Eilen oli Ron Fellows ALMS:n chatissa, tänään Emanuelle Pirro (menossa nyt)
http://www.americanlemans.com/fanfrenzy/almschat/almschat.asp
Fellowsin chatista ei ole koostetta saatavilla vielä.
JJ Lehto on menossa chattiin syyskuun lopussa
Edit: Tässä kooste Pirron chatista
PetriPiira(F1-forum.fi) says: What kind of guy JJ Lehto is "offtrack"?
Emanuele Pirro says: He's a great buddy. I can't say everything. There are some private aspects that are just between us. But he is a guy who likes to have a lot of fun outside the racetrack, like me.
lamc says: The first question I would like to ask is about the Portland track. As you know, the festival curves were reconfigured this year. What did you think of this? Did it make it easier to negotiate them or did it take some of the excitement out of it?
Emanuele Pirro says: I think it was a smart modification at Portland. There is a little more room, which enables you to dare a little more in overtaking. The difference is not so big, though.
flyer14 says: Where do you get your racing kit, and who is your helmet painter?
Emanuele Pirro says: I use Sparco overalls, AlpineStar gloves and shoes (the best). Arai helmet (again, the best). The painter is Lacky Design from Italy. They do helmets for many, many drivers and they're really cool.
Speed_Racer says: Hey Emanuele. Great to be able to talk to you today. How much has the R8 changed since it debuted in Sebring in 2000?
Emanuele Pirro says: We had one major upgrade in 2001, mainly aerodynamics. After 2002, Audi stopped the works commitment and basically the car has been the same since then. The lap times improved because of better tires from Michelin. Next year, we are going to have a brand new car, and I'm really looking forward to it.
BringBacktheGTR1 says: As you can probably tell, I'm a big Panoz fan! How was the Panoz LMP1 as an opponent? Did you ever catch yourself wondering it would be like to drive a front-engine prototype, and do you think Panoz will be back in P1 at some point?
Emanuele Pirro says: It was a great looking car with great drivers. Very tough opposition. I miss them very much. The front-engine looked very weird to me. But I would have liked to have given it a try just for the sake of the feeling. I really hope they will come back to P1.
lynnefl says: First congratulations on your teams recent wins, Is there a class of car you have always wanted to drive but never got the opportunity?
Emanuele Pirro says: Thanks very much for the compliments. I would have really like to have raced Champ Cars in their best days and do the Indy 500. I'm not a big fan of the IRL, though.
lamc says: Just out of curiosity, what do you do for fun and relaxation in the offseason and in between races?
Emanuele Pirro says: The offseason is very, very short. Here is a list of things I like to do: I'm in the process of getting my flying license. I build static plastic models of mainly aircraft. Then I like diving and underwater photography. Alpine skiing, water skiing, cross-country skiing, riding my motorcross bike and all sorts of other sports. You can figure out why the time is not enough!!
PetriPiira(F1-forum.fi) says: Yea, Audi is coming (maybe... *cough*) with Diesel V10 R10 model next year.. so you are going to be there driving it?
Emanuele Pirro says: We will definitely have a new car for Le Mans next year. But comments about the engine configuration...sorry (c:
lynnefl says: What is your all time favorite track? And if this is outside North America, what is your favorite here as well?
Emanuele Pirro says: In North America, you have lots of great circuits, including Mosport. But my favorite one is probably Road America. Outside of North America, I like very much Suzuka and Macau.
flyer14 says: Of all the racing cars you have driven, what is your favorite and what was the fastest?
Emanuele Pirro says: Favorite, no doubt is the Audi R8. I gave a lot to her and she gave a lot to me. The fastest I believe would be the McLaren Honda in F1.
lynnefl says: Will we see the new car at Sebring?
Emanuele Pirro says: No decision has been taken yet. But we have learned that the best way to prepare for Le Mans is to run in Sebring. So I'm pretty optimistic to run there...but please keep it for yourself!
lamc says: I know that Mosport is a very fast track although I've never had the pleasure of attending a race there. What special challenges does that circuit have, say as opposed to Road America or Laguna Seca?
Emanuele Pirro says: Mosport has lots of fast and blind corners with a very rough surface which makes your life very difficult and therefore a tougher challenge but better fun.
Emanuele Pirro says: Thanks very much guys for joining me today. My engineer is waiting for me to sort out the car for tomorrow. Hopefully we will have the chance to talk again. Keep following us, keep eating spaghetti and keep drinking espresso! Ciao, ciao everybody!
