Thed Bjork and Volvo are in town.

The Chinese internet police are doing their best to stop me writing my blog again so I am having to use the internet connection on my mobile phone. It is not cheap for me but at least you can see what the WTCC teams are doing in China.

Thed Bjork,s Volvo at the airport, Shanghai.

Yokohama are the tyre supplier and one of the main sponsors for the WTCC but for some unknown reason they have not been allocated a garage and have not been allowed to erect a tent in the paddock, behind the WTCC team garages. It is almost a 200 metre walk for the tyre men from RML to come and fit their tyres. The CTCC race is also being held and the tyre supplier for them is Kumho tyres. They have been given a garage next to all of the CTCC teams. The Chinese obviously give first priority to their local championships. We also have the Maserati Trofeo race and their tyre supplier is Pirelli and they are set up right next to the Maserati tent structure.A very poor arrangement must be surely be changed for next year.  Each WTCC tyre and rim weighs approximately 16kg. And each tyre trolley can carry 8 tyres. So each tyre man, from each team, is having to push 128kg of tyres, plus the weight of the tyre trolley, almost 150-200 metres to the tyre fitting tent. It is a lot of hard work for these guys and I feel very sorry for them.

A view across the Shanghai circuit 30/10/2013

Honda assemble a tyre trolley.

I am trying to get to China.

The bad weather has delayed my plane to China and I am sat at the airport....waiting and waiting and waiting.
More bad news has reached us concerning the containers that were stuck in South Africa. They definitely were not going to make it to Shanghai but now, they might not even be available for us in Macau. I will know more when I finally get to China and speak to the men who are responsible for the freight.
We shall see how many teams end up with carpet on the garage floor in Macau.
AND LETS HOPE THAT IT DOES NOT RAIN.

WTCC in South Africa ?

Missing containers !!

Some teams decided to send some of their equipment by sea freight, from Argentina to China. Things like garage flooring, spare wheel rims and anything else that was maybe not 100% essential for the races in USA and Japan. This also helped the teams save money by not having to send everything by air freight as they moved from Argentina, to the USA and then onto Japan.
Unfortunately, it seems that the shipping company decided to take the containers off the ship in Durban, South Africa and now there are problems with customs clearance and delivery times. It looks like we will not see these few containers until the last race in Macau.

Not many rims damaged in Suzuka.

The WTCC teams are very good at making the most of a bad situation and we are all trying to make sure that even if some things are missing, we will still be able to race effectively. The biggest problem will be the teams who do not have enough wheel rims. Luckily, Sonoma and Suzuka are tracks where we do not damage alot of wheel rims. But Shanghai may give us dry and wet weather which means that the Yokohama tyre boys could be very busy as the teams struggle to decide on wet tyres or slicks. Talking off Yokohama, their tyre fitting equipment is in one of the missing containers but plans are in place to find replacement equipment in China. There are a couple of teams who were looking to run an extra car in Shanghai and they will be the teams who really might be compromised. Spare body panels and car parts that were in these containers should not be needed as long as accident damage is kept to a minimum in Shanghai.
The last minute decision to hold a race in Argentina may still cause problems for the teams. Let,s hope it doesn,t.

I know that the tyre testing for the 18inch wheels is complete, sizes and compounds have been decided but some teams are still in the process of designing and building their new cars. The new year is going to be very busy for all the teams who will be in the WTCC next year as the race cars are taken to the test tracks, and then back to the factories. Plans to convert the world championship winning Chevrolet's to an 18inch wheel mean that approximately 20% of this car can be used. It is almost as time consuming as designing a whole new car. Another consideration, which could be very expensive, is the size of the tyre warmer blankets. The width is okay but the diameter of the old blankets could be up to 100mm too small so the engineers are not going to be happy to have a possible "cold spot" on the tyre. With a new set of tyre blankets and a control box costing 3000 euros, this will cost the teams money.
I was looking at the options for new WTCC cars and I have to draw your attention to this design for a possible entry from Subaru. I think this looks very good but it would be even better if it was reality.

Shanghai will be a good chance for me to see some old Truckie friends from Polestar Volvo. I haven't seen them since Macau in 2011. I hope that they have a better race weekend and no crashes.

Polestar Volvo team members in Macau 2011

This year, Macau celebrates its Diamond jubilee. It celebrates 60 years of racing, crashes, and high speed entertainment and the list of old touring car drivers who will be racing in the Scirocco R China Masters Challenge is fantastic. The paddock is surely to packed with autograph hunters as some of these guys get back inside a race car.
http://www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo/gp/60/racer/index.php?lang=en&content=103&race=16





And I will finish with this little bit of information. Monza have finally finished all of the road works near the circuit after 6 years. The traffic situation was terrible when this was being done.
So this definitely means WTCC won't be going there next year. : (

Goodbye Japan.

I am sat in a hotel room in Tokyo and I have a flight back home tomorrow. This gives me chance to update this blog. At Suzuka we celebrated 200 races in the WTCC and I have been working at 70% of them. I can,t even calculate how many hours and kilometres that we have driven the trucks and how many times we have loaded and unloaded our cars and equipment in the containers. The WTCC has changed over the years, including a single season in 1987, a World Touring Car Cup held between 1993 and 1995 and recently as a world championship that started in 2005. You can watch a great little video on the WTCC website of the races since 2005. Please click on the link below.

http://www.fiawtcc.com/videogallery/detail/id/1035/

It is also my 100th blog post so it is a double celebration. I hope you have taken time to read them all.

The paddock in Suzuka was as busy as ever on the Sunday evening. Thankfully, the Truckies and the teams only had to load the cars and equipment into the containers at the back of each garage.
NO AIR FREIGHT.... Makes everybody HAPPY.
It was interesting watching some of the Chinese teams load their containers as they seemed to be watching how the regular teams were doing it and they tried to do the same. They obviously felt that they could learn something from us and I hope that it made their work a little bit easier.
With only 2 more races before the season finishes in Macau, we are still very busy when we are not racing. The sporting regulations for 2014 mean that new cars have been built or they presently under construction. As well as this, there has also been the tyre testing for the new 18 inch wheels. We may even be going to some different circuits next year as Citroen would like a race close to France. Maybe we will go to Le Castellet or even Spa Franchorchamps. It would be nice if we could use the full length Suzuka GP circuit in 2014 but this would mean that the television company has to find alot of extra money for all the additional tv cameras. As with everything in the world of motorsport, we will have to wait and see.

It was good to see so many race fans in Japan. They reckon over 30000 people came to watch. Brilliant.

My friends x-ray of his broken arm.

And lastly, I must include a quick message to my friend Karlos, who was very unlucky in Suzuka and sustained a broken arm.
GET WELL SOON.

Welcome to Japan.

Firstly, I would like to thank my boss and work colleagues for all their help and support during my short, but rather serious illness. Thankfully, I have only used up one of my "lives" and I am very lucky to be in here in Suzuka. I feel much happier to be working again and to be enjoying the company and friendship of all the people that I know and work with in the WTCC paddock.
I am also very grateful to the people who have emailed me and sent photos. My blog relies on so many people sharing information and this gives you the chance to see and read about the Truckies.

The cars at Nagoya airport, before they are moved to Suzuka.

The logistics this year have been crazy with the very expensive use of air freight, rather than using sea freight. This was due to the WTCC organisers trying to hold races in countries like Argentina, and maybe not realising how difficult it can be to move all of our cars and equipment. Unfortunately, this affects the rest of the race calendar for the year and also how much extra work the Truckies and the teams must do. I shall be writing a more detailed report on this when we get to Shanghai.

I have noticed that some team equipment has been damaged. This is not a fault of the logistics or shipping company, it is because the WTCC does not have big money to spend on protective flightcases for everything. We do not have the luxury of being able to buy double of everything or even to be able to customise the equipment to suit our needs.
These boxes can cost a minimum of 100 Euros for a small flightcase and the price just goes up and up. I have tried to make a comparison between F1 and WTCC and it is not possible. A WTCC team will be able to race for one year for the same amount of money that an F1 team will spend in one weekend....THERE IS NO COMPARISON !

The typhoon that hit Japan at the start of this week meant that the airports, roads and railways were closed for a short time but the teams have worked hard to unload all their equipment and start setting up the garages and working on the cars. The stormy weather has gone and the temperature is hot. We have some new teams for the Asian races in Macau, Shanghai and Suzuka and it was good to see that they were feeling the heat and humidity as much as the European teams.

China Dragon Racing prepare the garage in Suzuka 2013

All of the containers have been placed behind the team garages so they are ready to be loaded up after the race and sent by sea to China and finally on to the last race of the season in Macau.
The talk and gossip in the WTCC paddock is very evident here this week. We have a team who has changed their driver due to financial reasons. What will happen to the Seat and Bmw teams next year? And what about new Citroen, Honda and Lada cars which are being built to the new 2014 regulations? Will Rml build a new version of the Chevrolet?
The list of talking points are endless and unfortunately I do not want to write about these subjects here. There are plenty of dedicated motorsport sites on the internet where you follow these stories.Once again, I will leave you with some more pictures from me and my Truckie friends, here in Japan.

Tom Boardman gets busy at Suzuka.

The crane and container crews take a well deserved break from the relentless sunshine

SHiPs........... Suzuka Highway Patrol.

Do you remember the American TV series from the 1980,s called CHiPs ??

We now have one of the Truckies doing his own impression in Suzuka, Japan.  
Keeping the paddock safe from speeders and drink drivers.

It is very hot here today so maybe the sun has got to his brain.
I will be updating my blog this evening with some stories from Japan.

Sonoma WTCC 2013.......and I,m not there : (

If you are reading this, then you should be grateful to my very good friends Bela (Zengo), Mario (PB Racing) Pepe (Seat) and Max (Lada), who have kindly sent me some photos. I have had emails from the other Truckies and everything seems unchanged from last year. Obviously the cars and equipment have been air freighted from Argentina rather than by container ship in 2012.
You can read about last years USA race here.
http://racetruckie.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/sonoma-sunshine.html
I am not in Sonoma as I am busy in Germany with other Truckie duties, but will be returning for the next race in Japan. In the meantime, enjoy the photos.

Tuenti Racing Chevrolet gets a makeover

Drag Racing at Sonoma on Wednesday while the teams are getting ready.

PB Racing...new car colours

Bamboo team are busy

16 hour engine change.

As we are now racing outside of Europe, the Truckies do not have to drive their trucks and move the cars and equipment. But logistical problems still happen and thankfully, it is a problem for the WTCC freight forwarders, not the Truckies.
All of the cars and team equipment were loaded into 24 containers, at Termas de Rio Hondo, and driven to Ezeiza airport in Buenos Aires. Once everything had arrived, the airport staff should have started to load the cars and equipment onto the special airfreight pallets. The only problem was that they had no experience of handling this sort of freight. It was time for the WTCC logistics team of DHL and Weitracon to show them what to do. To avoid damaging the wheels of the flight cases, the plan was to cut wooden blocks and rest the cases on these so that the wheels are up in the air. A few problems occurred with personal safety insurance for everyone who was working with wood cutting saws and driving forklifts, but once these were resolved, it was all systems go !!

After 3 days of hard work, the first plane was ready to be loaded and was ready to depart on the Tuesday evening at 2300 hours.
The next plane was due to leave on Wednesday evening but as it flew into the airport, they had an engine failure and the plane landed on only 3 engines.
Once the plane had landed, aircraft mechanics started looking for the cause of the problem. They noticed that the engine oil capacity was low so they put more oil in. An attempt was made to start the engine but now they could see that a bearing had failed and the engine and the turbine fans were covered in oil. The aircraft mechanic was in contact with the airplane company in the USA, via his mobile phone, and a decision was made that the engine would need to be replaced.
It was now 0400 hours on the Thursday morning. They could fly the aircraft, on 3 engines, back to the USA, or they could get another engine and replace it in Buenos Aires. Finally, a chief mechanic and a spare engine arrived on Friday morning from Miami,USA. His job was to supervise the 8 Argentinian, aircraft mechanics whilst they spent the next 16 hours replacing the engine.
Eventually, the aircraft was repaired, loaded up and took off for San Francisco on the Saturday.

Once the cars and equipment have cleared US customs, its a 2 hour drive to the race track at Sonoma and the WTCC show will continue. The reason why I write this blog is to highlight the logistics as we move around the race tracks of the world and to show you what a complicated job it can be. This little chapter in the WTCC calender is a perfect example.

Question time with Yvan.

As we are no longer driving the trucks to the WTCC races, it can be a little bit difficult to try and keep my blog interesting. This year, I have decided to try to include something new.
A couple of the drivers do have experience of trucks. Alex MacDowell is preparing to take his truck licence and also has sponsorship from ECM. And a man who already has a truck licence, Yvan Muller, who has sponsorship from TRANSPORTS TYM. I used my Truckie charm to ask Yvan a few questions related to trucks and here are his answers.

Yvan,s race helmet with Transports TYM graphic.

RT/  How old were you when you took your truck test and did you complete it at your first attempt? 
Is your truck licence still valid or has it expired? 
In the UK at aged 45, you have to take a medical every 5 years after that, is it the same in France?

YM/  I got my licence at the first attempt. I was 18 when I took the 19 tonnes licence and  21 when I took the big truck licence and I can drive a truck when I need to. In France, you have to take a medical every 5 years from age 21. When you reach 60, you then take a medical every 3 years.

  
RT/  When was the last time you drove a big truck on the road and do you ever help out at the family truck business, Transports TYM?

YM/  Last time I drove a truck was in April  when I went to Nogaro, France for the first race of the 2013 season with Yvan Muller Racing. 

Unfortunately, I am too busy and I do not have time to drive for TYM Transport.

RT/  Have you ever driven a race truck and trailer for one of the teams you have raced for? Which team and when?

YM/  When I was driving for Triple Eight Racing in the UK, I drove the race team truck once from the UK to Ireland, but that was a long time ago.

RT/  Have you ever had an accident in a truck?

YM/  No, never. 

RT/  Do you agree with the 90 KMH speed limit for trucks on the Autoroutes and motorways?

YM/  Yes. I think 90 kmh is fast enough for a big truck. 

RT/  Reversing a truck and trailer is…     
A/ Easy 
B/ Difficult
C/ It is part of our job, so we should shut up and just do it.

YM/  I think it is Easy, I was born to drive a truck ...

RT/  Have you ever had chance to drive a proper racing truck around a circuit? 

Can you describe it to me?

YM/  Yes. I drove a DAF racing truck at Jarama, Spain. That was nice. After the test day, the team wanted me to sign a contract because my performance was good. But I was with BMW at the time with their touring car. That was in 1995.

RT/  How important to you and other drivers is the overall appearance of the team race trucks and how do you think the race truck and trailer gives a message to the sponsors and fans? 
YM/  The Truckie is very important because he is in charge of the cars and all the equipment, between the workshop and the circuits. The truck is large and very visible and represents the team and the sponsors. It should be in very good condition and be clean and presentable.

Well, I hope that you find my little interview interesting and different from the normal questions that the drivers are asked. Thanks to Yvan for taking time to help me with this and I look forward to bringing you the latest Truckie news from Sonoma in September.

It,s a Long Way..........to Argentina.

The main talking point between the Truckies and the other team members has been the travelling time. Almost everybody has been in various airports and airplanes for over 30 hours. The race track certainly produced some interesting racing but we have spent alot of money getting here. Over 30 containers have arrived by ship to Buenos Aires, then a 1400 km overland journey to arrive at Termas Do Rio Hondo.

The teams have been working under tents in temperatures ranging from 5-25 degrees Celsius which has not been nice and everything has been covered in dust which has been blown in by the wind from the surrounding desert.

THE JOYS AND GLAMOUR OF MOTORSPORT !!!!

And now the race is over, it is time to pack everything away again so that we can race in Sonoma, USA. We do have a problem due to the fact that there is not enough time to send the containers using a ship. So all of the cars and equipment will be sent using air freight. This is a very expensive way to get to the next race but we have no option. The Argentina race was a bit of a late addition to the race calender and by coming here, we have to deal with this situation.

Zengo wait for their container to be opened.

Bamboo car will need some repair work in USA

The Panta Fuel container receives some attention.

JAS Honda equipment loaded on Argentine truck

A very cheap but beautifully hand painted sign