Gastón Mazzacane, in depth: the memory of his time in Formula 1 and his present as a driver and leader in the TC

Motorsports and the countryside maintain a historic link. In Argentina, motor racing has always been the discipline that is related to the activity in the hinterland. And that is why Expoagro, the largest open-air fair in the regionbrings together a large part of the world of speed, as another element within the broad spectrum, from the political to the farandulesque, is linked to this exhibition.

The different categories have their representation in the racecourse of San Nicoláswhere for a week the eyes of the agricultural and livestock sector rest on the property in Buenos Aires.

And among the many presentations, Gastone Mazzacane officially showed the Chevrolet with which it competes in the Turismo Carretera, the oldest active category in the world, which has just been born opening roads in the middle of the Argentine countryside.

Mazzacane is not just another rider in the popular discipline. He is a leader of the Road Tourism Corridors Associationentity presided over by his father, Hugo.

In the space of the stand, together with Puma Energy, he sat down with Clarín to talk about the past, present and future in motorsport: “TC is extremely federal. It is a purely rural activity, with a very particular attachment to the sector. His audience is the one who eats the roast behind the wire mesh, the sponsors in large percentage come from the field. And historically the cars represented the different regions on the road, which is the natural habitat of the countryside.”he mused Mazzacane, 47, whose curriculum appears in Formula 1two decades ago.

-How do you live today in the TC?

-I come from victories in 2021 and 2022 and I want to win a race in 2023 as well and be a protagonist. It’s my eighth season that I’ve been on the same team, in Dole Racing and I wouldn’t change. And here in this presentation at Puma Energy I do nothing but reaffirm my commitment and my trust in this structure.

-Would you run in another category?

-NO. Only in road tourism.

-How do you see Chevrolet for this season?

-Something interesting has taken shape on the track. With the new rim, with just one nut, we have less track. I had a fantastic car and was unable to qualify. Also striking is the case of Christian Ledesma, who had a large car in Viedma and disappeared in Neuquén.

-How many more seasons do you see yourself racing in the TC?

-Until I got tired of assembling the bag. There you click and it’s all over. In reality what happens to me is that when I put on the helmet I connect and I don’t think about anything else. There I feel like this is my thing and I want to keep doing it.

-Today you are pilot and manager. When you retire from racing, will you be a 100% manager?

-Completely. I will be 100% leader.

-How do you see yourself in that role within the ACTC?

-I believe that a large Board of Directors should be formed, as the ACTC did and does. The entity communicates with all the pilots and this is the key to its function. You have to know how to do it. If in my case I see that there is a subject I don’t master, I run so that someone else can do it in the best way.

-Your father, Hugo Mazzacane, is a very passionate leader. Are you like him?

-We are different, since my father has such an exorbitant passion. His life is actually like that. I can manifest it in another way, but performing the same way. In short, we are of different generations.

-How do you remember or rate your time in Formula 1, in that foray between the Minardi and Prost teams?

-Formula 1 is indescribable. It’s unlike anything else in the world. Everything surprises you when you reach the top flight. And that’s why once you enter that circus you only have your head there. That’s why when they ask me if I have any anecdotes from that period, I struggle to remember anything, because you have almost nothing to do but concentrate on each Grand Prix.

-And in your particular case?

It had another head. The ideal would be to have now, at 47 years old. But when I arrived in F1 I was between 23 and 25 years old.

-If I hadn’t been a pilot, what would Gastón Mazzacane be?

-Many people don’t know this, but I played rugby. I have an ear cut off a knee they gave me in Tucumán. I traveled by bus without swimming due to that injury from the North to La Plata. It was second line. I also studied mechanical engineering at the University of La Plata, but only for one year.