Campeões E Eu

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Campeões E Eu AMÉRICO TEIXEIRA JUNIOR Os Campeões e Eu Emerson Fittipaldi - Nelson Piquet - Ayrton Senna OS CAMPEÕES E EU EMERSON FITTIPALDI - NELSON PIQUET - AYRTON SENNA Histórias de Jornalismo e Automobilismo contadas pelo repórter em contato direto com os três pilotos brasileiros que se consa- graram como campeões mundiais de Fórmula 1 TERCEIRA PUBLICAÇÃO (DIGITAL E ATUALIZADA) – JULHO/2016 SEGUNDA PUBLICAÇÃO (IMPRESSA E ATUALIZADA) – JULHO/2016 PRIMEIRA PUBLICAÇÃO (DIGITAL) – AGOSTO/2015 FOTOS: MIGUEL COSTA JUNIOR 1 Os Campeões e Eu Emerson Fittipaldi - Nelson Piquet - Ayrton Senna EMERSON FITTIPALDI ano era 1984 e, embora eu estivesse apenas no segundo ano de faculdade1, já estava metido no Jornalismo de automobilismo O desde 19812. Apesar de minha imaturidade e por estar buscando adquirir experiência na área da maneira que me era possível, 1 Então Instituto Metodista de Ensino Superior, no bairro de Rudge Ramos, São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo. Meu curso foi de 1983 a 1986. Hoje, Universidade Metodista. 2 Eu estabeleço o dia 4 de abril de 1981, um sábado, como o marco inicial de minha carreira como jornalista. Tinha 19 anos e publiquei minha primeira matéria num semanário impresso chamado Informação Resumo Jovem, que existia em São André, o A do ABC Paulista (B de São Bernardo e C de São Caetano). 2 Os Campeões e Eu Emerson Fittipaldi - Nelson Piquet - Ayrton Senna estar cursando Jornalismo e escrevendo em jornais sobre corridas de automóveis representavam para mim estar a caminho de realizar um sonho que vinha sendo acalentado desde 1972, quando descobri a Fórmula 1 por intermédio do meu tio, hoje médico, Gilvan Timóteo. Foi com ele que aprendi a ver corridas pela televisão, identificando carros, pilotos e circuitos. Mas se para ele era um passatempo e nada relacionado com o que viria a fazer no futuro, para mim, não é exagero dizer, era o início de uma carreira. Naquela época, em razão do sucesso de Emerson Fittipaldi correndo pela lendária equipe Lotus e do início das transmissões para o Brasil das corridas de Fórmula 1 pela televisão3, o automobilismo passou a fazer parte da vida de muita gente. Só que, como toda novidade, para muitos, assim como veio, foi-se. Comigo foi diferente. Chegou e ficou. Claro que na cabeça de um moleque de 10 anos de idade o volume de preocupação era pequeno ou quase nulo – pelo menos no meu caso era assim. Então, tinha uma enorme capacidade para assimilar, sem desviar o foco, tudo o que fosse relacionado ao automobilismo. Sendo bem honesto, naquela época – e devo confessar que durante um bom tempo também – 3 Diferentemente do que acontece da forma que conhecemos hoje, as transmissões das corridas de Fórmula 1 pela televisão brasileira eram esporádicas no início dos anos 70, com provas sendo transmitidas por emissoras como Tupi, Cultura, Record e Bandeirantes, além da Globo, que mais tarde assumiria os direitos exclusivos, o que ocorre até hoje. Fonte: Rede Globo e Torcedores 3 Os Campeões e Eu Emerson Fittipaldi - Nelson Piquet - Ayrton Senna automobilismo para mim se resumia ao “universo” da Fórmula 1. Nada, em escala alguma, era capaz de superar em emoção o que a categoria oferecia para o coração e mente de um pré-adolescente residente em Santo André. Era uma época na qual os pilotos não trocavam as cores de seus capacetes. Não tinha essa novidade dos dias atuais, com um casco novo praticamente a cada corrida na cabeça do mesmo piloto. Então, o verde e amarelo de Wilson Fittipaldi Junior foi o mesmo a carreira toda, o mesmo acontecendo com o preto e amarelo de José Carlos Pace, o vermelho e branco de Clay Regazzoni, o verde musgo de Jacques Laffite, o vermelho de Niki Lauda, o preto de James Hunt, o vermelho e branco de Nelson Piquet e por aí vai. Havia, de fato, uma identidade visual, nada comparada com a confusão de cores, formas e figuras estranhas4. Bandeiras nacionais e geografia também se tornaram muito familiares para mim por causa do automobilismo. “No domingo que vem, Grande Prêmio da Bélgica!”, anunciavam o rádio e a TV. E lá ia eu descobrir onde ficava a Bélgica, sua bandeira, localização da pista etc. Era um acúmulo de informação que não estava ao alcance dos dedos, como ocorre na chamada “era digital”. O “verbo ‘googar’” ainda não existia. Pelo contrário – e bota “pelo contrário” nisso - dependia de muitas pesquisas 4 Para a temporada 2016, a FIA estabeleceu limites para a troca de cores dos capacetes, tudo para facilitar a identificação do público da Fórmula 1. Fonte: Grande Prêmio 4 Os Campeões e Eu Emerson Fittipaldi - Nelson Piquet - Ayrton Senna NELSON PIQUET u tive medo de Nelson Piquet por um bom tempo. “Medo” talvez seja um termo muito exagerado, mas pensava duas vezes – ou E mais - antes de falar com a figura porque, de tanto ouvir histórias e presenciar algumas delas, sabia eu que, dependendo da abordagem, as reações poderiam ser as mais diversas. Demonstrasse ele irritação, humor ou tranquilidade, Nelson Piquet sempre se pautou pela autenticidade. Isso poderia ser um problema para os jornalistas, mas ao mesmo tempo uma dádiva, tamanha a capacidade dele em responder com profundidade quaisquer questões, independentemente da gravidade do tema. 5 Os Campeões e Eu Emerson Fittipaldi - Nelson Piquet - Ayrton Senna Se Nelson Piquet tem de chamar alguém de “ladrão”, ele não perde tempo procurando palavras dóceis. É “ladrão” e pronto. Da mesma forma, não tem qualquer problema para dizer que um evento “é uma merda”, que um adversário era “um babaca” ou que um dirigente não passava de “um imbecil”. Ele sempre foi assim e não foram poucas as vezes que encontrei paralelo entre o detentor de 23 vitórias na Fórmula 1 e o ex-presidente Jânio Quadros pela imprevisibilidade. “Em quem o senhor votou, presidente?”, perguntou uma jornalista da extinta TV Manchete logo após Jânio Quadros ter votado, em 15 de novembro de 1985, na eleição que o fez prefeito de São Paulo, entre 1986 e 19895. A resposta, ácida, foi lacônica, olhando por sobre a armação dos óculos e despenteando os cabelos com o movimento de cabeça: “Na sua avó!”. Mais ou menos nessa linha eu presenciei uma entrevista de Nelson Piquet em Brasília. Era um domingo6 e eu estava em Brasília para cobrir, na época pela revista Racing, uma rodada do Sul-americano de Fórmula 3. A preliminar era da categoria Espron, com protótipos projetados e 5 Jânio Quadros (PTB) recebeu o cargo de prefeito, das mãos de Mário Covas (PMDB), no dia 1º de janeiro de 1988. Entregou-o para Luiza Erundina (PT) em 1º de janeiro de 1989. 6 Essa data é fácil de lembrar porque foi no dia da primeira vitória de Rubens Barrichello na Fórmula 1. Foi no Grande Prêmio da Alemanha de 30 de julho de 2000, em Hochenheim, com Ferrari F-2000, depois de um modesto 18º no grid. Fonte: GP Guide 6 Os Campeões e Eu Emerson Fittipaldi - Nelson Piquet - Ayrton Senna construídos no Ceará pelo engenheiro Pedro Virgínio7, com total apoio do tricampeão, tanto que Piquet organizou a categoria e corria também. Em dado momento da programação daquele domingo em Brasília, Piquet chegou de helicóptero e foi caminhando pela área dos boxes. Uma repórter de uma emissora local, cujo nome não me lembro, dirigiu-se a ele e, com o microfone em punho, perguntou: “Piquet, qual a sua expectativa para a corrida?”. Piquet abriu um sorrisinho e despejou, sem dó ou piedade: “Para a corrida, nenhuma. Mas a minha expectativa é encontrar um banheiro porque estou louco de vontade de cagar!”. E lá seguiu ele, andando daquele jeito meio torto, atrás do tal banheiro. Sempre conversei muito com jornalistas mais velhos, aqueles mesmos que me chamavam – e muitos ainda o fazem – de Ameriquinho. Algum tempo de conversa com gente do calibre de Marcus Zamponi, Cecílio Favoretto, Lito Cavalcanti, Salvador Sendim, Luís Carlos Secco, Castilho de Andrade, Cândido Garcia e mais tantos outros valia muito mais do que qualquer aula de faculdade. E, claro, cada um deles tinha uma história mais engraçada que o outro para contar sobre Piquet. Cada um tinha uma versão ou “tempero” adicional para descrever como ele teria 7 Falecido em 14 de janeiro de 2012, Pedro Virgínio colocou o automobilismo do Nordeste no cenário nacional e deixou uma vasta obra no automobilismo cearense e brasileiro, construindo diversos carros que até hoje estão pelas pistas e inspirando novas gerações de empreendedores, como ele. Fonte: Diário Motorsport 7 Os Campeões e Eu Emerson Fittipaldi - Nelson Piquet - Ayrton Senna AYRTON SENNA entre todos os pilotos brasileiros que foram campeões mundiais de Fórmula 1, Ayrton Senna foi o mais distante para mim por D diversas circunstâncias. Talvez a principal delas tenha sido pelo fato de eu ter dedicado um período da minha carreira prioritariamente à assessoria de imprensa, justamente no período em que ele mais brilhou. Desta forma, diferentemente do que ocorreu com Emerson Fittipaldi e Nel- son Piquet, nunca fiz uma entrevista exclusiva com o Ayrton8 – não houve 8 Nunca entrevistei o Ayrton com exclusividade, mas sim Leonardo Senna, o irmão mais novo dele. Aliás, vocês sabem que o filho caçula do seu Milton e da Dona Neide, antes de se tornar o grande empresário que é, desenvolvia programas de computador nos 8 Os Campeões e Eu Emerson Fittipaldi - Nelson Piquet - Ayrton Senna tempo. Se a gente analisar, minhas principais oportunidades com os cam- peões mundiais ocorreram na volta deles da Fórmula 1, por assim dizer. Só que o Ayrton não voltou. Mas, apesar disso, tenho boas lembranças de algumas poucas oca- siões. Não aquelas das “manhãs de domingo” ou algo do gênero, mas de momentos que se transformaram marcantes para mim.
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