From: chrisj@dircon.co.uk (Christine Johnston) Newsgroups: rec.autos.sport.f1 Subject: Secret Diary of Jacques Villeneuve - Jerez Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 09:39:41 +0000 Organization: Dircon Message-ID: <1997110309394123805@th-eng11-149.pool.dircon.co.uk> NNTP-Posting-Host: th-eng11-149.pool.dircon.co.uk X-Newsreader: MacSOUP 2.2 Lines: 81 Friday, 24 October To Jerez for the European Grand Prix. For sure its not just any GP - its the GP where I will coolly and calmly give a masterful drive and claim my well deserved WC. So I head off to the press conference where I display my coolness and rapier wit in the face of Michael's smug grin and Suzuka accusations. And I meant to knock that microphone over. On the track I proceeded to calmly tune my car in. And I meant to go off on that gravel trap - I got it back, didn't I? And I was still being cool, calm and controlled when Eddie slowed down for his in-lap and dared to be in front of me. I was so calm I marched down to Ferrari to give him a piece of my mind but he just grinned at me. For sure this only made me calmer. Back at the Williams garage Patrick was looking a little laid back. Thinking of my wheel dropping off last year I decided to focus his mind on things and said "We don't want a repeat of last year" and looked meaningful. "What?" he said "You bungle the start?" You know, sometimes I don't think he's truly focussed on the betterment of my career. Saturday, 25 October It's not fair that Michael has both Ralf and Eddie helping him. I keep telling the press this and how I have to work on my own out there. Prior to qualifying Frank gave HHF his instructions. This isn't helping me - its just a team thing rather than to aid me the driver as opposed to how it works for Michael. Qualifying was deeply weird with both Michael and HHF on the same time as me. HHF didn't fulfil his instructions as he was supposed to come between me and Michael and despite his protestations that this was impossible I expect better from him in the race. Later in the evening I was just telling Patrick how I'd make a brilliant getaway from pole and lead the race from start to finish to take the WC when he started edging away from me and towards the McLaren motorhome. He said he wanted to talk to Ron about insurance policies. I guess someone's been stealing the pens from the motorhome again. Sunday, 26 October Hic! For shure it was grrreeeat. The start was.... and then I..... and then HHF sort of.... and then there was the pitstops.....and mine were just, well, great and HHF pulled into the Benetton pits and stole their airguns and we laughed about that afterwards... and then we were all going for it and I thought 'fuggit, I gotta give it at least one stab' and Michael started to slow down and I said 'waaahaaay' and I thought he must have seen me coming and would've pulled across but he didn't! so I went on round the corner thinking 'there's no way he's gonna let me away with this, he's gonna do for me' and then he just sorta paused and turned his car into my sidepod and meanwhile HHF was behind thinking he'd got it all on his onboard camera but it wasn't recording at the time which really pissed him off no end afterwards and Michael just seemed to coast off the track like he wasn't even trying to get back into the race which for sure was ok by me as I was thinking 'jeez the handling's gone all shot' but everything seemed in one piece and I tried hard not to think about 20 odd laps to go and remembering how Damon's car knackered out on the last lap or that Irvine might catch up and finish me off so we sorted it out over the radio with the McLarens so I came in 3rd and everybody was going nuts and there was booze everywhere but I had to go to the stewards after a while but I don't remember a thing as I was well pissed by then and still clutching a bottle of Moet which they kindly never said anything about and then I went to the Renault party and danced like a gibbon in between the booze and when that finished we went and raided the hotel bar and isn't it amazing how good San Miguel tastes at 3am and I kept on singing 'I get knocked down, but I get up again' but I couldn't remember any of the other words and then I must have blacked out coz the next thing it was 3 hours later and I was being woken up to do satellite interviews and jeez my head was THAT big and for sure I thought I was going to barf over someone, I must have had a dodgy sausage roll or something and talk about dehydrated, I spent ages looking for a Coke machine as someone seemed to have cleaned my minibar out and Craid kept waving pieces of paper to sign in my face about cap and t-shirt orders.... And Craig says that from now on I'm to be called F1 Spice. For sure. Now Available! Limited Edition Boxed Set of WC Diaries for only $149.99 plus post and packaging - detail at.... http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~mbyrne/