In Conversation With Neel Jani, Porsche factory Driver

How excited are you seeing the the growth of Motorsports in India, not just in terms of interest levels but also the kind of young drivers that are coming out on the circuit?

Definitely, new talent and youth is the future of the sport and more they're coming the better it is and i think you've a great circuit here in form of the buddh International circuit., At least you have the infrastructure now which is indeed very much helpful for the young and upcoming.

Do you also see an Indian driver on the F1 circuit, given the talent there is?

I think it's hard for anyone, it doesn't really matter now what country you come from because it's a pyramid, the higher you go more competitive and smaller the space becomes for anyone and only the best few can afford to stay. there are lot people falling out. in terms of Indian drivers there are in no doubts some of the very best up there from India and lot more are coming along. you've got the two most famous ones' Narain and Karun who are doing extremely well and there are then the younger ones' like the Aditya Patel who doing great in GT and there are as i said earlier lot more coming. i think from that point of view you've got that thing very nicely going there and i don't think you just have to look at the formula one now a days, the young ones' have good options now, good professional racing options outside of formula one. you see the series where I am driving WEC (world endurance championship), you've got brands like Porsche, Toyota, Audi which are great brands and we've also got many manufacturers running in this championship and we've got drivers like Mark Webber, Jensen parkner was interested which shows the interest in this championship but then again you've also got the GT championships, in Japan you have the formula nippon racing. so, i think to make a career in motor sport you should be open minded now a days.

I think that there are a lot of things connected with racing, clearly in terms of car fuelling and getting in tune to handling the car is very important but then there's a lot of other aspects like mental strength: what do you do when you're nervous or immense pressure, how do you cope with that, can you bring your performance when you have to bring it, on to the point, like during the practise there are many drivers who perform really good but at the time of qualifying that round in 1 lap when you know you have to do it right now. also, there's a lot physical aspect i.e. cardio, strength, neck and core stability. there's a lot more that goes with it, this is with all the sports as far as I am concerned. in the end all what is seen is the final product of all the preparation and hardwork.

Given that you've spent so much of time in the motorsport arena, what are the skills that are required to become a top racer?

The biggest thing for me was to get the fitness trainer/physio, this really helped me to improve my physical condition and at the same time to become focus on what do i want to do to prepare myself, how look after my body and ultimately how to get into the zone of focusing, one can do that really well when you're working hard and obviously when we're training out and when we go the uphill and it just never ends, you have to get into that zone where you forget that you still have three more hours of walking up the hill with all the heavy stuff around on your shoulders. that is where one can quit due to continuous thinking of the way but the "zoning" really helps at that point of time. so, i think the trainer that i got when i was 18 or that was my age when i met him, that is what really helped me.

What have been your highs and lows in your career?

There have been many highs and lows in my career and i think that's part of the growing process which helps in making of a good career and learning from the lows, generally you have more lows than highs but then you have to learn from it and make it one big high and i think now i have managed it quite well by becoming a Porsche factory driver but I've learnt a lot during the past and that starts from my career in formula 1, i learnt that it's not just about driving the car real quick but also there are other lot more questions that we just discussed in the other question. it's about politics and understanding to be at the right place and at the right time, to positioning yourself well within that world or series and to have high also the highlights and have good points, if you have it in the beginning and nothing by the end of one season then no one would remember but to pace yourself upwards in the season is something that people remember in the coming years. so, all this put together helped me greatly to land a deal with the Porsche.

Let's talk a bit about your experience in the endurance racing that you're in? What's been the biggest highlight?

Very much happy with my progress because I started with the private team Rebellion Racing and obviously the name moved up and target is also for the factory team to be able to win a races and I think now with Porsche I'm very much capable of doing so and you know in endurance racing if you look at qualifying is very prestigious, it's not so much so in the 6 or 24 hr race where you qualify as long as you're up there at the sharp end, 1st or 2nd. It's for prestige and you go for it like you do in the formula 1 or any other of the sorts. So, there it doesn't change a lot but it does change when you go into the racing, you have to be more patient, you don't need to make a move right now because you don't know what happens in the next 2-3 hours and sometimes you know when you race in the afternoon when it's hot one most probably faces the car problems. i.e. tyres etc. hot weather is not ideal for driving cars you know and just coping with the heat and taking it easy and trying to survive that time of the day and when the night falls that's the time to attack because the car goes best then, so, one has to think more strategically on the long run. This is a process and with every race one learns more and more.

Clearly it's the Le Mans the race in our championship a 24 hr race, the atmosphere is simply amazing there but the best thing about driving there is that when in the night, you get your stint in at about 4 am and you drive for 3-4 hours in a stretch till about 7 or 8 and the sun starts to rise and consequently the vision is hampered as you can't see every corner due to sun shining right in to your face, the track is also tricky because it's humid or moisty early in the morning and with sun shining and warming up the ground, it gets really slippery which makes it trickier but that is exactly the time when the track is at its best, you have to really cope and make sure you're making the best out of it and then above all this you have this amazing scenery in front of you which is really special.

Is Formula 1 still on your mind?

No, I'm signed up with Porsche and I also have a contract for 2015 and I feel comfortable there, it's one of those brands with quick cars, motor sports and success, so, obviously I'll try to hang on to that deal and the plan is obviously to win the world championship and win this famous Le Mans that's the aim and that's what we really go for.

You know formula 1 is formula 1 and its cars and everything that makes it so appealing, I'm very happy right now where I'm, we know about the problems there are in the formula 1, one can read about it every day unfortunately which is a big shame but again you can say that there is Toyota, there is Audi and there's Porsche, they've decided against the Formula 1 and come into this WEC championship which tells me that there might a good future for this championship in terms of the career planning, one has to think in that way too a little bit. I definitely can see my future here at the WEC and hopefully also my big success soon.