INTERVIEW WITH ZDNEK HLADIK,
INTERVIEWER: JOHN LEWIS
1.Well first of all Zdenek i want to thank you for taking this interview and ask how your seasons going?
I had to change my plan at the begining of the season, but now everything goes as expected.
2.Now it was the talk of the forums at the end of last season when you, a three times gpro champion, relegated from master to pro. would I be right in saying it could only get better?
I relegated as I wanted to. It was boring in Elite for me and I wanted to learn the game more, so I decided to try lower divisions, which offer more game options, strategies and manager's decisions.
3.Now this next question is something only a GPRO champion can answer. personally I am an absolute f1 fanatic and i was going through my stash of season reveiws and decided to fish out my 2007 copy. what caught my attenetion was an interveiw with Flavio Briatore. He was asked why his car had dropped of the pace from last seasons. He said that he had put all of his resources into beating Ferrari in the year previous. now he had very little money for 2007. would you say that winning a GPRO championship has the same effect on the next season.
I dont think so, maybe in lower divisions, you can save money to push next season; but in Elite, no, you can't buy easily speed there, only option that an bring immediate speed are tyres.
4.My next question for you Zdenek is how is your current team going right now? I have had previous expirience of the game about 12-15 seasons ago and I remeber whiskey and cigars being a big force to reckoned with. When a position opened up in the team there was mass histeria for who was going to take it. Where is the spark gone, and will it ever come back?
Whiskey is one of the top team in the game and some best ever managers are there.There are different kind of teams, from young enthusiastics, some are experinced, doing a lot of research, some are formed by bunch of friends which want to have a lot of chat and a fun, some includes mid age managers, who like to be more relaxed. You can find a team which suits you the most. In my opinion, teams are one of the best (social) aspect of GPRO.
5.Now this opens up my next question, who do you think is going to take the team cup. Despite Justinas losing his driver and being on the decline in elite, the Lithuanians still seem to be going strong at the top of the table. what team would you place your bets on?
I am not following statistics, but Apples is really strong team which can harvest team points regularly.
6.As always there is big speculation on the drivers cup. At the moment it looks like your team mate Leandro Sereno is running away with it. Do you think that will be the case come the end of the season? Do you think he has any main rivals?
Leandro is one, if not the best,player in the game, he made correct tyre choice and driver choice, he will easily win this season, with so big margin, that I havent seen before.
7.After last season did your motivation shrink? You're already a three times champion, you dont want to be stuck in pro for a long time I'm sure, and your career has been a long and fruitful one, have you ever thought of retirement?
Sure, the motivation is lower compare to when you race your first season in Elite or you fight for first or second Champion cup, but I have defined new goals, to understand and explore the game in more detail also in lower divisions. I have reached Elite so fast, that I missed a lot in Ama/Pro/Master. This lack of special experience costed me a lot of nerves and I had to completely change my plan for which I have relegated to Master/Pro.
Sure there were several nasty moments when I was thinking about retirement, but I have overcome them and I am still around :)
8.Anyway enough of the dreary negative questions, as a three times champion you must have some memorable moments. What would be your top one? You've also been in the game a long time. Is there any race or moment of another managers career, you've thought, WOW how did he do that! personally for me it was the last Elite race with Leandro Sereno. (EDITOR COMMENT: This was Season 30, round 8 in Shanghai)
I have a lot of nice memories from the game, I have met a lot great people, I wont to mention any, as I dont want to neglect others, but teams like Jaguar, SEX, The 10 and now Whiskey were/are full great people.
9.Well you've won the gpro championship 3 times so the previous question can't have been hard to answer. Which of your championships did you get the most satisfaction out of winning?
Sure my first Championship. Everything in the world tastes the best in the first time :)
10. Zdenek i want to thank you for taking this interview and i hope we see you back in elite and winning soon.
Thanks, I will come to Elite at some point, but before I come, I will make sure I will have realistic chance for Champion title in the commng seasons, I hate finishing mid pack.
