At 66, Didier Schraenen still exercises his passion with the same fire in his eyes. However, despite his extensive record in Formula 1600, he never climbed to the top step of the podium at the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit.
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The native of Mont-Saint-Hilaire is overtaken by young wolves who try, respectfully, to pack the old trucker. The man who doesn’t know the word “retirement” will once again try to prevail during the weekend of the Canadian Grand Prix.
“I have something unfinished. Despite the 15 podiums that I have here […], I never won. It’s missing from my pedigree, as they say,” Schraenen said on the phone after his qualifying session on Saturday morning.
“I have had a lot of expectations from my supporters for the past 33 years. My first race here was in 1988, in the Honda-Michelin series. It was my very first race in life,” recalled the 32-year-old at the time.
The one who is also a sports commentator was Canadian champion in Formula 1600 in 1998, 1999, 2006 and 2009
The young grow
Schraenen acknowledges that the young drivers in his series are more “sharp” than before. They come from karting with a lot of experience despite their age.
“These are quite specific situations. When I was at Tremblant for the first event of the season, which I won, the two youngsters next to me (Connor Clubine and Callum Baxter) were 18 and 15 years old. Thirty-three together and if you multiply by two, that gives my age,” recalled the veteran with a laugh.
To add an extra layer, Schraenen’s car number 94, designed in Quebec 25 years ago, is older than the majority of its competitors.
“The rest of us arrive with our handmade cars, with an old driver in them, and we drive in the front. It’s not just the driver who can be proud,” added the man who recorded the third best time on Saturday.
Experience plays a big part in this, but so does attitude. Didier Schraenen has to elbow the newcomers, who have nothing to lose.
“It keeps me young,” said the competitive sixty-year-old.