First German GP For Timo Glock - Special Race
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Jul 15, 2008
Toyota Racing
For every Formula One driver, their national Grand Prix is an event to look forward to, but for Toyota’s Timo Glock, this weekend’s German Grand Prix represents a very special homecoming. With his mature approach and consistent pace, it is easy to forget Glock is in his first full season of racing in Formula One racing, so this weekend’s race is his first German Grand Prix - and it comes at the perfect venue.
So Hockenheim is very much a home race for him, and that means not only will he be on familiar territory, he will have plenty of familiar faces to cheer him on as he looks for his second points finish of the season. “A lot of friends are coming down and a lot of people I know,” he says. “That makes it quite a special race.”
“Every time I’ve been to Hockenheim I have had really good races and I’ve won a few times,” he adds. “It’s one of the best races of the year for me, not just because it’s my local track but also because I have been strong there.”
Such is the competitiveness of the midfield teams this season, the fight for points is fiercer than ever, making it tough for a young driver to regularly finish in the top eight when he must compete against a grid filled with 10 Grand Prix winners, including his experienced and very quick team mate Jarno Trulli.
Formula One racing is more complex than a driver simply sitting behind the wheel and letting his talent do the talking; much more work is required to compete at the top - and that suits ‘Timo the terrier’.
“Timo is a track animal I would say,” says Dieter Gass, chief race and test engineer for Toyota. “Really he is somebody who is very motivated and very target orientated. I like to compare him to a terrier because when he gets his teeth into something he will not let go before he has achieved what he wants.”
Glock’s helmet even includes a ‘Glock dog’ motif, chosen to symbolize commitment and determination; attributes he has shown in good measure since joining Toyota.
