Pascal Brodnicki: I love motorsport

Thanks to the rallies I calmed down and focused on what is really important in life. The competition is great and gives people a lot of positive emotions. I guess everyone of us dreams about standing on the podium one day - says Pascal Brodnicki, a famous cook, as well as a rally driver and winner of the 2019 Dacia Duster Elf Cup 2019. 

You are known to everyone as a seeker and creator of original flavours. How did it happen that you got behind the wheel of sports cars?

Driving a car has always been a great pleasure for me, and motorsport is one of my favourite sports. Even as a child, I used to go to rallies in France and watch drivers like François Delecour. The competition is great and gives people a lot of positive emotions. I guess everyone of us dreams about standing on the podium one day. Plus, my dad and I have always had a passion for repairing cars, so automotive is not strange for me.

Krzysztof Hołowczyc and Andrzej Kalitowicz convinced me to participate in cross-country rallies. Three years ago they invited me to compete in NAC 38th Warsaw Safari Rally. It was the first time in my life when I got into a rally car as a driver and moreover with the best possible co-driver, Maciej Wisławski. I was doing quite well, but I didn't make it to the finish line. However, I really liked cross-country rallies. Two years later Krzysztof offered me to compete in the entire Dacia Duster Elf Cup season. It turned out that I'm not that bad and I won the title at the end of the season and the rallies dragged me in even more.

Did you expect such success almost from the first start?

Last season was a year of learning for me and I did not count on success at the beginning. When I fought my rivals on seconds, there was a little pressure to win. I was explaining to myself then that I had to drive at steady pace and reach the finish line. My great luck was that I had a very experienced pilot Ernest Górecki. At the start of the special stage we looked at each other and said that we're doing our job and not looking at the results of others.

In cross-country rallies you don't really know what will happen. Last year at Baja Poland - the toughest rally of the season, we had a very good speed, we were high in the classification but we stucked on the route, lost 35 minutes and could forget about the victory. This was one of the biggest challenges in my life. Everyone told me "you'll see what Drawsko Pomorskie looks like", and I said that they were exaggerating. Long and demanding special stages and high temperature were a challenge for the competitors and cars. I saw the drivers getting out of the cars and falling down to the ground from exhaustion and their cars boiling. It showed me how important it is to prepare properly and how fast the rally route can verify everything. I would like to face Baja Poland once again. I have a personal score to settle with this rally.

Why did you decide to participate in this cup?

I chose to take part in the manufacture cup, because of the time and money. I had a lot of things on my mind and not much time, and in the manufacture cup everything was ready for me and I could only focus on the competition. It was like all inclusive, but in motorsports. I got in and out, and everything else was done for me. I also got a lot of support before the start.

The low budget comes into greater accessibility, and the same cars makes an equal chances for all. You compete by your skills, not your budgets. Manufacturer cups are a great start in motorsport. They teach not only fast driving but also technique and strategy. There are different stages of evolution in motorsport, just like in cooking. We do not face up to very difficult recipes at once, but we cook basic recipes. If we already have experience, then we can try harder recipes and freestyle in the kitchen.

In automobile sport you are known from cross-country rallies, but your activity is not limited to them. What are your plans for the future?

With cooking is the same as with motorsport. You cook, cook, cook and only after some time you can say that you know how to cook. In automobile sport you have to drive, drive and drive again to say that you can drive. You have to gain experience all the time and progress comprehensively.

I would like to try my hand at other competitions like rallying, racing or rallycross. Last year during the Barbórka Rally I had the opportunity to sit as a co-driver in a very fast rally car with even faster driver Bryan Bouffier. Recently I participated in the training of Complex Motorsport and it turned out that I took the best time with the Celica cup racing car. I was also with Leszek Kuzajem at the presentation of the new Apline A110, which is my childhood love. I also train together with Krzysztof Hołowczyc and am impressed by his skills and what kind of driver he is.
Soon you will see me again in cross-country rallies, but this time as a pilot, not a driver.

I would definitely like to come back to motorsport at "full-time" from next year.

What did motorsport give You in your everyday life?

Sport is something that motivates us and mobilizes us to work, and motorsport additionally makes us better drivers. It makes us ready for safer and more confident driving every day. Motorsport has taught me a lot of modesty and peace. Rallying is not only about fast driving but also treating the car properly, strategy, calmness, concentration and learning to read the road. We can be well prepared, and still many things can surprise us on the road. Thanks to starting behind the wheel of a rally car I am calmer on the road, I predict what can happen and react faster to emerging threats.

Last year was very difficult for me and motorsport gave me the opportunity to calm down. When you get into a rally car, fasten your seat belt and helmet, all that matters is what's in front of you. You stand at the start and see the countdown on the board. 30, 15, 10, 5, 3, 2, 1 and start. Then you cut yourself off from everything and forget about everyday problems. Thanks to the rallies I calmed down and focused on what is really important in life.

You infect people with a passion for cooking every day, and now you've become another victim of a "disease" called motorsport. Will You infect other people with your passion for motorsport, too?

I love motorsport, and I will encourage everyone to rallies and participate in it. I will continue to share with people the great emotions that sport gives us. I still have a long way to go to say that I am a good driver, but I want to infect motorsport in the future like the titled and experienced drivers I mentioned above.

 

Organizers

Fundacja BAJA POLAND    PZM

Co-Organizers

Szczecin     Dobra Szczecińska     Drawsko Pomorskie

 

Titular Sponsor

General Sponsors

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Partners

 Mercedes Benz Auto Bogacka