Yvan is a veteran when it comes to racing. Spending time as a Formula 3 driver in the early stages of his career, he has found more success after the switch to touring car racing. The World Touring Car Champion took some time out for an interview with Global Racing Schools. We wanted to know everything about how he got to where he is and here was what he had to say.

Question: Yvan, you have achieved almost everything there is to achieve in Touring car racing. Being the BTCC, WTCC Champion and several 2nd places. What are your future goals?

WTCC is widely considered the pinnacle of Touring car racing. And I am just glad that at this point, I’m able to maintain my level of racing. The important part for me is that I’m still competitive enough to be fighting for the championship this season. So my future goal is to stay at this level as long as possible. The longer the better.

Question: In 1992, you became F2 Champion in 1992, you went to race in F3000 in 1993, but from then on you have been racing in a Touring car. Why did you make the switch to Touring Cars?

At the end of 1993, I practically ran out of money to remain in Single Seater Racing.

From 1988 – 1993, I was mainly racing in Formula 3 and it was very costly for me every season, as I had to pay for my drive. As I didn’t manage to win the Formula 3 championship, year by year, it was harder for me to find sponsorship. And after the poor Formula 3 season in 1993 with 9 races without a pole position, podium or fastest lap, I ran out of luck and money. So I was on the brink of being out of Motorsports, which was something that was very sad for me, as it was my only passion.

Luckily for me, French Squad Oreca Racing Team invited me for a testing session at Paul Ricard Circuit in a BMW Touring Car. At that point of time, I was elated and of course I said yes! I tried my best to impress and after the test they were very happy with me and proceeded to sign a contract with me for the French Touring Car Championship. That was how I started my Touring Car Career. That was the first time in my career that I signed a professional contract of my career to become a paid racing driver.

Without the guys from Oreca Racing Team, I doubt I’ll be racing Touring cars today.

Question: There are many kids out there struggling to find sponsors to fund their racing. What is the best kind of advice you can provide them?

That’s a really difficult one for me. As you know, I almost dropped out of motorsports because of the lack of sponsors. So I guess I’m not very good at it and I can’t really provide much information. But if I could really give some tips, it will be to use your time in motorsports to network.

You never know whom you’re talking to, so network as much as you can. That was how I got a chance with Oreca, through my racing contacts and network.

Question: If you had to rank these choices in level of importance, how will you rank it starting from the most important?

-                  Fitness Training

-                  Driver Training

-                  Psychological Training

-                  Race Experience

Here is how I would rank it:

• Driver training
• Psychological Training
• Fitness Training
• Race Experience

I am a firm believer of driver training. Driver Training is a lot more important than Race experience because once you get your fundamentals correct, anything is possible and you will excel in motorsports for sure.

Question: Looking at your record, you spent a considerable amount of time in Britain racing, Do you consider that the premier racing platform in Europe? What amateur series will you recommend young developing drivers take part in as a way to gain sponsors attention and also to train their race craft?

Yes, in Britain, the level of racing is very high. The sport is huge in Britain and many drivers from all over Europe travel to Britain to race and train. So that makes Britain an extremely suitable place to start racing and also a very cost effective place to find sponsors too. The cost of racing is Britain is lower than doing a series that travels to different countries for sure. It is perhaps the best competitive series in all of Europe. A Very Good Platform indeed.

Question: Is there anyone in particular that you’ll like to thank that helped you develop your race craft to the stage that it is today?

Yes. First and foremost I will like to thank my family. They were the one that gave me the money to race. They were the one that supported me for so many years where I was still struggling to find results and land a professional contract. All the time and effort they put in helped me get to where I am today. Once you get the support from your family, the rest is considered easy.

So for any aspiring racers out there, don’t forget to thank your family when you make it as a professional racer. Always remember it was them that were with you right from the beginning so give thanks to them constantly.

Question: Last but not least, any kind advice for the kids in relation to development of their careers?

The best advice that I can give anyone is to always keep your feet on the ground. Don’t think that just because you win a few championships then you’re simply the next best thing. When you’re humble, people around you are more interested to help you grow and support you to become a better racer. So don’t think you’re the best and always try to improve yourself through driver training.

Yvan Muller is now tied for 1^st place in the 2010 World Touring Car Championship. Global Racing Schools will constantly update news on Yvan as the season progresses. We will like to thank Yvan for spending his time with us and sharing this with us. All the best for the 2010 season.

To follow the success of Yvan Muller and engage in driver training, contact Daniel Charles -  charles@globalracingschools.com to customize the right training program for you to improve your racing.

Fresh from a Podium finish in the toughest Karting category in the world; Super KF, we speak with Nyck De Vries to see how he is coping with the pressure of competing with the best in the business

Question : Nyck you have been signed by McLaren and the Hamilton group to further develop your career in racing and you’re only 15 this year. How does that make you feel?

I feel great by the fact that the best formula one team in the world chose me to help develop my career. And especially Anthony have the experience to help a young driver to the top. For sure, I just started my career and have a long way to go, but I will do everything it takes to achieve the top of racing. Step by step.

Question: There are many budding and struggling drivers in the Karting industry out there looking to make headway to get into the podium, what is the best advice you can give them?

Do as much and races to develop yourself. If the will and focus is there you will arrive where you want to be. Try to be a winner in the series you can afford then people out of the business will respect you and help you along to the way to help you go further. Of course you will also need some luck but that’s what we all need in life isn’t it?

Just remember, when the results are coming, the sponsors start to be interested in you too. It’s a cause and effect system, quite simple actually.

Question: If you had to rank these choices in level of importance, how will you rank it starting from the most important?

-       Fitness Training

-       Kart Driver Training

-       Psychological Training

-       Race Experience

1. 1. Kart driver training
2. Race experience
3. Fitness training
4. Psychological training

Question: How much did you have to spend in Karting and what did you do to train your craft in the early stages?

How much it cost is very difficult to say because it depends on the category of Karting and how far you live from the track and the price the team is willing to offer you. Its probably different in each country but in my situation, my father was my mechanic so we did everything together by ourselves.

When you start in Mini Series Karting it is the best choice because that is the cheapest category for a young kid. So you can show yourself in early stages to any potential sponsors. A Mini kart will cost around 2.500, euro track rent is around 350 a year small parts inclusive of fuel 65/ day. 1 set of tyres will cost around 90 euro and a engine rebuilt twice a year is about 250euro.

In my beginning stages of Karting, my Father and I test every Wednesday afternoons after school and Saturdays and Sundays. Rain, snow or sun makes no difference to us. We were that committed. In the beginning we did it together; my father and I without any trainers. I think for us it was great time and we both learnt a lot. As we were testing on the track, there would always be someone there to help us. It is a close knitted community for us.

So first you have to learn by yourself, when you reach an intermediate level, Good teams will be able to help you win championships. In my case, it was Dino Chiesa ,my mechanic tom and my father. Without their help, I would not be where I am today.

Question: Last of all, if you can name any mistake you made in your career planning, what would it be?

No mistakes in my career planning so far, even the big step to Super KF looks good so far. The best step in my career is to join Dino Chiesa and his racing team we have great relation and that brings the good results.

Thank you very much for your time to answer my question and congrats on your podium position in La Conca.

Note: For anyone that wants to get in touch with the trainers and teams that Nyck used, please contact Global Racing Schools for a Training session. Email: info@globalracingschools.com

Website: www.globalracingschools.com

By: Joe Saward

Kimi Raikkonen is not a man who gives away much in his interviews. It is, by all accounts, a calculated decision. His friends will tell you that he is not at all like his public persona. That he is a funny and interesting guy, when he is not in the spotlight. But put him in front of a journalist or in a press conference and he clams up. It is a means of defence.

Some argue that Kimi was born in the wrong era. He is a party animal but inhabits a world where his partying creates bad headlines and so he hides himself away and tries not to be too interesting. Some of its exploits seem rather amusing. He appeared in a motorboat race a while again (so they say) in a gorilla suit. It is said that sometimes he will race under the name of “James Hunt”, the hell-raiser Formula 1 World Champion from the 1970s, who was clearly someone with whom Raikkonen feels an affinity.

Kimi’s lack of communication helps and hinders the Finn. He gets fewer requests for interviews because people think he is dull. It may be the wrong impression but Kimi does not really care what people think. He is doing it to protect himself.

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali says that Raikkonen lives on “a different planet” to the rest of the world. That seems like a fair assessment.

“I like to keep my things in my own private life,” Raikkonen says. “I don’t want to show it to people.”

The last 12 months have been tough for Raikkonen.

Having won the World Championship in 2007, he found himself outpaced and outshone in 2008 by his Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa. Kimi had some misfortunes with reliability and lost races that he should have won. In Montreal he was hit from behind by Lewis Hamilton in a pitlane accident.

In the midseason Kimi seemed to lose his way. Some thought his motivation was gone and rumours began to grow that Ferrari would drop him at the end of the year. There was talk of Fernando Alonso. But Ferrari confirmed that Raikkonen will stay for two more years. There is still talk about Alonso one day going to Ferrari, but for now the team and Raikkonen say that all is well.

“I am enjoying it at Ferrari,” he says. “But you enjoy it more when you win. My feelings have not changed. I have not lost the motivation. If I did not want to be in F1 I would be gone. This is a great team. I made the right choice to come to Ferrari and hopefully I will be stronger this year, but I am enjoying myself here. I could not get the car how I liked, but I want to win as much as before.”

Raikkonen will try to the Ferrari F60 for the first time on Monday in Portugal but Massa, who gave the car its first shakedown runs at Mugello, says he has a positive feeling about the car.

“It will be very different from last year,” says Kimi. “We will see how the tests go. I drove slicks in Formula Renault and I tested them on the Ferrari before Christmas. It felt quite good.”

How much input has he had on the design process after last season’s troubles?

“Well, we worked all last year,” he says, “but I wanted something slightly different. It is hard to make big changes in the season. For sure there are ideas that came from last year. Next week we will see how it has worked. The tyres are going to make a big difference. These are the biggest changes in F1 for many years so we will get a better idea next week. Hopefully it will improve the racing. It is difficult this year for teams to get it all together before the season begins because we don’t have much time.”

Does he think he was unlucky in 2007 and that the perception of his performance is not the correct assessment of what happened.

“I made mistakes and the team made mistakes,” he said. “That is how things are in racing. I don’t know whether luck is involved. It is up to me and the guys around me to get the best out of the car. Sometimes there is good luck, sometimes not. If it is something to do with luck then hopefully this year we will get it! I made some wrong choices, but really there is no point in talking about last year. It does not change anything. I am not going to promise anything for this year. I will do the best that I can and I hope to be back on the top of the podium.” Raikkonen says that Ferrari will probably be his last Formula 1 team.

“I am happy here, I want to stay. I have a contract for this year and next year, but there is always speculation.”

One of the things that he does not want to talk about is his salary. He is believed to be the highest-paid Formula 1 driver with a deal that is now worth $50m a year because of the shift in exchange rates. It is a huge sum of money, but was negotiated at a time when there was no recession.

What does he think about salary caps?

“I don’t want to get involved in that,” he says.

The reality is that he has nothing to gain from talking about money. Such massive salaries seem almost obscene at a time when many people in the sport are losing their jobs. It is not sensible to get involved in such dialogue.

That is Kimi. He avoids controvery where he can and lives in his own world.

“It is not an easy world at the moment,” he concedes. “Not easy for F1.”

He is much happier to talk about his forthcoming involvement in the Arctic Rally in Finland

“I am very happy that the team let me do it,” he said. “It is fun for me. I think it will be good fun.”

Would he race more things if he could? Like the F1 drivers in years gone by, who were happy to race anything and everything?

“I have lots of hobbies that are not the safest things,” he says. “I try not to take risks. Racing is good practice. It is always going to help. It is not a bad thing. I am happy to be able to do the rally.”

( Source: Grandprix.com)