every 200 , 300 meters is complicated ... then the structure become very complicated. So cause Lauda´s accident, I think Nürburgring came into discussion because you could not get time to rescue . It's not like now that there are no more accidents, there were many accidents before. Well, you shared the track with great drivers at a time when it was crowded with good drivers and great talents of motorsport. Who do you remember most? Who was the pilot who impressed you within a track? Yeah, actually generally whos reaching Formula 1, we can say, are very little group in the world. Think that arrives 20; 22; 18 racing drivers in the entire world. So, its for a very close group. And generally, those that arrives in general are all very good drivers. Superlative drivers, would say, that appears from time to time, some off charts... For example at the time I was racing was for example Rindt, who also was killed, that was an "off the charts", was very good pilot. Stewart won 3 world championships, I not saw Clark race, Jim Clark, but it was also another off charts. Then in general, in general, those whos usually reached Formula 1, were from very good to superlatives. Well Carlos, in your time, you were considered the best Formula 1 tester, you reached to be the best tester. Where do you feel that? In your hands? ... This is the end of the first half. But to make you go anticipating the second part, we leave the greeting from Facu Regalia to Carlos Reutemann. Are you right? Because I talked to your dad a long time ago. And the other day had he been here in Argentina, and nothing... talked to him and we chatted a while and then he left. I had called him to Spain before your last race, but hey, so I hope that when you see him you give greetings from me and I wish all wil go good. Well come on, I´ll send Lole. You are... it was a pleasure chatting with you, eh! Well, I'm glad. And I congratulate you on all you got as a pilot for Argentina. Oh, yeah. That was many years ago. Long ago was that. Yes, it was long ago. Now, now changed everything, is a different world. Yes, yes. Actually yes. You are absolutely right. Che, Lole, I.. I... I take the liberty to... to... to try to meet with you or could you tell me when I could have an appointment with you to chat and meet you in person. No problem Facu. At your order, we combine or I talk to your dad and we combine, I have no objection. OK, perfect. If not... or if you want to give me a number or something like to call and ask for a meeting. Well. I now ask your number to the boys and we combine. OK, OK. Thank you very much. Lole, a pleasure, eh! Well, very friendly, thanks. A hug. OK, a big hug. Will continue. ("At Full Speed")