The interview

Fonsi Nieto tries on a 400 HP single seater
On the occasion of the first round of the Telefónica World Series held recently in Valencia, Fonsi Nieto was a special guest at the Cheste circuit. The winner of the Spanish GP went to the Valencia track to watch the first car race of his cousin Gelete. Once there, Fonsi took the opportunity to visit the pits of the Repsol Meycom team and chat with the riders competing in the Telefónica World Series, Víctor Ordóñez and Angel Burgueño. Very interested in the explanations given by both riders, Fonsi couldn’t resist the chance of sitting in one of these single seaters with a design and dimensions very similar to those of a Formula 1 single seater. Squeezed in the tight cockpit, Fonsi listened carefully to all the information Burgueño and Ordoñez gave him about the features of the single-seater and the functions of the different elements of the car. The steering wheel, very Formula 1 like, was one of the parts Fonsi was most interested in.We asked him about the possibility of seeing him racing with cars in the future, and Fonsi declared, that he has always ‘felt very much attracted by car races. In fact, not long ago, I took part in a race on a Hyundai, within the structure of this team, the Meycom. They invited me to race and I didn’t hesitate at all. It was fun, a very interesting experience and I enjoyed it a lot.’With his hands on the steering wheel of the single seater and looking at the instruments, Fonsi went on with his comments. ‘But this is something different, the cockpit is really tiny, maybe even too small for me, Burgueño is shorter than me. You are on ground level and much more protected than on a bike. On the bike, you really feel the wind’s resistance and you are more exposed. If you leave the track you’ll almost always end up on the gravel. However, in a single seater, you are inside the cock-pit, and should you leave track, it will probably end up in a fright or with your retirement of the race, and that’s it.’Will we see some day Fonsi racing in circuits but on four wheels? ‘That’s something I obviously don’t even think about right now. I’m a motorbike rider and I’m doing what I want and what I like. But I won’t say no, because I like to race and car racing is also very attractive. I don’t know, maybe some day, once I’ve given up motorbike racing, I’ll think about the possibility. But right now I hope that it’ll take a really long time until I have to take that decision!’ You never know, and after seeing so many motorbike riders being really fast driving cars, why shouldn’t we imagine Fonsi in a Formula 1 single seater some day? For the moment, we’ll be waiting for Fonsi Nieto testing one of the Repsol Meycom single seaters this season. Will 400 HP be enough power for the current leader of the 250cc World Championship overall classification?