Some photos from 2012

Honda electric bike

Unloading the containers.....again

Shanghai, first day

"Tipper"

Zengo Truckie prepares the TV aerial cable

Inflating a tyre with nitrogen

MST Timing equipment

Just a few tyres for Macau

Yokohama staff in Macau

Random tools

Yokohama engineer tries out the Honda bike

Colin Turkington,s car in Shanghai

End of the road

JAS Honda give your blogger a "thumbs up"

Macau 2012

This is the last post that I shall write.
I can see and hear you all crying now.............

I have thought long and hard as to whether I should continue writing, and while a Truckies work continues long after the season finishes, I do not want to write about the same things in 2013. For sure there will be different race tracks, different truck journeys and different teams and maybe I could have done a better job with my attempts at video.

This blog will remain visible on the internet for a long time, so all my valuable information will be there for those who need it. If I do add anything to this blog, I suggest you sign up for FOLLOW BY EMAIL.
I would like to thank you all for reading and if you would like to send any comments, you can send to my FACEBOOK link.

dick.splint@facebook.com

Macau 2012

And your Blogger is....................??????????

So the season has finally ended at a thrilling and also a very tragic event in Macau. The containers have been loaded and are now waiting to make their way by sea, back to Europe.
The Honda team will continue testing in Japan. For RML/Chevrolet, this was their final WTCC race as no new deal has been signed yet. Several other teams will reappear next year, albeit under a different sponsorship deal. To all the Truckies who are not going to be with me next year, I wish you all the best for the future and to everyone who has supported me with this blog, I would like to say thanks. Especially my bosses for allowing me time at each event to take pictures and talk to the other teams.
I hope I have given you all a bit of an insight into the work of the Truckies, without whom, no team would be complete.
My attempts at providing video have not been very good and I am sorry I could not do more. I hope the pictures and useful information have still kept you all informed and interested, throughout the year.
I have now come, full circle, with a "Year in the life of the WTCC Truckies". My job with this blog is almost complete. I have some more pictures from the Macau event to post in my next blog which I will upload soon.

Beppe(KSO)

Special thanks must go to Weitracon and DHL. Ralf and Holger have given me so much help with the logistics of the WTCC.
And last, but not least, I would like to thank Beppe and Claudio from the KSO who are always on hand to help us out at every event. I hope to see you both again in 2013.

Claudio(KSO)

The writer of this blog shall remain anonymous and faceless. Many people in WTCC know me but I prefer to keep my identity private.

Motorsport is Dangerous

The paddock was shocked after another death today. Hong Kong driver Phillip Yau Wing-choi  died in a crash at the Macau GP, the second death here in as many days.Yau was competing in the CTM Macau Touring Car Cup on the Macau street circuit.
Yau died after losing control of his vehicle and hitting a wall at around 125mph, with his car then bursting into flames before rolling to a halt.
Yau "succumbed to injuries sustained in a racing accident during the qualifying session this afternoon", the organisers said in a brief statement.
Once again, a good friend to many people has lost his life doing something that he loved and despite questions over the safety of street circuits, I am sure that Phillip would want Macau to continue.

The weekends racing will continue and despite the sadness that has spread throughout the Macau paddock, the "show" must go on.

Tragady in Macau

MOTORSPORT IS DANGEROUS..........

This was proven again when Portuguese rider Luis Carreira was killed as he was thrown off his bike in a fiery crash at Fisherman's Bend, becoming the 2nd fatality at this event in seven years.
You will be sadly missed by myself and many other people in the Macau paddock.

Macau 2012. The season Finale.

The view through the WTCC garage area

Telephone calls from Wietracon and DHL inform us that our containers would be in Macau,at 0900 hours on Sunday. The Macau paddock and garage area is actually the main bus station car park but this is transformed over a four week period before we arrive. Then the containers are brought into the paddock, taken off the lorries and put in front of our garages. A small army of local guys will unload your container and put everything into your garage in a very random manner. This option is ok but it just means that you have to move everything back out of your garage before you can start setting up. It is far better if you are there so you can supervise the unloading and save yourself the extra work. This is the option that we chose to do. The local guys have been doing this for many years are are very competant at their job. Although, when you are watching them, it can seem like organized chaos, accompanied by alot of shouting in Chinese. Health and safety is not something they consider here as you can see in the picture of the man, holding onto the crane, as he is about to hook up the chains to a container.

RML about to get one of their cars from the container.

Despite the lack of space available to the crane and lorry drivers, all the work is completed over a couple of days and the teams can start to make maximum use of minimal space. Macau has always been about the F3 race and the motorcycle race but the WTCC seems to have found a very good home here for the last race of the season. Some of the newer teams have many questions about how to set up the garages, where to order nitrogen for tyre inflation and even where and how you can order food so that it is brought to your team in the paddock. We all help out with useful advice and help each other as much as we can. It is quite hot here and whilst the paddock area has a nice breeze blowing through it, the garages are guaranteed to get you hot and sweaty, as no wind can cool down and the metal roof just seems to get hotter and hotter throughout the day.
The combination of jet lag and the sampling of Macau,s infanous nightlife and casinos has left some Truckies and their team mates feeling less than 100%. But in true motor sport fashion, we all get our jobs done.

This is what your garage will look like when you are not there to unload your container.

Local guys help unload the containers

Despite my promises to post you some video, I am forced to delay this once again. I took some very good video in Shanghai and when I went to view it on my laptop, I accidently deleted it. My attempts to recover it from the memory card failed. Inbetween my work, I will be running around with my camera to compensate for my stupidity.

Chevrolet Truckie playing around on a forklift.

Please repair me !!!!

The teams will now spend the next few days, repairing the cars after Shanghai and ensuring that all is ok before we start practicing on thursday.

The route to Macau

My job in China is done. I woke up this morning and checked out of my hotel and when I walked outside, I was greeted by the warmest sunshine and bright blue sky since I arrived here. I am not sad to leave China despite the closeness of the racing and the fact that the WTCC championship has been turned upside down. It will all be decided in Macau again. Macau is TOTALLY UNPREDICTABLE due to the race track, the amount of cars which will be racing and possibly even the weather. Add that to the drivers urge to win and I know it will be a good race.
The Shanghai circuit facilities are great but the organization is useless. When the first race started and cars were due to come into the pitlane, I have never seen so many spectators stood out in the pitlane even though they had passes to be in the garage area. The pit lane marshals were just blowing their whistles and nobody was moving. It was left to the individual members of the teams to force everyone to movebefore the damaged cars came in. This is just another case of the very poor circuit management.
On the Sunday evening, the teams were forced to use forklifts to move everything from the garages and into their containers. To do this in the dark, with many cars and other vehicles moving around just seemed to be madness and the fact that no accidents happened does not mean that this process should be repeated if we are return here again.

MAGLEV arriving at Longyang station, Shanghai

Shanghai traffic is very busy so I decided to take a 15 minute taxi to the Maglev Train Station. Then I can experience a 400kmh train journey to the airport and arrive in about 10 minutes. I noticed the windsreen of the train was badly damaged when I was waiting to get on. Maybe a bird or some other object had hit the train but it certainly makes you realise just how fast this train goes. I believe the chinese bought the train system from Japan and despite the Japanese sugessting a maximum operating speed, the chinese just seem to ignore it and use it to its maximum potential.



                            But I do recommend you try it for yourself as it is awesome!

The Maglev windscreen damage

The security and immigration checks at Pudong     airport took me almost an hour to get through. It is easier to get into China than it is to leave it. When the plane was ready for boarding, we were put on a bus and taken to the plane. The chinese passengers were off the bus and swarming around the stairs to the plane as though it was going to leave without them. I do not know if many of them were new to airplane travel but it was funny to watch them, pushing and shoving each other.
When the plane touched down in Macau, 2 hours later, alot of them had undone their seatbelts and were getting their bags from the overhead lockers, whilst the pilot was still slowing the aircraft down. Multiple mobile phones were in use, despite the warnings not to turn them on and the cabin crew seemed powerless to stop them. The immigration at Macau airport was completed in 10 minutes and I am now free for a few days, to enjoy everything that Macau has to offer.
The containers are due here at the weekend, as long as the trucks complete the 1800km journey from Shanghai, safely and the Macau customs do not cause any unnecessary problems.

The race to get on the plane at Shanghai airport

Why is my blog blocked in China?

Roal team get their tyres ready.

Before I even came to China, I had to apply for a visa. I decided to use the postal application system and after a few worrying moments and costing me over £90, I finally received a visa in my passport. I had a few issues with the chinese embassy as they told me that I did not have all the correct documentation that they required. This would not have been a problem under normal circumstances, but I lost some valuable time due to the weekend and then a 3 day chinese holiday when the visa office was closed. After alot of emails and unanswered telephone calls, I finally managed to speak to someone who then told me that my doccumentation WAS okay and my visa would be given to me. It actually arrived on the morning that I was due to catch a plane. A very close call indeed and one that I do not intend to repeat if I come here again.
I have been checking the Internet traffic to this blog and the amount of visits from china is VERY LOW. My blog has links to Youtube and is blocked by the chinese government. A series of things that I am not very happy about continues to grow.

I have been surviving at the race track on peanut butter sandwiches after discovering this particular brand called "Skippy",
and it is very delicious. I am lucky to travel for my job but after many years, my stomach knows what it likes and what it does not, and chinese cuisine is not my favourite. Last night, I tried jellyfish, I got back to the hotel and vomited. So, hello Skippy and goodbye jellyfish.

Air trigger operated air lance, the expensive option

The area behind the garages looked very empty today. There are no trade stands, hospitality units....nothing. Only the tyre service for the WTCC and CCTC and a Maserati welcome tent. It just looks rubbish.Questions were still being asked by the Truckies as to whether we could have the containers brought into the paddock, on Sunday evening, to help speed up the loading process. We think the answer will be NO. The WTCC containers will make the long journey to Macau by road. I would love to help drive one of the trucks down to Macau but this is not possible for many reasons, but it would be a great way of seeing a bit more of this huge country. It takes almost an hour to drive from my hotel to Shanghai circuit and I cannot describe to you the chinese driving standards and condition of some of the roads. If you are not getting your Internet in china, perhaps you can find some videos on Youtube and check it out for yourself.

Petrol powered, twin dive bottle compressor

Electric powered, single bottle compressor

To continue with my list of jobs that seem to be the responsibility of the Truckies, I would like to focus on the car air jack systems. There are normally 3 air jacks on each car, 2 at the front and one at the back. These allow the car to be quickly and safely lifted during tyre changes or when the car is being worked on in the garage. All of the teams use "dive" bottles to store and transport this air, These bottles are the sort that scuba divers use. The bottles are filled with over 220 bar of compressed air which is fed through a high pressure hose to a connector with either a trigger operated or ball valve operated lance. The ball valve lances are the cheaper of the two and take abit of skill to use properly. Once the car has been lifted up, all that is needed to lower it back down is for the air to be released from the system. This is done by pulling the air connector, on the car, outwards and the air jacks will retract. The Truckies are constantly checking and refilling the bottles throughout the day. It can take 15-45 minutes to fill a bottle with the correct amount of air. Small electric powered pumps are nice and quiet to use but take the longest time to reach the correct pressure. Petrol powered pumps are quicker but make alot more noise. It is very annoying if an inconsiderate Truckie decides to fill up his bottles right next door to your garage. Thankfully, this does not happen too often.

BMW air jack connector

When the bottle pressure is reduced to approximately 70 bar, it is time to change to a full one. The air jack will operate at slightly lower pressure but the car will go up, very slowly. Speed is essential in WTCC. Each car will have a minimum of 2 bottles to ensure that air is available at all times. It is a relatively simple job but also a very important job.

Time to refill the dive bottle

Dive bottle and ball valve operated lance

This race and the end of season finale in Macau is all that remains, but we have already been discussing plans for next year and talking with the shipping companies about how and when we can collect everything from Antwerp after the containers return to Europe. Unfortunately some of my fellow Truckies may not be returning next year. Some teams will not compete next year but new ones are making plans to enter in 2013.
New friendships are still being made with teams that are entered for china and Macau so the Truckie fraternity continues to expand and grow.

 AND LONG MAY IT CONTINUE.............

Bad Chinese decisions, the Internet, and VPN,s

To bring you this exciting instalment of my blog has meant that I have had to bypass the hotel internet access in my hotel in China.The hotel obviously likes to keep in with the chinese government and restrict access to blog sites. This restriction also applies to Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and many more internet sites.
I have had to use a VPN (virtual private network). It is not illegal as many companies use it to bypass what is known as "THE GREAT FIREWALL OF CHINA"
However, it does highlight the futility of the Chinese government as it tries to impose its control over the population. China is trying to hang on to communism while all over the country, capitalism is taking over. But.... the craziness of China is forever present as witnessed at the circuit today(wednesday). The teams were asked where they would like their containers to be put on the ground for unloading into the garages. Some wanted them in the pit lane, others behind the garages. An agreement was made which still seemed to be OK until a few days ago. Then the chinese tore up the agreement and decided that no containers would not be put near the garages. Various reasons were given for not doing this. The cranes and trucks may damage the concrete floor yet a large mobile crane was spotted in the paddock earlier this week. The drain covers may get damaged but it would have been easy to avoid going near these.
Ultimately, it was just a big chinese mess. And the teams have now had to use forklifts to move their equipment over 400 metres. Some containers maybe over 600 metres away.
Again, it is the teams who suffer due to narrow minded bureaucracy as the time to unload and also for packing up has been greatly increased. I would like to see some of the decision makers come and get their hands dirty and help us. THEN, they can see what a bad decision has been made.
There are some very intelligent people in China but if the unintelligent ones have a stronger voice, then chaos happens.

This is WTCC Race of Shanghai 2012. Day 1.

Everyone gets to work unloading containers on Wednesday

The security bolts are removed from the containers.

Discussions between Wietracon and DHL,RML and WSR.

I wonder if Formula 1 has these problems when Ecclestone,s circus comes to town? I doubt it. Yes, the circuit is pretty impressive and the facilities are relatively new but if the circuit management cannot organise things properly, the teams, and everyone else involved with WTCC are the ones who have to work even harder.

I tried to take a picture of the chinese customs   officials as they looked very smart in their black uniforms with gold braid and epaulets. But when I pointed the camera at them, I was told....
"no pictures".

The West Surrey Racing team, sponsored by Aviva/Cofco, have made a welcome return the WTCC and as I mentioned before, it is good to see my old friends again. It was a very last minute arrangement for them to come out to China and their Truckie has been very busy today trying to ensure that they have tyre trolleys and other equipment available to them. The other teams have been as helpful as they can to ensure that their race in Shanghai goes smoothly. You will certainly not miss their car as it is bright yellow!!!

Loading plan for the Honda container

Colin Turkington,s Cruze is checked by the team

Chevrolet car radio repeaters are positioned above their garage

Spanish Truckie cleans the flat floor of their Seat

Busy in their garage

The Yokohama boys have plenty of food ready for the next few days.

Forklift trucks are more important than the cars as the containers are unloaded.

Tomorrow will see some of the containers moved even further away from the garages, once the teams have finished unloading. Where they will be moved to is unknown as I write this.
And to the chinese government who feel the need to deny me access to writing my blog......
"You can,t stop a VPN"
Stay tuned for the continuing story of Shanghai and the Race Truckies.

Some old friends return to China.

I have left the serenity of Japan and am now on my way to China for the next race. I have to get on a plane at 0220 hours in the morning and fly to Shanghai. WHAT A CRAZY TIME FOR A FLIGHT! Suzuka was not the best race due to the two deaths that occurred and some very uninteresting racing caused by the boring race track layout. Also, the urgency to pack up all the equipment and cars has again put a big workload on the Truckies and the teams. For the cars which were damaged in the race, it is necessary to complete as much repair work as possible and still leave enough time to complete the container loading before they are put onto lorries and taken to the docks at Yokkaichi, where they will depart for Shanghai, a distance of 1670 kilometres.

THINK TANK crew member.

Some people who I have not mentioned before are the guys from THINK TANK. They are responsible for putting up all of the signs around the race tracks and the paddock for the WTCC. When we race in Europe, everything is moved around by trucks. May be I should include them under the category of Truckies. And when we do the fly away events, they use containers to move everything, just like the teams. The Japanese were very strict on safety, making sure that people had hard hats and any necessary safety equipment, if they were working in a dangerous environment. The guy from THINK TANK even had a duck whistle around his neck to warn people of any danger.
The entry list for China includes some old friends of mine from West Surrey Racing, especially a man called Tipper, who is their Truckie. Tipper got his nickname due to the fact that he use to drive tipper trucks before he started in motor sport.

Sunred truckie still smiling as the teams pack up at Suzuka

So just how do you get a job as a Truckie? These jobs are not normally advertised in the motor sport press. Most people hear about the job vacancies through word of mouth from friends who are already employed in the motor sport industry. Obviously the main requirement is that you have a driving license for a truck. Most Truckies have other skills as well, mechanics, bodywork, tyres, electrical, etc, etc. Many aspects of the motor sport industry can be learnt through on the job training and if you are lucky enough to be employed by a good team, they will help you and train you in different aspects of the job. The ability to be a good communicator is probably the most important for a Truckie. You will be driving on foreign roads and working in countries where you do not speak the local language. If you cannot communicate well with people, or at least try, your job will be made very difficult. The ability to be a good organiser is also very important. Loading and unloading trucks and containers is a lot more involved than just putting the equipment in a random way. On fly away events, a Truckie must be able to understand the shipping paperwork that is needed to transport equipment around the world. I could list so many things that are needed to be a successful Truckie that there are too many to mention here. To those people who are reading this who would like to become a Truckie, I can only say good luck and if you know somebody who works for a team already, your chances will be greatly improved.

This time in Shanghai, we will be at a better track than last year in Tianma. The circuit facilities were very poor but I know that the garage space will be very tight at Shanghai so I hope this does not cause problems for the teams. WE SHALL SEE!!!!

Yokohama are a blur of speed at Suzuka.(courtesy of PHOTO 4)