Obituary: A key figure in F1 in Spain
The legacy of
Adrián Campos
in Spanish motorsport today reaches Florida, where
Antonio García
and
Álex Palou
finalize their preparation for the 24 Hours of Daytona.
Two generations of pilots, separated by almost 20 years, that summarize the work of one of the best scouts in the world.
"Win for my father, Antonio", wrote yesterday
Lucas
, Adrián's youngest son, a teenager passionate about simulators, aware that a victory this weekend will be the best tribute for his father.
Campos, 60, died late on Wednesday in Valencia, where he was urgently hospitalized.
A few hours earlier, surrounded by his trusted people, he had felt ill while eating, in his hometown of Alzira.
Surgery could not cope with the damage caused by the heart attack.
Around midnight, his death, like a black cloak, covered the motor world.
Adrian was a tireless fighter who used to joke about his good looks.
Two weeks ago,
Marc Gené
shared a paella with him in Alzira, where they exchanged some of the usual jokes: "You have a lot of hair, you haven't changed your face."
On that tablecloth they remembered a thousand stories of their signing in 1998, for that remembered Open Fortuna by Nissan.
Marc, a victim of a serious back injury, didn't really know where to go.
«Adrián convinced me.
That season was key for me.
He was one of the three people who ever helped me the most ”, explains Gené.
"Always at the foot of the canyon"
“It was my first year making money for running.
His team was extremely professional, he had many sponsors, he took great care of all image issues, ”continues Gené, who a few months later experienced the emergence of a young man named
Fernando Alonso
very closely
.
«Adrián had a clinical eye for talent.
When he told me about Fernando or Antonio [García], he saw it very clearly, before anyone else, ”recalls the Barcelona man.
Since then, the roster of pilots who grew up in his lap has been difficult to cover, both internationally -
Vitaly Petrov
,
Alexander Rossi
,
Jack Aitken
,
Lando Norris
... - and domestically.
Roberto Merhi
, to whom he handed a steering wheel in F2 at the end of 2018, has not yet been able to digest his passing.
"Tomorrow [for today] we thought we would meet with him and a sponsor, because we had a joint project," says the Spaniard, grateful for so many kindnesses.
«I remember the last time they called me for the F2 tests in Bahrain and seeing him there, always at the foot of the canyon.
He could delegate to
Adri
, his son and
team manager
, but he preferred to experience everything in person ».
Only with such leadership capacity was Campos able to carry out so many projects for more than two decades.
Last December,
Dani Juncadella was
able to verify it in first person.
«He called me to
coach
young drivers in Guadix.
If he had doubts about the safety of a curve, he would take the car and introduce himself, ”says the Mercedes driver in the GT category.
“He was always very direct, he never beat around the bush.
Hopefully Campos Racing, with Adri at the helm, will continue their successes ».
"Rent the wind tunnel"
At that generational crossroads is also
Luis Pérez-Sala
, Juncadella's uncle and Campos' old friend since his legendary times in Minardi.
Both under the command of the same manager,
Manolo Gómez Blanco
, in a team that fought for its subsistence in each prequalification that gave access to the grid.
«It was a young team, with great enthusiasm and a lot of camaraderie, which built its own car.
There were barely more than a hundred workers and the wind tunnel had to be hired, ”says Pérez-Sala about that 1988 World Cup.
«I always saw Adrián as a tireless fighter.
It was not easy to carry so many equipment and endure so many jobs, "adds the 61-year-old from Barcelona, with the memory of the last shared coffee in Montmeló.
“He was very confident, he bet on young people and he got a very high percentage right.
You had to take risks and I don't know another who has played at these levels, ”concludes Pérez-Sala.
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