Thursday, 28.03.2024 | Deutsch | English
Friday in Misano

Friday in Misano

22. May 2009At 10 in the morning the thermometer showed already more than 30 °C (86 °F) in the shade. Thank God there was a fresh breeze all day, or else it would have been almost unbearably hot. Most teams had already erected all their equipment on Thursday, so that today there was only the technical scrutineering and the administrative checking on the agenda. That’s why several people took the opportunity to go to the beach of the Adriatic Sea, and others went shopping in Riccione, Rimini or San Marino. The rest enjoyed the calm before the storm in the paddock. And, as it was so hot, people splashed each other with water from time to time.
There will be sixteen starters in Misano, and for the first time this season Mikael Johansson and Pascal Robineau will take part. The Scania of the Swede is equipped with a brand-new 13 litre engine; but the tasks were not completed in time for the round in Assen. And also the improvements on Robineau’s MAN were not ready before Misano. As already mentioned in our preliminary report, some of the smaller teams, especially those from the Iberian Peninsula, think that Misano is too far away. Others relate the races near the Adriatic always with a feeling of being on holiday. And so today everybody tried to make the most of it.
Bit by bit the first exhibits arrived. Especially the old tractors would be suitable for displaying in a museum. And since all truck racers are technology buffs, they were fascinated by those tractors.
While most people were very glad about the pleasant breeze, it seemed that those who had to set up the huge MAN flag, were not quite as happy with it. For the many bystanders it was most entertaining to watch how the banner flapped in all directions and they kept trying to fix the flag on the big crane in a favourable position.
But it was not only a holiday. Sponsor stickers were affixed, cars were washed and tyres were wheeled. Tomorrow we will know whether the topic of the rubber compound will again become as pressing as in Assen. But possibly – in view of the high temperatures – quite different criteria, such as the durability, will be looming larger. At least we do not know yet, if there will be another tyre lottery.