Kazuki's Valencia Blog: Thursday

Posted on Thursday 20 Aug 2009 and tagged with kazuki, blog, valencia, spain.

The summer break was too long! It was good to get back to Japan and catch up with friends and family, but I can’t wait to get back in my car. I’m a racing driver and it feels strange not to drive for a month in the middle of the season.

The two-week shutdown meant that I couldn’t go to the AT&T Williams factory to speak to my engineers because they weren’t there, and I couldn’t drive the simulator either. That’s really why I returned home to Japan.

I spent most of my time in Tokyo and while I enjoyed a bit of time off, I couldn’t put my feet up for too long because Valencia is one of the most physical races of the year. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-30s, which will push cockpit temperatures above 60 degrees, so I had to maintain my training programme during the break.

There was also some PR work to do. I visited one of the biggest publishing houses in Japan, which took me to the offices of Korokoro Comic (1.2m readers) and Can Cam Magazine, the biggest female fashion magazine in the country. It was interesting to see them and to understand a little about the work they do.

Looking ahead, I think the FW31 can be competitive in Valencia. If it is, I hope to score my first points of the year on Sunday.