WTCC Blog

Zolder Race Mechanic -  Michael Teixeira

Starting out on the grid the first thing to do was to carry out the pre race checks on the car. I was also keeping one eye on the weather, but although the day was overcast we managed to stay dry!

It’s important to keep the tires warm before the race begins – so that they are at the optimum operating temperature and pressure, here one of the Chevrolet mechanics shows me how the warming jackets is fixed to the tire.

And here I am fixing a jacket to the other tires.


During the day I kept up with the action through a special ear piece used by the pit lane crews, which tunes into the pit radio channels.

The car we were working on was Yvan Muller, the Driver’s Championship leader.

No pressure then…

Despite Seat and BMW winning the races in Zolder, all of Chevrolet’s drivers put in solid performances during the weekend, and Muller remains at the top of the leader board. Chevrolet is also topping the manufacturers leaderboard. I felt honored to be a part of the leading team’s preparations.

Here I am in the Chevrolet garage, taking a quick break while the race is on.


When the car is brought back in between races it is sealed so that no repairs can be made to the car. These stickers are only removed 10 minutes before the race, and in those 10 minutes you have to make any repairs required, so as you can imagine this is a manic time for some teams!

At the end of the day I received a certificate from Eric Nève, Manager of Motorsport at Chevrolet Europe. 
 
 Being a part of the Chevrolet race mechanic team was a brilliant experience, the Chevrolet guys really made me feel a part of the team, and it was great to get inside scoop about race preparations.