Miss Yokohama drives quite fast
MISS YOKOHAMA Fabian Eggenberger won the first round of the 2017 OPC Challenge at the slalom in Interlaken, but many eyes were not on him or his strongest competitors, but on Romana Möckli. The Miss Yokohama 2016/17 made her debut as a racer. "Cool" and "mega" - two words Romana Möckli used to sum up her feelings [...]
"Cool" and "mega" - two words with which Romana Möckli summed up her feelings. Spurred on by those present at the OPC championship celebration in January, where she posed as Miss Yokohama at the award ceremony, the 20-year-old allowed herself to be persuaded to take part as a guest starter in a race of the new season. And so her racing debut took place last Saturday as part of the Swiss Slalom Championship in Interlaken, where the first round of the 2017 OPC Challenge was also on the agenda.
For years, Yokohama Suisse has been the official partner of this popular one-make cup. Fabio Gubitosi, Sales District Manager Opel at General Motors Suisse and one of the fastest drivers ever, took turns with Romana Möckli at the wheel of his 207 hp Opel Corsa OPC. So the pretty representative could convince herself of the qualities of the standard Advan semislicks.
The role with a helmet instead of a little crown on her head suited and pleased the raging Miss Yokohama just as much right away. Initial nervousness quickly gave way to boundless enthusiasm. "I love driving, otherwise I wouldn't be doing this. It was great to get this chance and to be allowed to drive faster in Switzerland for once than is allowed in everyday life," Romana enthused.
The nimble Miss Yokohama finished last in the classification, which she had not expected otherwise. However, the time gap to her experienced competitors remained within limits. This was also noticed by her racing partner Fabio Gubitosi, who in turn finished third behind Fabian Eggenberger and Thierry Kilchenmann. The Churer's comment was correspondingly positive: "Romana did well. She improved from run to run, and that shows how capable she is of learning."
The 4.3 km race with 66 gates was won by Fabian Eggenberger of the Flammer Speed Team with a lead of three tenths of a second over Thierry Kilchenmann and 37 hundredths over Fabio Gubitosi. It almost doesn't get any tighter than that.
The next round of the OPC Challenge will take place on Saturday, April 22, as part of the 18th Frauenfeld Auto Race Days. Miss Yokohama, alias Romana Möckli, will have a different date then. But her thoughts will probably be with her new racing colleagues.
