Roberto Berasategui
07/28/2020 - 20:25
- Clarín.com
- sports
Last weekend, motorsports returned to the tracks in Brazil. The Stock Car , the only popular category in the neighboring country, raised the curtain after the stoppage due to the coronavirus pandemic and the 2020 season opened at the Goiania racetrack.
A few weeks ago, on the Cascavel circuit, near Iguazú and close to the limit with Argentina, the Copa Truck , the striking competition trucks, also made its return to the arena. As well as Formula 1, MotoGP, various European categories and North American motorsports, by the hand of the Nascar and the Indy Car; the engines were started with common denominators: behind closed doors, without a public (with some exceptions) and adjusting to strict sanitary and prevention protocols.
The question is obvious and it falls from maturity: Why in the meantime in Argentina is still awaited by the resumption of motoring? The shock wave with the resumption reaches more and more regions, although it finds a brake at the local level. Beyond the budgets and the grandiloquence of referential categories such as Formula 1, Nascar and others, what does Brazil have to carry out sports activities that Argentina does not?
It is clear that both countries have different policies. While Argentina focused on facing the pandemic with a strategy of isolation and extended quarantine, with more than 120 days of inactivity in many economic sectors (such as motoring, for example), Brazil privileged economic activity. Its president, Jair Bolsonaro, minimized the health situation and Brazil is one of the countries with the highest number of victims of the coronavirus, with 87,000 deaths and almost 2,400,000 infected.
"The Brazilian is a very similar motoring to ours. The Stock Car is very close to Argentine motoring. The start of activity in Brazil indicates that it can return to activity. It will serve as an example for Argentina," said Matías Rossi. Photo: Courtesy Duda Bairros.
Over the weekend, Matías Rossi made his debut in the neighboring country with Toyota Gazoo Racing with a Corolla (he finished 11th and 12th in both races on the opening date of the Stock Car). The Argentinean showed how work was done in the Goiania racetrack pits : “All team members wear a mask and a mask. Mechanics and pilots. For example, the son of Rubens Barrichello, my teammate (winner of the second race) could not come. Each team with two cars consists of only 9 members, plus the drivers. And the cars are distributed with two cars, an empty box to separate the structures, and so on. This was arranged by the States of Goias ”.
In dialogue with Carburando , Rossi also highlighted: “The Brazilian is a very similar motorsport to ours. The Stock Car is very close to Argentine motorsports. The start of the activity in Brazil indicates that it is possible to return to the activity. It will serve as an example for Argentina ”.
The novel of the return to activity at the local level continues adding chapters. The national categories presented the protocols required by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Nation. Already in the hands of Matías Lammens, the political resolution is awaited to enable Argentine motoring, jointly with the Ministry of Health.
In Brazil it is different. They do not depend on the National Government, which left the majority of the activities under the responsibility of each State. In fact, in Cascavel, where the Truck Cup had already competed, the Stock Car season was about to start. Finally, the return was postponed and the venue was changed. The teams based in São Paulo, for example, had to travel 900 kilometers north to Goiania.
Each member has the obligation in Brazil to present the RT-PCR exam (with a negative result for COVID-19). The tribunes without public, the limitations in the boxes and the use of hygiene elements (provision of alcohol in gel, soap and water, obligatory distance, etc.) are the new regulations in the activity.
“There are no controls on the routes. The transfer is by land, since there are no domestic flights. In all cases, each Prefecture decides the activities. The State is responsible, "said Marcos Laborda, an Argentine engineer who works at the Stock Car.
“Each area has its need. And motorsport needs to start. Of course, with very strict protocols. It is uncomfortable for everyone, but it is done together and we all have to give things up. The issue is that if it continues much longer, there are contracts that are terminated and some teams will be on the road, "said Laborda.
It is true that in Argentina it is even more complex, because unlike Brazil with the Stock Car, there are several national categories here (Super TC2000, Road Tourism, Top Race and National Tourism, in addition to the Rally), which lead to the transfer of a greater number of structures.
The scenario in Argentina is more complex than in Brazil, due to the large number of categories that national motorsport has, including the Super TC 2000. Photo Super TC2000
With hard work by the leaders of the Stock Car, the structures adapted to the needs and demands of each State. A limit of two mechanics per car was determined, with On Line data acquisition and the engineers working from headquarters. All team members take the COVID-19 test and there are medical personnel at the racetrack to take the temperature. Also, everyone should arrive with the swab done.
As Argentina's motoring fans watch international competitions on the screen, its leaders await government definitions. The head of the Automobile Sports Commission (CDA) of the Argentine Automobile Club (ACA), the engineer Carlos García Remohí, also highlighted in Carburando : “Every day that passes is more difficult to return. I remember there was talk of going back in May. Now we are talking about August. This is day by day. The national health authorities will decide when to return. The protocols have already been presented and will surely be approved. But we have to have the authorization for the transfers to the racetracks ”.
"We have direct contact with government authorities. Today in the country strange situations occur, from Córdoba you cannot go to Carlos Paz, how are we going to go from Buenos Aires to Córdoba? But the protocols are presented. Today the inconvenience is the transfer, it is the most serious problem ”, added García Remohí.
Beyond the return of motorsports in the Northern Hemisphere, the resumption has now reached Brazil. The Stock Car has already passed its trial by fire and has its head on the next date, the promoted "Carrera del Millón", by the end of August. Meanwhile, the national motorsport awaits political decisions pending the long-awaited permission to turn the wheel again: the sports but, with greater eagerness, the economic for an activity on which thousands of families depend.
FK