TEAMSPIRIT IS ALL THAT COUNTS

A special interview with Edwin van den Brink, Marcel van den Brink and Marcel Schot - the force, the wind and the genius that thrust the TROPIC & JUNGLE FEVERS fast and surely into the 1997/98 season of the racing with new drivers, and it's own new car, designed and built exclusively by the team and for its drivers
By ZEBE GOREN, 16 august 1997

MS = Marcel Schot
MB = Marcel van den Brink
EB = Edwin van den Brink

ZEBE GOREN: I am glad I could get you guys, amid all preparations for the coming season, and I am real glad to see you are in a good mood. I assume there is a good reason for these smiling faces...

MS: The weather is great and we didn't buy too much CD's today.

Q: Wouldn't it have been better to go for a nice hot race?

MS: Maybe, but I have an important meeting right now… here… with you.
MB: One must also take time to do other things...

Q: Seriously, when are you going to race?

MS: The season starts halfway september with 2 pre-season test meetings and 13 october we'll be at Adelaide for the first race… and as a matter of fact I've been practicing at Silverstone today.

Q: Will this race be the first with the new car?

MS: Yes, it'll be the first race...but we've been practicing a lot.
MB: We did a tyre test and some practicing - MS more than EB and myself.

Q: Ed, are you satisfied with the results?

MB: Yes he is... at least that is what he says.

Q: Does he speak at all? Or is he dumbfounded at the results?

MB: From time to time he makes some noise, which I in turn interpret as a familiar word…

Q: I see, so what are your own impressions from his creation?

MS: Now we have a v10 instead of a v8, which we had last year, and the car seems to be much faster in testing…
MB: Yes, we really are going a few seconds faster than last season.
MS: …and as for the design... it just looks very flashy.

Q: Can the tyres handle your speedy manoeuvres?

MS: Bridgestone has done a great job improving the tyres, they work perfect for me.
MB: We don't really have any experience with other tyre brands, so we don't know how they compare with them, but I had no problems with them so far.

Q: Ed, don't be shy and tell us how you feel they treat your car…

EB: They don't treat the car too bad, but some of the turns are way too sharp for them…

Q: Do you have to do some additional work on the car or should they learn how to drive it better?

EB: Some changes have to be made to the aerodynamics, but we all have to learn the behaviour of the car.

Q: Do you, MB, have some ideas of what you expect Ed to improve?

MB: Well, we have done some testing and with these results we already have made many improvements during the development itself. We have a very good basis. I personally prefer to drive in a car that slides a bit... but when Ed only listens to my comments the car will probably be suited for my driving style only. But aerodynamic changes have to be made indeed. This is always very good for the speed and downforce/grip.

Q: MS, could you describe in which areas the car is a real competition to the big makes?

MS: The new engine works out very good, it'll surprise the top teams. They see us as underdogs, but we may be in for some surprises. Also the backside is constructed very well, which takes care of the downforce in a great way. But then, some improvement could be made to the sidepods, I think, as the car tends to overheat after a long drive, which could be trouble for class A and B drivers.

Q: There is a rumour that you are already sitting on mark II...

EB: I have had some ideas on that design, but that's too much a secret at the moment.

Q: OK, so lets talk now about the interrelationships between the three of you. Ed, do they ever consult you regarding strategy of the race?

EB: They have had more than half a season of racing experience, and are telling me how to make a good start, take the curves and other stuff.

Q: Who you prefer? MS or MB?

EB:... Tricky question... They both are pretty good friends of mine, but MB is my brother (we had some fights many years ago, but that's been taken care of) and he drives more my style though.

Q: MS, how do you feel about the "brotherhood"?

MS: They're both great friends of mine. It's very normal that they are closer to each other, since they go on practice trips together and, as Ed said, they drive the same style (I'm a bit wilder, I guess).. But it's very good to have two drivers who feel and understand each other very well.

Q: MB, it seems that the balance is to be carried on your shoulders. Isn't it too heavy?

MB: Not really... and it is very good for the team spirit... I practice a lot with Ed and between ourselves we are very competitive. This is very good to set sharp times. I also drive a lot with MS and because of my practice with Ed I can tell him how certain corners should be taken to be fast ... This is real fun and as long as I can drive fast I don't really care if I have to carry the load... It is all part of being in a team.

Q: That sounds almost ideal, or idyllic. But surely you have had some hot moments between the three of you...

MB: The hottest moments are when I am practicing with Ed. I always want to be the fastest of the two of us... So I set a quick time and then take it a bit easier until he suddenly pushes out a fast lap... That really makes me mad and I simply go on driving till I beat him again. But this is only good for us all... I hope. With MS I sometimes have the same experience. Sometimes he tells me his practice-times and I simply have to be faster... Not always I succeed in doing this during practice, but then, I do surprise him during the qualifying sessions... when it really counts.

Q: Ed, are you also practicing together with MS?

EB: Sometimes we go to each other and we practice, but that happens not very often.

Q: Not all your colleagues are both building cars and driving it. What are the benefits for both "jobs"?

EB: When I drive in the car which I made, I know the weak spots of the car, so I can improve the design. The hints the drivers give me on what has to be changed can also be taken a look at... This way the communications between all of us is a lot better... I know what they are talking about.

Q: Now let's talk a bit about the rivals. Who are you betting to be your fiercest?

MS: Well...Team Flairsey-Monkey seems to be in a class of their own this year, but they'll have to prove it, since they hired all top drivers from Class C, who are now going to compete in higher classes. They'll be strong, that's for sure. Further, we have Framework, who were consistently good last year. Karjala, which is a merger of two good teams… they could be a winner too. Last great treats would be Zero and URT, simply because they also have full lineups of pretty good drivers. We'll have a good shot at least at the class E title.

Q: MB, can you anticipate the results of your first full season?

MB: Well... I think that I can be in the top 20 in almost all races... There are some circuits though which I don't like and on which I am not a very good driver...

Q: Now, let's talk a bit about your drivers. What are the qualifications you look for?

MS: Our main goal is to have fun, so no times are needed, in the beginning we had the drivers send in a lap, only to watch it and say OK, he's in...mainly because we thought every nutcase would jump in and we didn't want a team with people who were unable to drive at all… now, when a drivers wants to join, I'll take his word on times or check around the net if anything's available.

Q: Is the decision made by the two or three of you?

MS: As I'm in change of personnel, I take most decisions alone. Most contacts are made on IRC, where I'm way too much... Most people there want an immediate answer. We want to be the biggest, so most of the time things are handled very speedy.
MB: In the beginning, when the team was small I knew all the time which "potential" drivers he was talking to, but in the last few months a lot of names I never heard of were suddenly driving for us.

Q: So, here we are in front of the first full season you will be in. A new car, a promise of surprise, lots of drivers, and the Jungle&Tropic invasion of the circuits gets into the final phase. Its a long way since it all started. Did you think you would achieve as much in such a short time?

MS: No. In the beginning it was just MB and me, we built a page… people entered... got on IRC...and lots of people entered... All went very fast, the team is barely a half year old and already one of the biggest on the net (17 drivers, equal to Husqvarna)... But growing more seems to give problems, so we'll take it easy now.
MB: I never thought that someone would want to drive in our team... We weren't top-drivers last season. But people apparently liked the motto of "having fun"... It is great!
MS: Yes, and a great website helps too!
MB: Yes, we have one of the best looking and most informing websites of the Racing Series... We have a lot of good ideas on that...
MS: And the artistic power among us to make those ideas become reality.

Q: Ed, as the glove was thrown at your feet, you have the chance of a lifetime to add your own "Famous Last Words".

EB: It's really not all of my work, we do everything as a team. All pictures we made were the work of us all.
MB: Team spirit is really all that counts and makes it all work out...

ZEBE GOREN: I thank you all for your kindness and the time you dedicated to this interview while the work is being done and reaches its hot season. I really wish you all the success you deserve.