Newsgroup: it.sport.formula1.moderato
Titolo: [ENG] JPM in his own words

Juan Montoya In His Own Words
Juan Montoya talks about Ayrton, Michael, driver arguments, superstitions
and offers some F1 career advice.
He's Got A Scalextric Set
I'm not a luxury guy but I like all kinds of toys. For example, just before
the Brazilian GP I was shopping with my girlfriend and some friends. She was
looking at swimsuits and we suddenly saw a Scalextric set, which I bought so
that we could play with it in my hotel room. I saw it, so I bought it!
He's Not Allergic To Ferraris ...
I went through two Ferraris a 355 and a 360 when I was racing in the States.
A 355 was always my dream car.
... But He Won't Go To Maranello
I've never been attracted to driving for Ferrari in F1. One of my dreams has
always been to drive for Williams. I'm not saying Ferrari are ****, but
everything that goes up must come down, you know.
He Limits His Driver Friends
I get on with Rubens and I used to talk to Mika a little, but that's about
it. There's a lot of rivalry and the drivers' briefing is full of everyone
accusing everyone else of blocking them in qualifying and not looking in
their mirrors ... but I quite like some of the arguments, it's exciting.
He Has A Lot of Respect For Ayrton
Some of my earliest F1 memories are of watching Ayrton Senna on the TV
during the era when he first joined McLaren. I loved watching the way he
dealt with Alain Prost.
But Not For Michael
Ayrton was different to everyone else. Maybe some kids look at Michael the
way I looked at Ayrton, but I don't look at him that way. I had respect for
Ayrton, he was my hero. Michael is different. He's the best but he's not
unbeatable.
He's A Proud Colombian
My country means a lot to me. It's a great place and I really enjoy being
there. I feel very proud that I'm doing what I do for my country. The
percentage of people who follow the races just because I'm in them is
amazing. They get the races live on radio and TV and they all wake up at 2am
to watch the European grands prix. I hardly spend any time there now, but I
might live there when I'm 50 or so because it's a great place to live. I
still keep in touch with people back home in Colombia. My best mate, Felipe,
works for me there. We've done some bad things together in road cars - just
let your imagination roll and we've been there and done that. Let's just say
boys will be boys.
He Likes One Thing ...
I'm only here to do a job. And I don't mean this bull**** that I just want
to do well. It's about winning. Winning is everything.
Ovals Give Him The Fear
Ovals are real scary. The first time I drove one was an experience. When you
go into a corner on an oval you're going with it, leaning on the car, and
the car is shuddering underneath you. You don't want to over-commit because
you can't correct in the corner, put on opposite lock and get out of it,
like on a circuit. Alex Zanardi told me the secret is to always know where
your right tyre is.
He's Calm Till He Loses It
I don't really get scared. And it's not even the thrill of speed. Speed is
just something you get used to. It's just a reference number rather than a
feeling. If I'm about to lose it on the track, my heart doesn't even start
pounding. If I have lost it then it's a bit different because I know I'm
gonna hit something. I worry when that happens.
Juan's Career Advice
If it feels weird driving at 200mph then you're probably in the wrong job.
He Hangs To The Right
I'm not really superstitious but I always get into the car from the right
hand side. I don't care which side I get out, but always get in from the
right. My mechanic in 1994 Steve Levenson made me do it one time and I've
done it ever since.
He's Not Interested in 'Juan Montoya Superstar'
Let's be clear about this. I don't care about glamour and fame. That's for
other people, and they are usually people outside Formula 1. I'm here to
drice cars and win races.
His Career Low-Point
I messed up big time in Canada last year. After Monaco I wanted to prove the
point that I could go really quick. I wasn't thinking 'this race is 69 laps'
and I want to be there at the end. I wanted to make all the ground up in one
corner. It was the one time last year I was really annoyed with myself
because I made a stupid mistake.
How He Felt In Sepang
Before I heard about the penalty I was charging through the field. It was
very exciting at that point and I almost could not believe that I would have
to come in. One thing I do remember is that when I went into the pits I ran
past everyone's garage and kept thinking to myself - Jesus Christ, I've
passed him already, I've passed him already. There were a lot of people I
had overtaken and I knew I had to do it all over again.

 you can't correct in the corner, put on opposite lock and get out of it,
Ha imparato, finalmente ! Te l'avevo detto, e devo ancora mostrarti la
cassetta della gara in cui continuava a esagerare, e' finito due volte di fila in
controsterzo e Blundell e' rimasto praticamente sconvolto ...
Luca