Dealer
At home Q&A with Daniel Elena
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For a man who has spent his illustrious career giving orders rather than taking them, staying at home has required a new approach and a change of pace for nine-time FIA World Rally Championship winning co-driver Daniel Elena.
But with COVID-19 lockdown in force in the south of France, the Monaco-born ace is using the opportunity to pick up new pastimes that are a far cry from the rigours of the world’s rally stages, but equally demanding in their own way.
Gardening and playing boules, Scrabble and PlayStation games are now on his daily itinerary, while, of course, are spending moments looking back on past WRC glories and reflecting on the challenges faced by so many during this difficult period.
Daniel, where you are currently and how are you passing the time? “I am in the countryside in the south of France. Everything is fine but of course, like everybody else, the days are long when you are closed in at home. Fortunately, I have a garden so it’s easy for me to go outside, do some gardening and play some boules.”
Are you a keen gardener normally? “No definitely not! I never did any gardening before. I tried to plant some things for salad ingredients but it’s all completely new for me. I’m not sure what we’ll have at the end! I am usually in Monaco, travelling or keeping busy; it’s unusual for me to be in the same place for so long.”
And by boules, do you mean pétanque? “Yes, exactly. I have a pétanque pitch at home. For training purposes, it’s OK but when you play on your own it’s not so easy. Similar to rallying, though, it’s all about training yourself to improve. Maybe when this situation is over, I’ll be a bit better. For sure, I am the best out of myself. Perhaps I need to train the members of Hyundai Motorsport to play.”
How important is it for you to maintain your mental wellbeing with games and gardening? “It’s absolutely important to pass the time and to keep healthy. Sometimes I play on the PlayStation, I watch some TV, spend some time following the daily situation online. But it’s not easy for everybody. There are lots of less fortunate people, those with smaller apartments or without gardens; that’s a far tougher situation.”
How are you on rally games? “I try my best, but I have managed to confirm that I am better as a co-driver. I struggle to finish most stages because it’s so demanding. I’ll leave the driving to Séb, for sure.”
Do you re-watch old events on YouTube? “Yeah, I look sometimes. There are a lot of memories that come to mind in these moments. Looking back at past events with Colin McRae, with Richard Burns and of course with us when we were younger. It’s nice that you have all these fan montages on YouTube. It’s like online solidarity, trying to put together all of these special moments for everyone to relive in these long, difficult days.”
We’ve heard from Séb that he’s been playing Monopoly. What about you? “For me, it’s Scrabble. But it’s a special version called Danos’s Words!”
Not with Séb? “No, no, no! With Séb, it would be impossible. He’s a driver. We have been staying in close contact, sharing some pictures and updates. I am also receiving lots of messages from Andrea. He has been wanting to know we’re all OK. He’s a good boss and keeps in regular touch with us all – drivers and co-drivers – we all want to return to rallying as soon as it’s safe to do so.”
Do you have a message for all the fans around the world? “Staying home right now is the most important thing. If everybody respects the rules, stay at home, wait a bit and hopefully this will pass quickly. I am also thinking about the members of our team and hope they are all safe. We will return from this at maximum attack.”
Daniel Elena wears a Stilo WRC DES Zero 8860 helmet and Alpinestars race suit.
