Iwas at the track some time ago for a test and, during the breaks, I started exchanging some banterwith another driver who by his own account claimed to be an official driver of a well-known carmanufacturer. Having known many “official” drivers in my life, I immediately pressed him, “but how can you be an official driver of such a brand if it only races in its one-make?” At that point, I saw him bewildered, also as this thing I told him was not a personal aside, but words expressed in front of everyone present. “Now, if they give you the suit, the clothing, the car with the markings on it you’re not an official driver, but a poor wretch who pays before putting your ass on the car; otherwise, they don’t even let you smell it.” He looked at me, stammered something, and left.
Now, this “official driver who pays” malpractice you may not know, but it originated in karting (like so much of Motorsport’s bad habits) and, more specifically, in the late 1980s. In those days, the manufacturers had official drivers, a maximum 2 or 3 per team, and then there were the payers who, oftentimes, were made to win thanks precisely to their financial contribution. In certain races, in fact, the “officials” would swerve aside, let them through, gift them the victory. Only at the World Championship, this didn’t happen (I mean... some people won a Junior World Championship with the 24 mm carburetor because they bribed half the paddock), but only because the risk of losing the most important race of the year was too high to gamble on such bullshit. But back to the genius that gave birth to the wretched “official drivers”.
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n. 252 Oct 2022
 
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