Full Throttle

An A1GP driver is always obsessed with coming first, but in this interview A1 Team South Africa’s Adrian Zaugg reveals some of the major firsts in his life.

FIRST time you knew you wanted to be a racing driver: “I think it’s when I started watching Formula One when I was about 7 or 8 years old, which is quite late really. I have absolutely no motorsport background in my family so I just started watching racing on my own. My dad never watched it up until that point nor my mum, nobody, so I just started watching it and it went from there.”

FIRST time you raced something (not necessarily a car)? “I think I was 7 or 8 years old, I did a ski race which I won. Down hill. I have a photo though, look. That’s me in my first ski-race!”

FIRST car you bought? “Well, actually I got a car from my parents. It was a BMW 316. I got a second-hand car so actually I have never even bought a car yet.”

FIRST CD you bought? “I don’t think I bought it myself but I very much remember that I really liked Coolio’s Gangster’s Paradise. I don’t remember if it was the first track I bought myself, but that was certainly the first CD I really liked.”

FIRST word you said? “I’m not sure. Who remembers that?”

FIRST racing crash? “I started karting when I was 13 and in that year, the first year I karted I had a couple of accidents, but I don’t really remember the first.”

FIRST pet? “It was a little dog called Timmy. But unfortunately he passed away at the end of 2006, when he was 12 years old. He was, like, really close to me. I was sad for a long time when he died. Even now when I think back….no its true, even now when I think about him I’m sad. Each time you come home he is there to greet you and then it’s suddenly not happening anymore. But, you know, you just kind of grow up.”

FIRST kiss? “Do you mean anyone? Does that mean it can be any one? My grandma? I only said on the cheek. I guess I’d have to say Melissa.”

FIRST race win? “Mine was Bilbao in 2005. It was Formula Renault Eurocup. It was a street race and a sweet day.”

FIRST thing you do in the morning? “Open my eyes. Why, what do you do?”