Dreaming of becoming a “God of Racing Car” from childhood
When mentioning Jimmy Lin, his image of “Shaolin Popey” remains fresh in the minds of people who were born in 1970.
In 1992, Jimmy Lin who was only 17 years old published his first personal albums; his title tracks “not every love song has beautiful memory” and “seventeen-year-old during the rainy season” became the hot popular songs at that time; and he also became the idol of many boys and girls.
Four years later, he bought the first Ferrari sports car by his own money and took it as the chariot; with such chariot, he got the third winner in his first contest.
Actually, Jimmy had the dream of becoming the racing driver when he was young.
When he was 10 years old, he attended the remote control car contest and obtained the second place within Taiwan area; he told the journalist that he dreamed to be a racing driver.
When he obtained some achievements in his show biz, his willing to return the race track became stronger and stronger. 11 years later, he finally read the dream in the race track.
Jimmy is the first professional racing driver in Chinese show biz and the first salaried professional racing driver in Taiwan. He refreshed the quickest single-round record of Taiwan Longtan Super Car for four times in one year and set up the record of four winning streaks of Taiwan Supercar Contest.
As Chinese unwonted“All-Round Racing Driver”, he entered Chinese rallying driver group N and ranked Top 8 in annual ranking; he had more outstanding performances in formula contests and took the crown in Chinese Reynolds Formula Contests for many times; in 2000, Jimmy Lin who was 26 years old obtained the first champion in his racing career and begun to enter the field of formula racing; after obtaining Reynolds Spider champion twice, he formally attended international tournament of Chinese Reynolds formula through FRD racing training and became the first international formula racing driver in Taiwan.
The Fleet PTRS attended Intercontinental LeMans in Zhuhai in 2011 and became the first Chinese team to attend the prototype car contest in the history of LeMans.
When talking about the predestined love with car racing, Jimmy Lin bears the days staying with Kenneth Ma in Zhuhai circuit together in his mind constantly. “At that time, he was also a racing driver and taught me a lot of skills; we have formed deep friendship for these years, which is brought by car racing.”
Dialogue between Kenneth Ma and Jimmy Lin
Kenneth Ma: Jimmy, you were a racing driver and now become a boss, what is the different emotion in identity change?
Jimmy Lin: I feel good in both two identities. I came to Zhuhai Circuit in 1999. At that time, you were also a racing driver and taught me a lot of skills and experience in driving.
The racing driver only needs to pay attention to driving while the boss needs to consider more things, such as contest, part quantity, competition among racing drivers, sponsors…. I have different feelings in two identities and become more worried about the identity of boss.
I am in the course of adapting to it. When seeing the racing drivers in the contest, I also have the impulsion to drive. However, I need to separate from the racing driver, otherwise, I can’t concentrate my attention to the identity of boss and think more things. Although having won many contests, we feel nervous to attend FRD which is a high-quality contest for the first time, and we feel satisfied about our performance.
Kenneth Ma: In fact, Fleet PTRS have had the chance to win the champion, but it had collision today (Sep 16th)
Jimmy Lin: Yes, we are good in our qualifying tournament and rank in Top 2 and Top 4. We are wished to challenge annual grand champion because we just have 8-score gap with the first place.
We discussed for the strategy and the skill of entering the stop for several days. I told the players not to think more and try to complete the contest successfully. Just as what they had done in the previous rounds, they should have usual mind and no strong sense of success. The more you want to win, the more difficulties you will meet.
For the previous qualifying tournament, the former 6 players had little difference which was only 0.1 second, equal to the time of eyewink. They were almost equal in skills; the key is that people who have fewer errors will have more challenges to win.
Today, we made an error that two cars flied out as they touched when the road holding of the first ring wasn’t shown up; it was really unfair; therefore, we should have usual mind in the contest and didn’t put more pressure on ourselves; the racing driver finally succeeded in driving the car back, which I thought was the spirit of racing.
Kenneth Ma: the car fans are curious why your team is called as PTRS?
Jimmy Lin: it means “on an equal footing”; although we are competitors in the contest, we are in fair competition; for car racing, it is also the same to everyone.
Actually, it is a process of engaging in car racing; it doesn’t means you can win with courageousness only; it is a long-term cultivating process by composure, steadiness and carefulness.
Kenneth Ma: why do you always look so young? We are interested in it.
Jimmy Lin: (Laugh) because we like car racing and pursuing time; even if 0.1 second, we can catch 1 second for 10 units of 0.1-second. (Laugh)
Kenneth Ma: You are reputed as “All-Round Driver” as you have driven different racing cars from formula, rally racing and FRD, how about your experience?
Jimmy Lin: what I contact the most are Reynolds formula and Chinese car rallying and what I contact the least is Le Mans prototype vehicle; after one year’s driving of FRD, I feel that this type of vehicle is very wide and has strong lower pressure and deep voice; with its different driving and hard stimulation, it attracts attention from more and more car fans and media.
Kenneth Ma: for the identity as a singer, an actor, a driver and a boss, which one do you think is the most important and ranks the top one?
Jimmy Lin: the four ones mentioned are not important; what’s the important is to be a good father. In the course of children’ grow-up, the best gift is accompaniment; the father shall be a good model for children, which will be better for their growth.
Kenneth Ma: do you wish your children to be racing drivers?
Jimmy Lin: as we see, Kimi played cars in the show; I wish him to begin from karting; the twins Kyson and Jenson also begin to play scooters and are skilled in drifting. (Laugh)
Wish PTRS to continue attending the contest and obtain good results, and congratulate FRD LMP3 Series to make better performance beforehand.
