( 19/20-10-2.002) – (Valencia)

 

Inoportuna enfermedad

Una inoportuna enfermedad, una gastroenteritis virica ha mantenido durante cuatro dias a Antonio practicamente fuera de combate. En los entrenamientos del jueves solo completo 5 vueltas, en los del Viernes no disputo la primera tanda y salio en la segunda a verificar la puesta a punto del coche.

En los entrenamientos cronometrados esperaba a los diez ultimos minutos en ambas mangas, con gomas nuevas, para dar lo mejor de si mismo en las escasas cuatro vueltas que era capaz de dar antes de que su estado fisico le indicara que no era prudente dar ni una sola vuelta mas.

Y es que Antonio Garcia lleva arrastrando una enfermedad con fibre muy alta y problemas intestinales durante cuatro dias y su merma fisica es importante y su capacidad para conducir como exige la categoria no excede de cuatro vueltas.

Por eso, el resultado de los entrenamientos es realmente impresionante. Tercer mejor tiempo y en la cuarta vuelta, pues ni siquiera pudo completar la quinta. En la segunda manga, se ha quedado a 7 decimas de la cabeza, a pesar de no haber podido salir a testear el coche con gomas viejas. Otra hazaña.

" He hecho todo lo que he podido, es mas creo que incluso ha sido una locura salir a pista, pero albergo la esperanza de que mañana haya desaparecido la fiebre y poder disputar las carreras. Solo por eso he echo este esfuerzo.

Pero no me quiero engañar ni engañar a nadie. Mañana, si las cosas siguen igual no sere capaz de completar la carrera y tendre que detenerme. Si la fiebre ha desaparecido, algo mejor ire, pero he perdido seis kilos en estos cuatro dias y mi rendimiento debe bajar en la medida en que avancen las vueltas.

Es una lastima este año en el que en los circuitos en donde mas posibilidades tenia la fatalidad se ha cebado conmigo. En Albacete se quemo un coche y no pude disputar la carrera y aqui, que enfermo y sin rodaje previo he sido capaz de situarme tercero, no podre luchar por la victoria o ni siquiera salir. "

El Domingo, todo y que la fiebre era menos alta, la debilidad era mayor y se hizo lo único que se podía hacer. No salir al warm up para no gastar fuerzas y esperar a ver como se desarrollaba la primera carrera, aunque con la consigna de abandonar a la primera mala sensación en pista.

En la arrancada, se emparejó con Vilariño fallando el adelantamiento, circunstancia que aprovechó Wilson para superalo. Durante las tres primeras vueltas parecía funcionar marchándo a la cola del cuarteto de cabeza y con metros con el siguiente grupo, pero en el siguiente paso, tomó la decisión de abandonar.

"En la arrancada estuve a punto de superar a Vilariño, pero el intento fallido lo aprovechó Wilson para ponerse delante. No me preocupaba, mi cabeza estaba mas en mí que en la carrera e incluso consideré bueno estar en la cola, viendo que distanciábamos a los demás.

Pero comencé a sentirme mal y veía que con las vueltas iba a peor por lo que lo mas sensato era abandonar, ya que mas tarde o mas temprano sobrevendría el error o, peor aún, un desvanecimiento.

No ha sido una decisión sobre la marcha, era lo que habíamos planteado Adrián, Hermano y yo. Hemos perdido una gran oportunidad de vencer aquí en Valencia, estábamos perfectamente preparados y, al igual que en Albacete, la desgracia se ha cebado con nosotros. Espero poderme quitar este masl sabor de boca en Brasil"

Antonio García

An unfortunate illness

An unfortunate illness, a viral gastro-enteritis, has practically put Antonio out of combat for four days. During Thursday’s free practice sessions, he only completed 5 laps, and during the Friday tests he did not take part in the first session, while he only briefly went out during the session to check the set-up of the car.

During qualifying, on both occasions he waited for the last ten minutes, with new tyres, to give his best during in the four laps he was able to complete before his physical condition told him that it was not sensible to do another lap.

And Antonio Garcia, fighting illness for four days, with an extremely high temperature and intestinal problems, showed his physical determination and his driving ability in this category within those four laps.

Therefore, the result of the qualifying sessions was really impressive. Having set the third best time on the fourth lap, he was unable to complete the fifth. During the second session, he was within 7 tenths of the pole, and was unable to go out to test the car with old tyres. Another impressive feat.

" I did everything I could, but I think it was mad to go out on the track, but my only hope is that tomorrow the fever will have gone and I will be able to race. That is the only reason I put in this effort.

But I do not want to deceive myself or anyone else. Tomorrow, if the situation is the same, I will not be able to complete the race and I will have to abandon. If the fever has gone, although I will be better, I have lost six kilos over these four days, and my strength will obviously reduce as the laps increase.

It is a great shame this year that, at the circuits where I have the best hopes of a win, I seem to have bad luck. At Albacete, one of our cars caught fire and I was not able to race, and here, despite being ill and not testing, I was able to qualify third but I will not be able to fight for the win, or possibly even not race. “

On Sunday, although his temperature had gone down slightly, he was much weaker and he did all he was able to do. He did not go out in the warm-up in order to conserve his strength, and hoped to see how the first race evolved, with the orders to retire if he felt bad while he was on the track.

At the start, a failed overtaking manoeuvre over Vilariño allowed Wilson to get ahead of him. During the first three laps he appeared to be able to keep up with the leading quartet, and pull away from the following pack, but on the next lap, he took the decision to retire.

"At the start, I was on the point of overtaking Vilariño, but Wilson took advantage to get ahead. I was not worried, I was thinking more of my condition than of the race, and I thought it was better to be behind, and even an advantage, as we were pulling away from the rest.

Then I started to feel ill again, and I saw that as the race continued, I was feeling worse and the most sensible solution was to retire, as sooner or later I would make a mistake or even worse, faint.

This was not a desicion taken on the spur of the moment, it was what we had planned, Adrián, Hermano and myself. We have lost a real opportunity to win here in Valencia, as we were extremely well prepared, and just like in Albacete, bad luck was with us. I hope that I will be able to remove this bad taste from my mouth in Brazil. "