With a bit of help from his brother Patrick, Matthias Njeim managed to clinch the 2012 Lebanese Karting Championship Junior title ahead of rival Michael-Patrick Azar. Here’s a post-race interview with the three of them:
INTERVIEW WITH MATTHIAS NJEIM
Matthias, Congratulations on the championship, this is your first Junior title. How are you feeling and how was the season in general?
It was the most year with ups and downs, I won a few races, came last in others. The points were so close between myself, Michael and Patrick, anything could happen from first to third. It wasn’t decided until the last race. Big thanks to my brother who helped me win this championship.
Don’t you think it’s unusual to help each others in the championship? Karting is an individual sports.
It is an individual sports, but we always work together if someone needs help or something, and since Michael was going for sure to Portugal, and it was only one of us who could win, so my dad promised the guy who’s not going to Portugal to take him somewhere else, and he could choose where. Patrick chose Canada and the US, thus giving me the Portugal seat.
How fast was Michael-Patrick Azar this season? How closer did he get to you? Was he a real championship threat?
He was threat from the beginning, he had so many pole positions, he always won the pre-finals except maybe once or twice, and that’s what got him so many points, and he was always stuck to us. His car was prefect, and he was driving really well. During Round 5, he was much much faster, lapping 0.8 seconds faster than everyone else. Last race under the rain, his car had much more grip which gave him an advantage; I don’t know what happened to his car yesterday during practice, it wouldn’t turn on anymore, and it didn’t work today either. The title was decided today since his car wasn’t working but he was threat all through the championship.
You’re going to represent Lebanon in Portugal, how do you feel about it? It’s a very good experience.
I’m very excited since all the world champions are going there, everyone who has won in his country is going there. It’s something to be proud of, representing your country.
How proud are you?
I’m very very happy
Who supported you throughout all of this? The people, the crew around you, your dad, tell us more about it.
Mostly my dad, my brother and my mechanic.
Any final message?
No, just a big thank you to my brother Patrick.
INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL-PATRICK AZAR
It was a very tough championship this year, but according to your opponents you were a big threat. Tell us more…
Yeah this is the first time, it’s unusual territory being top three, top two. Yesterday I went through some technical problems in the car, I think it’s from the rain and the dust and most probably the fuel wasn’t as clean as we thought it would be, so to this day we still don’t know what the problem is with the engine, it’s been cutting even though we pushed it to the edge. I’m happy with the result, even though I’m third, I’ve vice champion.
You’re gonna travel anyway, and represent the country as well
I’m gonna travel anyway but throughout the years, I went from a lower position to the top.
You went from the end to the top of the podium…
Last year I was vice champion, I was hoping this year I would be champion instead of vice, but anyway this is my last year in Junior, I’m happy at least I’m not lower than that.
How hard did you work to improve that much?
I worked really really hard, not just with me but with my mechanic, and we put a lot of effort into this, it was actually a shame to see ourselves go like this and the last race we wanted to win more gloriously, but we’re happy.
How much did the politics between Patrick and his brother and their fixed positions affect your championship?
Of course them playing around and working as a team when they’re not really supposed to, it changed a lot, it affected my good positions. When they could’ve been fighting against each other, I could’ve taken advantage, but they stayed aside. It would have greatly affected if they weren’t working as a team.
Don’t you think it’s logical for this to happen between brothers?
It is logical between brothers, but it’s not supposed to happen, in Karting it’s individual, it’s not Formula 1, you don’t have teammates, that’s why.
What do you promise us for next year?
I don’t know what category I’m gonna go to next year, hopefully I’ll decide soon, for now I just wanna end the year, I don’t know wanna think about next year.
Is there any abroad racing other than Portugal?
There’s Portugal this year, maybe next year the Middle East Championship, maybe the Lebanese too, I’m not sure yet. It’s the end of the year, we’ve just finished the last…
So you’re gonna study your choices?
Yes, I’m gonna study my choices.
INTERVIEW WITH PATRICK NJEIM
Patrick, you were the Lebanese champion during the last three years, you helped your brother this year with the championship. Tell us more about it.
Since the beginning of the season I was saying that I would like to be champion for the fourth time but along the season it was really mixed, there weren’t any stable races like last year, last year I won 4 or 5 races, easily got the championship, but now my brother was a bit more competitive than last year, and we were gambling, seeing who should help the other and seeing between races, I’ve given him a race before, it was race 2 or 3 because he was behind in points, he had an accident early in the season and I pushed him back up but through that I also lost points, so Michael always kept close and it was pretty tight with the points but then my brother calculated the points and it turned out really tight, whoever wants to win would have to win both races and in my case Michael could not come second behind me. I then decided to give my brother the race, it was safer at that point because in the previous race it was raining and Michael dominated easily so he got ahead in the points, so right now I wasn’t thinking of just me winning, so I thought to get at least one of us, either me or my brother in front…
In order to secure the championship within the family…
Yeah, so that’s what I did, I let my brother pass in the first race and then he started that way in the second race, he also stayed first and I was blocking Michael a little bit.
How do you find Michael this year compared to his performance last year? We saw Michael fighting with you all the time.
Last year was very easy, I mean he was fighting last year but he wasn’t attacking as much, I don’t know maybe he was a little bit more cautious, and this year he was really tough.
Was he a real threat for the championship?
Yes, definitely, I mean after most of the races he was leading with the points and then we would just catch back in the next race but now when it came down to the last race it wasn’t really easy, it was tough, there was pressure till the last moment, and yes, this year was tough with Michael, it was a nice championship, great competition and that’s what we need here in this country.
Are we going to see you next year?
Yes, definitely, I still don’t know which class, probably DD2 but most probably Senior because there are lots of other people who would also want to join and I’m looking forward to next year, it’s going to be good.
Are you going to race outside Lebanon?
Now I gave my brother the chance to go to the world championship, now that I gave him the race so it’s him and Michael going to Portugal, going to race there.
So Michael came second in the championship…
Yeah after I gave my brother the win, I was stuck in 3rd, so I said “why just risk it?”, just keep my brother in front.
Do you think they have a chance of doing good outisde?
I don’t know, I mean the level outside is really high, the level of competition. The technology elsewhere is higher, it’s really big, so I don’t know, in some way, when there are lots of people racing, there’s also a bit of luck if people crash in front of you, but I think they will do good, the level in Lebanon is not really too low, it’ll be great, I’m going to watch, so it’ll be fun for me and no pressure.