I’ve written about opposites before. But yesterday’s contraries were more than that. They were extremes. One sport. One team. One day. And two diametrically opposed emotions.
It’s funny to see how things work out the way they want to, like they did yesterday at the circuit of Berghem; at the 5th Dutch Rotax Max Challenge.

I’m going to start with the end. Right before leaving the overcrowded circuit I went to get my stuff in the trailer. I heard some strange sounds, right before opening the door. What the ****?!  This wasn’t any of Ingo’s private preaches. No, it was Glenn. Van Parijs was having a private party in the trailer. He was singing along with the radio that he had turned to its loudest volume. Still, Glenn’s party wasn’t out of place; he had his first genuine win yesterday. Finished first out of 22 Olympic Class drivers. And that makes me hesitate. Is Glenn really a rookie? Or does he have some secret racing background nobody knows about? Because yesterday, he certainly didn’t drive like a newcomer. No stupid moves, no physical failing, just consistency and persistence. Glenn’s eyes blinked in the sun; there wasn’t anyone driving in front of him who could block it. Or was it adrenaline, and an awful lot of persistence that I saw flashing in his eyes? I’m not sure. All I can tell you is that I like to see how a pole position can lighten up a face. After all, winning is nice.

And losing is horror. If anything, that’s what I saw in Jules eyes yesterday. The poor boy had an enormous amount of misfortune scooped over him. Bad luck, opposition, misunderstanding or unfavourable circumstances, who knows what it was. Jules found himself starting from 7th position, in the Championship he led with a 26 points lead up until yesterday. A couple of hours later, he found himself starting completely in the back; he had been given a DQ. (He did manage to finish 8th in this heat, in front of a couple of old, tough and experienced Master Class drivers.)
When Jules and I drove home together, he barely spoke a word. Disappointment was all over his face. I hate seeing that. What I hate even more is telling one of these young chaps that “it’s all just a game”. If you’re in for the win there’s one thing is certain: you might lose. Winning and losing simply do not go without each other. This isn’t hard to understand – theoretically. But losing for real, it really sucks.

The rawness about these opposites and the emotions that they bring along in the team, is that the drivers will always show compassion with their team buddies. You shake your friend’s hand when he wins, also when you just drove an awful race. And when you do so, you smile, because you feel happy for your pal.
Extremes, like Jules and Glenn last weekend, aren’t extreme without each other. Nor are they excessive without a middle, a midpoint. Bram was that neutral zone yesterday. He was satisfied. Not euphoric, nor sobbing, nor raging with anger. Bram didn’t win, nor did he lose. He drove very well (top 10 in the Olympic Class), though not excellent, and far from awful. What more could I possibly say about it? Bram was THE calm factor that was very welcome in the RAW Racing Team tent last weekend. Certainly among those two drama queens. Unlike them, Bram enters each challenge calm and open. Neutral. There’s winning, there’s losing, and there’s the acceptance that those two results exist in a game. I’m sure that Bram always keeps this in mind.

Next time there will be a lot more racing and, hopefully, a lot less drama. See you in Denmark, at the Rotax Max Euro Challenge.