What while not at LeMans?
About a year ago, the Europol Team manager crossing the finish line at the legendary LeMans 24hrs race, the most prestigious sporting event in all of the cardom – read the story here. This was a huge achievement in itself but the Team has not stopped there and then.
The editors of Asian LeMans Series recently interviewed the Polish driver of the Team and here is what he wanted to share with them. Thanks to the Europol Team we can share the interview here.
ALMS: Tell us about yourself!
Kuba: My name is Kuba Śmiechowski, I am 29 years old and I come from Warsaw, Poland.
ALMS: How and when did you start racing?
Kuba: I started karting when I was 15. My father took me to a go kart track in Poland to try it out. I instantly fell in love, and because my father had a motorsport background himself, racing was always present in my life. As the karting scene in Poland is not the best, we decided to go to Germany. After a few years I went to Formula Renault 2.0.
ALMS: What is your favourite memory from the Asian Le Mans Series?
Kuba: I think winning the championship with Martin Hippe in LMP3 in season 2018/2019. It was a really hard battle until the last race, but we didn’t put a foot wrong and won the last race to claim the Championship. I remember being really nervous in the last minutes and unable to watch. I had to take a walk to keep my mind of the race. The second I think is driving the Sepang track at night with damp conditions on slick during this years race. It was very tricky but lots of fun!
ALMS: Prototype or GT?
Kuba: Definitely prototype. Could be connected to the fact I never drove a GT.
ALMS: What is your most annoying habit?
Kuba: I constantly catch myself counting the steps on the stairs. I always need to have the correct type of number so when I am close to the top and I see this will not be the case I have to skip one or two steps. It’s something like never stepping on a cracked flagstone.
ALMS: What are you most proud of?
Kuba: I think getting to race at the 24 Heures du Mans. It took lots of hard work from me and the whole team and this is something I am really proud of. Also I am capable of doing my own laundry. Not really sure which of these I would put first.
ALMS: What is something we do not know about you?
Kuba: I am very funny!
ALMS: Three people you would choose, dead or alive, to have a dinner party with, and why?
Kuba: I think I would choose three of my best friends, simply because I feel most comfortable around them. I am not good in making conversation, so probably I would just sit there if I had three of my idols at one table. And where is the fun in that?
ALMS: Can you explain to us your pre-race day prep?
Kuba: I don’t really have a routine in place. I need to have at least two cups of coffee before I get into the car, and I like to get at least half-hour sleep before the race if possible. I don’t listen to any music and I don’t like to be completely alone. I would rather go to my engineer, talk through the strategy and the car setup. If there are any races before mine, I try to watch the start to see what could happen and generally relax as much as possible, because I know I will not be this calm once I get into the car.
ALMS: How do you manage jet lag? Any tips?
Kuba: I would love to get some myself! I don’t manage jet lag very well I must admit. So if you have any please let me know. The way I deal with it at the moment is sleeping during the day and being awake at night. Sadly it didn’t prove itself as a good solution.
Thanks Kuba.
The interview by the editors of Asian LeMans Series.
