Armando Balada My life on the tracks by Eduardo Balada

My life on the tracks Curriculum / Experiences / Anecdotes

Foreword My life on the tracks. A title that summarizes the years of personal and professional growth as a racing driver of my son, Armando Balada Delmastro. Following him and his father since his first steps as a karting driver in Maracaibo, Venezuela, until his training with high-speed racing cars in England, has been an intense and exciting experience, as well as a terrifying and emotionally exhausting one as a mother. There was nothing I could do but support him. It is his calling, his gift. It is in his blood. It's almost over... there are only five laps left... four... three... two... one... It's over! He is all right!... Thank you Lord!... I say a brief prayer in gratitude. I look at my hands. Marks from my nails are visible on my palms, as well as the shape from a medal of the Blessed Virgin Mary that I have been holding in my fist throughout the race. I can breathe at last. I raise my eyes and I see my son doing his final victory lap holding up the waving chequered flag. He has won! All fear is gone now and the joy for the triumph begins, the satisfaction, the pride of a mother, the admiration for the son. When a child succeeds, the parents succeed. When a son succeeds, God smiles. Dear son, following you throughout this adventure of speed, noise, smoke, danger and adrenaline, so different from the quiet academic environment in which I have lived all my life, has been an enormous challenge. A challenge that I accepted out of love and out of respect for who you are, for your gifts, for your calling. Reading books between one training and another, correcting papers amidst the roar of engines and the smell of gasoline, I understood that what you have learned on the tracks is also a teaching for life. The preparation, work, dedication, effort, tenacity, discipline, teamwork, the shared enjoyment in victory, and the lesson in the humility of defeat are permanent values that forge the character of the man you are today. This book reflects a bit of all this and more. I hope readers will enjoy it as I have. Maybe someday you will be back to your life on the tracks, your dream, one that was destroyed by a country that has lost its way.

Dr. Ana Lucia Delmastro, your Mom.

Armando Balada My life on the tracks My name is Armando Javier Balada Delmastro. I was born on May 30, 1993 in the city of Maracaibo, Venezuela. A city full of sunshine, good people and fun, bathed by the waters of the Maracaibo Lake, where the name of our country was also born: Venezuela, which means "Little Venice". This is the first time in my life that I talk about myself. So much so, that my classmates didn't get to know the results of my races from me. They knew about my races because they read the news in the sports pages of the newspapers, and then they complained because I hadn't told them anything. My life on the tracks is a different way of showing my sports curriculum, narrating my moments, my life experiences, and showing my gratitude for life. Here, I not only show

my achievements, the prizes I won, and the races in which I have participated. I include my triumphs but also my defeats, because there is something that I have learned during my life as a driver: that you not only have to learn to win, you also have to learn to lose, and that when you win, you must be noble enough to show humility to those who have lost. My achievements would not have been such if I had not had the full support of my family: my brothers, AndrĂŠs and Alejandro, my father: Eduardo Balada, and my mother: Ana Lucia Delmastro. Although I know she did not like my sport of speed, she always respected my choice. I also owe a lot to my coaches; especially to Daniel BolaĂąos, who taught me how to brake properly and at the right time, to Mario Cortese

and to Angel Benitez, my trainer in Formulas. I must not forget to mention my mechanics: Wilfredo, Luis, my friend Engelbert, whom we affectionately called El Negro and who has unfortunately passed away, William, who was with me in Italy, and finally, EfrĂŠn, who was my first assistant. All of them went out of their way to keep my cars in prime condition. They always had a joke at hand and a smile on their faces, even during the most hectic moments before a race. I also want to thank the many media: newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations, as well as digital publications, which always gave ample coverage to my achievements. My life has been one full of emotions, of adrenaline rush before every competition, of

uncertainty at every curve, of total acceleration in every straight, and of abrupt brakings on a hot pavement. I learned to enjoy my prizes and my many podium climbs, and I also learned, with each defeat, not to make the same mistakes that prevented me from reaching the finish line first. I offer these review of my life on the tracks so that you get to know me a little better, in the belief that there are still many pages to be written, since I am only twenty-five years old and I want to add more pages to this book. That is my aspiration, because I am still pursuing my dreams and I am still in the competition of life.

2002 My beginnings Walking with my father on a Saturday morning through the streets of my hometown, Maracaibo, Venezuela, we suddenly noticed an advertisement on the street that read: "Karting School in the Kartdrome of the Rosmini School". My father asked me, “Would you like to practice Karting?” And I asked him in return, “What's that, Dad?” His answer was, “You'll see”. My father didn't tell me at the time that when he was younger he had been a karting pilot too. I found out about that a while later. We arrived at the track to ask for information, and we were introduced to Mr. Mario Cortese, an Italian immigrant, karting connoisseur, and the director of the Zulia Karting School Foundation. The answer from Mr. Cortese was that, before registering, I had to try to drive a kart first, because the first

condition was that I had to like karting. I immediately climbed unto a kart and entered the track. On the third lap, my body full of new emotions, I returned to the pits and said to my father, “Register me at once!” It was like a scorpion sting that had an immediate effect on my blood. I had discovered the emotion of speed. From that moment on, I never got off a racing car again. I was nine years old at the time. During the third practice I attended at the Karting School, my father was looking at me from the pits when Mr. Cortese approached him and asked with his strong Italian accent, “Mr. Balada, has your son Armando ever done any karting before?” My father said that I had never done it. “You're lying to me,” said Mr. Cortese. “Why are you telling me that? I have no need to lie to you,” replied my father. Mr. Cortese

answered, “Because your son is doing an excellent race line and I have not yet taught him that. If what you are telling me is true, that he has never driven a kart before, then he is an inborn pilot and we have a great future with this new pilot.” The day of the Karting School Graduation Race, I had an accident on the track during the first practices. There were several pilots in the track

alrealdy, and at the exit of a curve, I suddenly found one of them completely stopped in the middle of the track. I did not have the time to avoid him as I was coming at high speed. The crash was inevitable. My father later told me that, with the crash, I made two and a half leaps in the air at about two meters from the ground, moving forward several meters before the kart fell on my chest.

When we arrived in the circuit, my mechanics had already repaired the kart. The steering wheel had been twisted, it had become eight-shaped, and they had straightened it and aligned it as well as they could. The race director came up to me and asked, "Are you going to race Armando?” I looked at my father and he said, “The decision is Then, my father asked me, yours. If you don't want to, “What do we do? Shall we fine. If you want to, just as well. You decide.” I go home?” And my answer was, “No. Let's go decided to run and came second in the race. That back to the track.” was my first podium. I was inmediately taken to a clinic on an ambulance. On the way there, my father called Dr. Raul Romero, who was ready waiting for us in the emergency room when we arrived. They checked me thoroughly, they did some tests and X-rays, and at the end Dr. Romero said, "You are OK. there is nothing wrong with you."

That day, I remember my mother was arriving to the track just as I was getting into the ambulance. Quite frightened, she asked, “What happened?” “A track accident. Nothing serious,” they told her. It was for the better that she hadn’t seen my somersaults in the air, because she might have reacted like the grandmother of the child I had crashed into. That was the last day on the track for him. He was not allowed to run ever again

and he never came back. That also reminds me that at the Karting School there were fifty aspiring pilots when we started, but I was the only one left for the regional championships as well as for the national and international ones.

2003 2nd Place Graduation Cup Zulia Karting School Foundation, September 2003. 2nd Place in the Grand Prix “Ciudad de Maracaibo” in October 2003. 1st Place in the Grand Prix "Virgen de La Chinita" in Maracaibo, November 2003. 1st place in the FEKZ Christmas Cup, December 2003. 2003 was a year of a lot of preparation for me, because I already wanted to compete in the Venezuelan national championships. Almost every weekend, my father and I were already on the track at seven a.m., and I did not stop practicing until the sun went down. It was a great effort on my part and on my family’s, who gave me all their support.

A curious note

In the upper right picture there is Ernesto Viso, a well known Venezuelan driver, handing me my first Champions Cup in the Pre-Junior 80 c.c. category in the city of Maracay.

Maracaibo there were no stores that sold racing gear; therefore, my father had to buy a used racesuit from one of our karting friends so that I could carry out my sporting activity.

For my first incursions in karting, in the city of

The curious aspect of this note is that on that day,

we found out that the used racesuit we had bought had belonged to Ernesto Viso when he was a child. And it was precisely him who would hand in my first trophy in my first race outside Maracaibo.

Learning to brake On the day of my first training with Daniel Bolaños, who had made Rodolfo Gonzalez a champion in England, he told me to get in the track because he wanted to see the way I drove. When he saw the timing he frowned, and my father asked him, "What do you think? What's going on? Isn't he going fast enough?” “No. That’s not it at all,” was his initial response. “That's not the problem. The problem is that he’s going too fast”. “Can you explain yourself?,” my father replied. And Daniel said, “These modern go-karts are not like the old ones that you handled which couldn’t turn well. The go-karts nowadays are well-designed, they can turn very well, and they are practically miniature formulas. Your son enters

the curves so fast and so strongly, that what he does is skid to the sides and he doesn't move forward. It looks nice and it’s eye-catching, but it is not efficient driving. Armando must learn how to brake properly and how to take the curves smoothly, and you'll see that he’ll make better times.”

Then, Daniel and I walked along the track, and he marked with cones the braking and acceleration spots. The results were surprising that first day. My track timing went down almost three seconds, and that's an eternity on a track.

Daniel told my father, “Armando was born a champion.” And he actually made me one.

2004 3rd place in the National Champions Cup in the city of Maracay in January 2004.

In 2004, I jumped from the regional championships to the national ones.

Winner of the Regional Championship Zulia 2004, with five first places and a second place in six races.

This was a strong change. I had to adapt to new conditions and compete with drivers of more hierarchy than those I had already raced against. It led me to know new tracks and to learn to perform well on tracks that were different and unknown to me.

7th place among 17 competitors in my first participation in the 2004 National Championship of the Venezuelan Karting Federation, in twelve races.

The good thing about this experience was that I developed the ability to adapt quickly to each new track, and to achieve winning positions in these competitions.

Champion Of the Zulia state

In the year 2004, I won my first regional competition in the Zulia state in Maracaibo, my native city, in the PreJunior category 80 c.c. This achievement was very motivating to me, because it gave me the necessary thrust to move up to the Venezuelan National Championship for 2005. In 2005, I regained my title of Champion of the Zulia State in the same category. I managed to win it again in 2006; this time in the Junior 100 c.c. category.

My friends One of my most interesting experiences was that of making great friends from the karting tracks. We were mischievous children and we enjoyed our free time very much. My friends would bring their bikes and their small motorcycles along, and I would take my electric bike and my skateboard. But we frequently shared them, and then I would take a friend's bike and he would take mine. We really enjoyed ourselves. Even though we were fierce opponents on the tracks, we were great friends outside. My karting friends are the most beautiful memories of my childhood in the track world.

My first new racing suit During a competition in the ’Kartódromo Carmencita Hernández’ in Maracay, I went in with my parents to the circuit’s sports shop and I started looking at the new racing suits that had arrived recently. The racing suit that I was wearing at the time was one that we had bought second hand, and it was already old, dirty and stained from so much use. My mother saw a yellow racing suit that she liked a lot. She asked me if I liked it and I told her that I did and that it was very nice. To my surprise, since I knew that she didn't like racing nor the fact that I was a pilot, she went to the counter, pulled out her credit card and bought it for me, without uttering a word. That same day, I wore my new racing suit for the first time and I won the race.

My first race in the Venezuelan National Championship 2004

This photo is very important to me. It is the picture of my first participation in a race for the Venezuelan National Championship. It was with a Tony Kart chassis with an 80 c.c. Engine.

I was very nervous, of course, as it can happen to any child. Fear comes and eats you away. In spite of everything, I was able to overcome it and give a good performance.

2005 National Pre-Junior 80 c.c. Sub-Champion in the 2005 FVK Summer National Championship, Venezuelan Karting Federation, in six races. Winner of the Grand Prix ‘Feria de San José’ PreJunior 80 c.c at ‘Kartódromo Carmencita Hernández’ in Maracay, Venezuela. Pole Position, fastest lap, and track record. June 2005 /

Fourth place in the V Race of the National Championship Easy Kart Junior 100 c.c. in September 2005. Seventh place in the Great Race of the Americas Junior 100 c.c., among twenty-five international pilots. October / Middletown /New York / United States Participation in the Grand National of USA Junior 100 c.c. Drop out due to mechanical problems.

Winner of the Minichamp Pre-Junior Grand Prix and winner of the Zulia October, 2005. Championship. Second place in the VI Race of the National Winner of the IV Race of Championship Easy Kart the National Easy Kart Junior 100c.c. November, Junior 100 c.c. in July 2005. 2005. Pole Position, fastest lap, The year 2005 was a very and track record under productive year for me rainy conditions at the and one of great learning. ‘Kartódromo Carmencita Getting to know new Hernández’ in Maracay. It tracks, the differences was my debut in Easy between regional, Kart. national, and international Winner of the Grand Prix Ciudad de Caracas Junior 100 c.c. in July 2005. Pole Position.

championships, the quality of the participating pilots. All this led me to new and very positive experiences.

It comes to mind that when I was practicing for my first race in the Venezuelan National Championship, Jaime Bonini, father of a fellow pilot, approached us and said, "Daniel Bolaños is looking for you. He wants to talk to you.” A few minutes later, he introduced himself to my father and me, “Good morning. My name is Daniel Bolaños and I am a karting coach. I made Rodolfo González champion in England, but he has already stepped forward into motor racing. I've been watching the drivers all morning, and I can tell you that the only driver here who has the makings of a champion is Armando. Let me train him and make him a champion.” Said and done. That year, I became Regional Champion of the Zulia State and National Vice-Champion of Venezuela.

Track record at ‘Loma Linda’ The day I first tried my Intrepid chassis with its new engine, I surprised everybody at the track of Loma Linda, a kartdrome located near Caracas. When I went in to run the track for practice, Daniel Bolaños, my trainer, was timing me and he suddenly started jumping up and down with joy. My father was intrigued and asked him, “What's going

on Daniel?” To which Daniel replied with immense happiness, “Armando just broke the track record!” Not only had Daniel taken my timing, the coaches of other pilots had done it as well. From that day on, they always paid attention to everything I was doing.

National SubChampion of Venezuela 2005 In this race I had three great satisfactions. The first one was that I came third in the race, and on the last lap, in a curve where no one had ever been able to overtake, I did. My father later told me that all the people in the crowd watching the race shouted in unison and then they exclaimed, “We can’t believe it! He did it! He did it, in that corner!” My second satisfaction was that this was the San José Grand Prix and it was a very important race. And the third satisfaction was that with this race I managed to be the Sub-Champion in the Venezuelan National Championship that year.

The black helmet One summer, in August, I was on vacation with my family in Aruba, and my father and I went into a sports store. Once inside, we noticed a black helmet that was on display. We liked the helmet and the price was good, so we bought it. Sometimes we thought that what happened to us later with that helmet was within the paranormal. Every time I wore that helmet, something bad would happen: the car would get damaged, the chain would break, and many other strange things. It went on until the day I was hit by another car during the race and I did not get good results. I

never wore that helmet again and it ended up in the helmet gallery I kept in my bedroom. There it remained for a while. Months later, an acquaintance asked to buy the helmet. I handed it in to him, but he never paid for it. After several months, we learned that this acquaintance had had a serious accident with his motorcycle. When they told us, my father and I looked at each other and then we both said at the same time, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The black helmet! It sure was because of the helmet!â&#x20AC;? I have never believed in weird stuff, and in witches even less. But they do fly!

Caracas Grand Prix In the month of July 2005, we travelled from Maracaibo to the city of Caracas. In order to celebrate the anniversary of its foundation, the Caracas Grand Prix had been organized. My father is a native of the capital city, and although he has lived in Maracaibo for many years, all his family still lives in Caracas. The family gathering was very nice. My grandmother Carmen Luisa, my uncles on my father's part, my cousinsâ&#x20AC;Ś. They were all there accompanying us in the BolĂvar Avenue, which had been set to carry out this importan trace. The public crowded both sides of the avenue, the bleachers were full with people. All my family was with me in the pits while we were waiting for the beginning of the first tests and classifications.

I got the pole position in the initial tests, so I started first in the actual race. However, my car was not working 100% and a pilot managed to overtake me and reach the first position. I was left in the second place, and I just payed attention to the Behavior of the pilot.

I had him in front of me for several laps, until he reached a curve where he opened up a bit. I took advantage of the situation, and I was able to come out of the curve with more speed and push, so I reached the first position again. There were still three

laps to go, but I managed to keep the first place until the end of the race. This is how I won the Great Prize of Caracas.

had said before the test, “What if a ‘maracucho’ wins this race against the people of Caracas?” And that's what actually happened: A “maracucho” All competitors were from like me, won the race the capital city except me, against the “caraqueños”. who came from Maracaibo. My father, as always in a joking mood,

United States Grand Final Oakland Valley Race Park In the month of August 2005, I had the honor of representing Venezuela in the United Statesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; EasyKart Grand Final. I must say that it was not a good experience. First of all, because the person who rented the kart conned us, and gave us a kart that was very bad in every way: the chassis was misaligned and the engineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s piston was totally worn. In addition to this, I was badly hit during the practices and I had to be taken to the infirmary. Moreover, the owner of the track was not prepared for the nature of this race: he lacked the necessary amount of fuel, there were not enough rain tires, and no tires for dry weather either. And finally, he did not have

many of the necessary spare parts, which caused great distress to the competitors. Many pilots were disappointed and were on the verge of abandoning the event. However, at the last minute, the management of EasyKart America

decided to take responsibility for the event taking it away from the track owner, and that was how we could finish the race. But everything took place in a very dull environment, because Hurricane Katrina had already reached the coasts of the United States.

With my parents, the day I made my debut in the EasyKart Junior category 100 c.c.

Winning without cheating In an EasyKart race of the Junior 100 cc category in the kartdrome of San Carlos, I won the Pole Position on a Saturday. This gave me the opportunity to start first in the grid for the race on Sunday. In that race, a very good driver was also competing, but by a mishap during the classifications he had come last for the grid. The race began and I started very well. I maintained my first position during all the competition. In the few moments that I could watch where the other competitors were, I realized that this pilot was overtaking everybody. Suddenly, during the last lap, he overtook me on one side. I couldn't understand it. My engine had worked very well, it didn't overheat, I cooled it correctly.... I accepted my defeat and I thought: â&#x20AC;&#x153;It will be the next race when Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll win.â&#x20AC;?

When a race ends, all the karts have to be taken to a place called the Closed Park. There, every kart is checked and the engines are inspected. That time, we were standing just outside the Closed Park, and when they were checking the karts, especially that of the winning driver, one of the mechanics suggested to ask the inspector to check the spark plug of the winner's car. The inspector did so, and when he took out the spark plug, he realized that a washer was missing, one that was compulsory according to regulations. He immediately disqualified the pilot for cheating, since the lack of that ring had given him an advantage of at least four horsepower over the other engines in the race. The victory was given to me. I had earned my place without cheating. Seeing all that, I realized why he had won. That's no way to win. You have to win the races cleanly and without tricks or advantages over the other competitors.

The Truck The first time I attended a race for a national championship, I was astonished at the big trailers and trucks of the teams that were participating. We had arrived there with our kart on our carâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roof, tied to a grill that we had installed for that purpose. We couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have cried out any louder that we were newcomers to the national competitions. Realizing that our equipment was very poor compared to those who were there, I expressed my concern to my father, and he replied wisely that a big truck and equipment did not make a pilot; what makes a pilot is his skill, his tenacity, and his work on the track. After a time, when I had already been recognized as a good kart driver, my father bought

a motorhome so that I would travel more comfortably. We did not need hotels anymore; also, I had an excellent bed, a good bathroom, and an air conditioner that cooled like a fridge. However, I yearn for those days when we would arrive to the tracks with our kart on the roof of the car, and while other competitors had big trucks and equipment, it was me who would win the races.

2006 Pole Position and Third place in the Grand Prix “La Divina Pastora” in Barquisimeto, Third Place in the 1st. Race ICA 100 c.c. of the FVK National Championship, April 2006. Pole Position and Second Place in the 1st. Race of the National Championship Champions Cup Easy Kart Junior Cat. 100 c.c. First Place in the 2nd. Race of the National Championship Champions Cup Easy Kart Cat. Junior 100 c.c. Fourth Place in the 3rd. Race of the National Championship Champions Cup Easy Kart Cat. Junior 100 c.c. Sixth Place in the 4th. Race of the National Championship Champions Cup Easy Kart Cat. Junior 100 c.c. First Place in the 5th. Race of the National Championship

Champions Cup Easy Kart Cat.Junior 100 c.c. Third Place in the 6th. Race of the National Championship Champions Cup Easy Kart Cat. Junior 100 c.c. Winner of the 2006 National Champion title Junior Category 100 c.c. Winner of the Easy Kart Champions Cup Junior Cat. 100 c.c.

win the Easy Kart National Championship and the Champions Cup. I also won the Regional Championship of the state of Zulia and I earned the right to represent Venezuela in the Grand World Final Easy Kart held in Jesolo, Italy.

In Jesolo, the race was very hard and, even though I didn't win, I consider it to have been one of the best races of my life. I led the race for Finalist in the International Grand Final many laps and stayed in the top five for most of the of Easy Kart Junior 100 race. Even if I was hit and c.c. Final B Jesolo, Italy, taken off the track several October 2006. times, I came back with more impetus to occupy First Place in the Grand first positions. The race Prix “La Chinita” in the was about to finish and I framework of the was holding the third Maracaibo Fair. position, but just 700 metres from the First Place in the chequered flag there was Regional Championship a collision between the Zulia. first two karts, one of the pilots crossed my race Second Place in the 2nd State Race ICA 100 of the line and we crashed. state of Mérida. Despite all the bad things December, 2006 that happened, I came finalist in that great race. 2006 was a very productive and successful year for me. Not only did I

Engelbert, affectionately called “El Negro”

It was Thursday noon. My father picked me up from the High School where I was studying then, and we were on our way at once, travelling from the city of Maracaibo to the city of San Carlos. We arrived at the San Carlos racetrack around five in the afternoon. The mechanics had my kart set and ready since the early morning. I went out on the track to take advantage of the last rays of sunlight and make a few turns for my habitual practices before the weekend races. My main mechanic at the time, Engelbert, whom we affectionately called “El Negro”, was an extremely funny young man and excellent at his job.

and when I had already run the track four times, he said to my father, “Armando is amazing.” My father looked at him and asked, “Why do you say that ‘Negro’?” And he answered, “Armando arrived at the end of the afternoon tired from a long trip, he took off his school uniform, put on his race suit, got on the kart, went out on a track that was already cold, and with very few laps he has already made better times than all the pilots that have been practicing since the early morning. To me, Armando is amazing! He's just a pilot out of this world!”

Today, ‘El Negro’, unfortunately deceased, is remembered with much affection by both my father and me. God rest “El Negro” was next to my his soul. father taking my timing,

Notice the thumb of my left hand. You can see a hole in the glove. A result of so many hours at the wheel that it tore.

The day I forgot my racing shoes

We once went to a race at the Autodromo de San Carlos in Venezuela. Once in the hotel, we unpacked and I realized that I had forgotten my racing shoes. My father's gaze was like a lightning bolt that split me in two.

It was night already. The stores were closing and we had to go to the city of San Carlos quickly to see if we could find some racing shoes. My father said to me, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Son, it's going to be difficult to find the Puma shoes that are used for karting, much less at this time of day.â&#x20AC;?

But, Thank God and a little luck, we got them, and I was able to race the next day without any problems. After that day, my running shoes were the first thing I put in my suitcase.

The race line

My father has always been by my side throughout my sports career. There wasn't a single practice or a single race that he wouldn't be with me. Once, during practice before a race, he said

something important to

me. After noticing that I was trying to look back at the other competitors, he realized what I was doing, and when I got to the pits he talked to me and told me the following, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Son, the track may be very wide, but the race line is only one. Don't look back, that can cause you to

make mistakes and lose concentration on your race line. Your job is to make the other drivers aware of you, and you just have to be aware of your race line without being distracted by anything else.â&#x20AC;?

His words still linger in my memory and, from that moment on, I always followed his lesson. I never again looked back.

The satisfaction of a podium Climbing unto a podium not only means to have won a race. It means to see your work transformed into reality in the form of a trophy. This achievement drives you to work with more motivation and determination, and demonstrates that only with constant work are our goals achieved.

It is for this reason that constancy is one of the main values in the life of a high performance sportsman, as well as any other person in any area.

National Champion EasyKart Venezuela 2006 When I was thirteen, I had the pleasure of being National Easy Kart Champion of Venezuela and also winning the Champions Cup. Sometimes it's not easy to assimilate triumphs. All of a sudden, you are a Champion. In our conversations, my father made me realize that I wasn't a champion in a simple way. He made me understand that I had achieved that goal thanks to my effort and that of my entire team. That this triumph was the product of a lot of tenacity, of many practices, of a lot of work by many people. I understood that I had to thank God and so many people, especially my family, for this great achievement.

EasyKart World Grand Final Italy Winning the Venezuelan EasyKart National Championship gave me the right to represent my country at the EasyKart Grand Finals in Lido di Jesolo, northern Italy. It was a great experience as pilots from many countries attended the competition, the champions of each region on earth where EasyKart was present. As Champion of Venezuela I received an extremely special treatment, worthy of a king. When I got to the track, my assigned kart was already there, with my number and my name on it. The food was brought to me to our pit, and they were always taking care that nothing was missing. A representative of Birel

approached us and told me that, as a champion, I had the right to ask for any kind of spare part completely free of charge. Also water, soft drinks, all type of sausages, and a wide variety of cheeses which were kindly brought to me to my Venezuelan pit. Those were the great advantages of attending an event of this category as champion of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s country. During that race in Italy, I did not have the help of Lady Luck. As soon as we started, I was able to

position myself among the first places and, on several occasions, in the first place. However, there were drivers who bumped into my kart from behind and pushed me off the track. Entering the runway again was difficult, considering there were thirty five participating pilots, but I would get back in again and reach the first position. . Three times I was pushed out of the track,and three times I went back again

and tried to reach the forefront. Just one more lap to go and about a Thousand meters to the finish line, I was in the third position and I was about to overtake on the left, when all of a sudden the first two karts crashed and one of them got in my raceline. We crashed and went off the track. The front part of my kart was on the competitorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s helmet. I had to get off my kart to pull it off his back, take it to the track and start again from zero speed. Still, with all

Finalist Medal from the Easy Kart World Grand Final in Italy this mishap and the loss of time, I managed to arrive fourteenth. After the race, my father told me that the announcer who was broadcasting the race for Italian television shouted: – “Disastro! Disastro per Armando Balada...Disastro!”

Despite all that, my father told me, “Take it easy son. It has been the best race of all your life, because you showed immense courage and a high capacity to respond after being pushed out of the track three times. Think of the advantage you got over the others, and that in spite of all the mishaps you could reach that position. I think it's the best thing I've ever seen you do. Congratulations!”

Venice When I attended the Easy Kart World Championship in Italy, the Pista Azurra was in a summer village called Lido di Jesolo, Jesolo Beach. Since it is located only half an hour from Venice, my father told me, â&#x20AC;&#x153;On Monday, after the races, we are going to know Venice.â&#x20AC;? And this was how I had the pleasure of knowing one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

The Church of San Marco, its great square, the Bridge of Sighs, so called because it was the bridge where those condemned to death could see the city for the last time, its gondolas and its canals, the Marble Bridge. They are all sights that will remain in my memory for the rest of my life.

Driving in the rain Racing for the first time in rainy weather was a new and enlightening experience, especially because it changed all the parameters for driving and trying to do it right. First of all, you have to condition the kart to run on a wet tack. Secondly, you run with rain tires, which are corrugated. In addition, you have to avoid aquaplaning, which is when the car goes through a big puddle and it slides and becomes uncontrollable. Another thing is that you have to change the race line, because where you normally circulate there's usually rubber adhered to the surface, which makes it slippery; therefore, you must drive in a raceline that is rubber-free. Finally, the rain tires are very delicate and they wear very quickly if they overheat, so you must

drive through water to keep them in good condition for the race. My first race in EasyKart was under a stubborn rain, and I was blessed to win it with more than twenty-five seconds advantage over the racer who arrived in second place.

For me, running in the rain became enjoyable, and I never worried if it rained because I had a lot of fun running under rainy conditions.

My mother is Dr. Ana LucĂa Delmastro, a linguist, university lecturer, researcher, and translator. Her life, like that of my father, took place within the university in an academic environment, as she was a professor at the University of Zulia for more than thirty years. She didn't like me being a race driver because she considered it to be a dangerous sport, which it is in fact, and a lot. However, talking to my father one day, he told her that since Senna's death, there have been no more fatal accidents on the race tracks, because the safety conditions are much better now and that, incredibly, there are more deaths in the football field each year, which is also true. I think that reassured her a little. But only a little.

En los pits del AutĂłdromo Ricardo Tormo en Valencia, EspaĂąa

In the pits of the Ricardo Tormo Racetrack in Valencia, Spain

My mother has always accompanied me to the important races. When I made my debut in the 100 cc category, she was with me and saw my race with my father from the front row bleachers. While she was there, I could see that every time I passed she would get up, raise her arms and scream encouragingly. When my father saw her with that wave of enthusiasm, he said to her, “I know that you don't like Armando being a pilot. What is the reason for so much enthusiasm? Now you like it?” And she replied: "No, I don't like it at all. But since he's out there, he might as well do it right and win.” And she kept waiving her arms and shouting with emotion. And with what pleasure! Because I did win that race. At the entrance to the Ricardo Tormo Racetrack in Valencia, Spain

For outstanding sports performance I obtained the Scholarship to attend the School of Drivers of France Auto Sport Academy. June / 24 / Maracaibo / Venezuela. Participation in the II Race of the Regional Championship Zulia ICA 100 FVK. 2nd Place. July / 15/ San Carlos / Cojedes State / Venezuela. 1st Place Shifter Category 125 c.c. in the III Race of the National Championship Easy Kart Shifter 125 c.c. August /15/ Maracaibo. Summoned by the Karting Association of the state of Zulia to represent the state in the Llanos National Games 2007 in the category ICA 100 c.c. September /27/ Madrid. Invited by the Steering Committee of the Formula Master Junior Championship of Spain to participate in the 2008 Season. San Carlos / December / Venezuela. Participation in the National Sports Games of Venezuela Llanos 2007. Category ICA 100 c.c.

In 2007 I traveled to different countries. That year I ran in Venezuela, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. I represented my country in the Formula Kart Championship of the Americas.

In this competition, I had to race with Rotax engines and I was used to Parilla engines. There are many differences between these two types of engines. The Parilla engine is an engine with

very fast response to acceleration, while the Rotax engine has a slow response and it must be accelerated very gradually, otherwise the engine chokes and does not respond. Where as a

Parilla engine does respond to rapid acceleration at the exit of a curve.

Feeling the mood of the racetracks When you are a race driver you learn strange things such as how to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;feelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; the mood of the tracks. Most of the time the tracks don't behave the same way. This depends on various factors such as: climate, temperature, and the amount of rubber adhered. When these factors change constantly, they cause a different track behavior from one day to another. With time and learning, one begins to understand them and take advantage of their limitations. There are days when the tracks are very light and you get good times easily. But there are other days when the tracks are very heavy and the work becomes a little harder.

In the case of rainy days, the tracks lose all the adhered rubber from the tires. Without rubber, the kart loses grip, and achieving good times becomes more difficult. The important thing is to learn to feel the mood of the tracks. By understanding this concept, one lets oneself flow with its conditions and learns to flow with the track instead of fighting against it.

Moving forward When you're a race driver, you have to keep a very cold head on the track. You have to think clearly and not let emotions take over. It was clear to me that one of my goals was to overtake the driver in front of me, because reaching him is one thing, but overtaking him itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s another. To coldness, we would have to add cunning and audacity. As the race progressed and I approached the other drivers, I studied them and noticed their

reactions. A driver often has to make decisions in fractions of a second. In the course of the competition, I showed them the kart in all those curves in which I knew I

could not overtake them. But in those places where I sensed that I could, I would never let them see the car. The opponents often fell into the mistake of feeling overconfident, and at the least expected

moment, they watched with astonishment as I passed them on the side winning the position. This was my secret to win many races.

Scholarship por Auto Sport Academy At a race of Formula Kart Championship of the Americas in Mexico, there were several members of the Auto Sport Academy of France. At the briefing that takes place before the race, they informed us that during those days they would be evaluating the pilots participating in the championship, as they were going to award five scholarships for their school. All the pilots carried out the theoretical tests, and we were also evaluated with track practices. At the end of the day, they gathered us in the halls to announce the names of the winners of the scholarships, for their performance in all areas. My surprise was that the first name that the representative of the Auto Sport Academy announced was: Armando Balada.

My father My father, Eduardo Balada, has always been my great partner. With his support I became a race driver, since he is the person who took me to a race track for the first time. He has always made his greatest effort for me. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m thankful for this, from the bottom of my heart, because he has always been my main sponsor. My father is a journalist by profession, a graphic designer by trade, an advertiser because he is creative, one of the founding professors of the School of Graphic Design of the University of Zulia in Maracaibo, and he has been President of the Venezuelan chapter of ALADI, the Latin American Design Association, for many years. He is also the owner of communication media, such as television broadcast and screen circuits in different places, as well as advertising agencies. Much of who I am and why I am I owe it to him. He is my example of rectitude and integrity in life.

With fellow drivers and mechanics of the Formula Kart Championship of the Americas in Costa Rica

My mother couldn't make it to the Kart Formula of the Americas

The day I was awarded the JosĂŠ FĂŠlix Ribas decoration for my achievement in sports, after the event in the city of La Victoria, we went to Maracay to pick up the suitcases from the hotel, and then embark on the trip back to Maracaibo.

As we left the hotel, we were saying goodbye to some friends and my mother suddenly slipped off the sidewalk and twisted her ankle. The pain of the sprain was very strong and we had to take her to a clinic for treatment.

She had sprained her ankle. It looked bad, and the doctor ordered her to rest for several months. The bad thing for her about all this was that I was about to participate in the Formula Kart Championship of the Americas that month.

Unfortunately, she was unable to attend the races in San Jose, Costa Rica, nor was she able to attend the race in Antigua Guatemala. She also missed the two races in Puebla and Veracruz in Mexico. My father and I were very sorry about all this, because she would have enjoyed these trips very much.

My visit to Tikal When my mother found out that we were going to Antigua in Guatemala, she had a frustration fit. She couldn't come with us because of her sprained ankle. She had a cast, she couldn't walk and she had to rest. When she heard the news, she told us, “You must take advantage of this trip to Guatemala and visit the Mayan city of Tikal. You can’t go to Guatemala and not go to Tikal!” In fact, when we were in Antigua, we bought the plane tickets with a tourist package, and on Monday, after the weekend of races, we went to Tikal. It was a wonderful discovery to get to know those great pyramids in a city that had been inhabited by more than four hundred thousand people at one time and

that, suddenly, for no apparent reason, was abandoned by all of them . Visiting that citadel in an intricate jungle and seeing how those great stone constructions appeared, beautiful works of architecture and engineering, made me understand the high degree of development reached by the Mayas in such remote times. It was a very interesting and stimulating experience of deep reflections.

Shifter 125 In 2007, I also raced in the Shifter 125 c.c. category. For me it's the premier karting category. You really have to have guts to drive that machine. The Shifter 125 is a synchronous box kart with six gears which speeds up to 170 kilometres at the end of the straight. You have to have hand speed to change gears and handle the wheel. They are very fast and exciting races. The weekend I made my debut in this category, they gave me the kart on a Friday afternoon. I ran the track several times to get to know it and adapt myself. On Saturday, I won the pole, and on Sunday, I won the race against drivers like Gato Serenelli, karting and motoring champion, and Raul Hernandez, also motoring champion.

Kartรณdromo San Carlos, Venezuela

National Games Venezuela 2007 In August 2007, I was chosen unanimously for my achivements to represent the state of Zulia, my home state, in The Venezuelan National Games. The race took place in the month of December 2007. I had grown a lot and was already overweight for the category I was in. I needed to switch to the next category, which was 125 c.c.. In fact, I remember this with a certain nostalgia, because it was my last race in the Junior category 100 c.c. Despite my weight, I made a good race.

In this race, I had the enormous pleasure of receiving the winner's trophy from my father.

Receiving a recognition from the Venezuelan Karting Federation.

My best friend Carlos Carlos Valery, who we have always called Carlitos, has been my friend ever since we were four years old. He has always been with me in the good and in the bad moments, in the sad and in the cheerful ones. He practically lived at home with us, and to my father and mother he was like another son. When I started in Karting, he accompanied me to all my practices and later he'd travel with me to every race all over the country. We have had a very strong friendship throughout our lives and we've always been very close. I thank God for having given me a great friend. He is honest and loyal and has always stood by me, with his presence and with its advice.

Our place to celebrate triumphs After an exhausting afternoon racing, we were in the habit of celebrating whenever we had reached the podium. I remember that in the city of Maracay in the Valleys of Aragua, Venezuela, near the ‘Kartódromo Carmencita Hernández’, there was a restaurant called "El Campestre" which specialized in grilled meats. My father, my mechanics and I were starving after that exhausting day. Of course, in the center of the table there was always the trophy I had received that day, showing the pride of the whole team.

2008 age was fifteen years old. My coach requested a meeting with the board of directors stating that I had completed my Formula Ford course with great In motorsport there is a lot success and a lot of practice. He claimed that I August / 6 and 7 / Ricardo of time to think about the had already been karting Tormo Circuit / Valencia / track, because the champion on several Spain. Participation in the distances are longer and occasions and I was not a Sports License Course for straighter. Karting is a Formula BMW Europe sport of curves, where the newcomer to the world of engines. In the board of held at the Ricardo Tormo dexterity of fast handling directors, there were Circuit in Valencia, Spain. is fundamental. On the several who had known In this course, I classified other hand, I can't help me for a long time in among the best 25 out of but recognize that karting races; they 100 pilots who attended, motoring was my natural recognized that I had the in different rounds of 20 path. conditions, and finally pilots each. This gave me the right to be present I was 14 when I first drove gave me the opportunity to participate in my first again at this circuit for the a Formula Ford 1.600. formula race. 30th of September and The difference with the 1st and 2nd of karting was remarkable, October 2008, for the but I adapted very quickly. I participated in that first race just two days after Qualifing Scholarship coming out of a Course Formula BMW. After several months of practice and the Formula particularly strong flu, and I ended up in the infirmary September / 30 / October Ford driving course, I / 1st and 2nd / Ricardo arrived at my first race of of the racetrack of Turagua, completely Tormo Circuit / Valencia / the Venezuelan National dehydrated. I finished the Spain. Championship. race, however. Almost Participation in the dead, but I finished it. Qualifing Scholarship That day, I almost didn't Course Formula BMW at participate in the race, the Ricardo Tormo Circuit because the race in Valencia, Spain. directors realized that I was fourteen years old, and the minimum required 5th Place in the Venezuelan National Championship Formula Ford 1.600 in what was my first incursion in national motoring.

2008 was the year of my transition from karting to motoring. However, I confess that I personally liked karting better.

That smooth gear shifting?

In one of my first practices aboard a Formula Ford 1600 at the Pancho Pepe Croquer racetrack in Turagua, Venezuela, both my mother and father had come along. Several pilots were on the track, and suddenly my mother, who was

sitting reading a book, was impressed by some smooth gear shifting she was hearing, and asked Mr. Angel Benitez, my formula trainer, “Whose are those nice gear shifts I’m hearing?” And my trainer, with a big smile, replied, “They are your son's madam. That nice gear shiftting that you are

listening to are Armando's speed changes.”

Autรณdromo de Turagua, Venezuela.

With fellow racing drivers in the Formula Ford Championship of Venezuela, at the Autรณdromo de Turagua

Formula racing driver's license course with BMW In 2008, we received an invitation from the BMW team to participate in the Formula Licensing Course, which was going to take place that year in the city of Valencia, Spain, in the month of July. In their communication, they explained that, having seen my karting results which showed that the natural path for me was to proceed to motoring, they were honored to send me that invitation. One hundred and twenty pilots from all over the world attended. There were Finns, Americans, Germans, Japanese... In short, a great variety of racing drivers from all over the world. Only

twenty pilots would be chosen to attend the course that was to take place that year in the coming month of October.

both theoretical classes and track practice.

My big surprise was that, while I was in Aruba on vacation with the We were distributed in six family, we got an e-mail groups, twenty pilots from BMW informing that each. Each group worked I was the third one in their for three days on a row, choice list, and they were inviting me to attend from eight o'clock in the morning until six o'clock in again in Valencia in the afternoon, with October.

We went back to Spain in October and it was an excellent experience. As a result of these events, I received several invitations from teams in Europe and America, which I'll comment on later.

At the Ricardo Tormo racetrack in Spain

With BMW instructors at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Spain

Once I finished my formula license course with BMW in Valencia, my father, my mother and I went to visit three cities in Spain. I am taking about Valencia, Barcelona and Madrid. The old center of Valencia is extremely beautiful and full of interesting places. Of course, we couldn’t leave without tasting an excellent Paella a la Valenciana which had a very good Spanish flavour. Walking along the “Gran Vía” in Madrid

In Barcelona, we were very impressed with the city. Even more so when we saw Gaudí's works: the cathedral “La Sagrada Familia”, Casa Batló, Park Weil. They are really impressive.

Madrid has its own charm. Its museums, such as the Prado Museum, its parks, its avenues, its restaurants. All of Madrid’s places are captivating.

Then, we went to Madrid. Like every capital city,

I liked Madrid so much that, I said to myself then

that I would like to live in Madrid sometime in my life. And in fact, today I'm living in Madrid.

With the forever world champion of motorcycling and venezuelan racing driver: Johnny Cecotto

2009 Even with these bad times, I was invited by the Palmer Audi Formula to make some tests in England where I obtained October, 2009. Test at the excellent results. One of them was that I managed Palmer Audi Formula in to break the track record Bedford, England. at the Bedford racetrack. In the year 2009, there Chris Dredge was the began a debacle in President of Formula Venezuela's economy Palmer Audi and Formula and sponsors began to Two at that time. He was cut their budgets. In addition, the government impressed when he saw the results of my tests, confiscated my fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and did not hesitate to tell companies, and he had my father the potential I always been my first had. He insisted on my sponsor. He had several businesses, among them: participation in that a cable television channel championship, because in Maracaibo, advertising he was sure that I would get very good results. screen circuits in shopping malls, and a My father, who had closed-circuit television channel in the Maracaibo always given me all his support, both moral and airport. He lost financial, fought and everything. He kept his struggled to find advertising agency for a little longer, but the ways sponsorship. Several who had already said yes of the Venezuelan retracted later. In the end, economy went down the drain, and today it's even I could not participate in the Formula Palmer worse. Championship. 4th. place 1st. Race, Speed National Championship Formula Ford 1.600. Turagua.

A forgottem helmet

We were going to Mexico to participate in a race of Formula Kart of the Americas. We arrived at the airport and the transportation that would take us to Puebla was waiting for us. My father needed to exchange a few dollars for Mexican pesos and decided to go to an exchange house. Then,

we went to the pullman that would take us. A few minutes before arriving in Puebla, my father looked at me and asked, “Where is your helmet? Didn't you bring it?” “I don't know. You were carrying it," I replied. Suddenly, he closed his eyes, slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand and said, "I

know! With the haste I forgot it and left it at the exchange house.â&#x20AC;? Once in Puebla, he contacted the exchange house in Mexico City and they told him that they had kept the helmet, but that they couldn't send it and that they would keep it for him when he returned. On the track, I had to practice with a borrowed

helmet which was very small and bothered me a lot. My father said, "We don't have a choice, we'll have to buy a new helmet.â&#x20AC;? In the races, there are always sale fairs of sporting goods. There we went, and that's how I bought my Aray helmet. This helmet was later painted by Agos, a

Panamanian artist who was residing in Venezuela at the time and who did an excellent job for me. It is the green helmet that appears in many photographs in this book.

My father owned an advertising agency for many years and commissioned one of its designers, Regor HenrĂquez, to create a logo for me. He immediately got to work and presented me with several models, out of which I chose one with the number 43 on it. I chose that logo then because it had a confluence that I liked. There were my initials A and B in conjunction with number 43, which was the number assigned to my car by the Venezuelan Karting Federation. For the second logo, my father wanted something that represented speed, and they redesigned it. They added lines that simulated movement and I really liked the final result.

With my formula coach, Angel Benitez, and my friend, Carlos Valery.

Gentle driving My father, as a good teacher and university instructor, always gave me information that he had found. So much so, that at times he filled me with too much information and data. However, once he did find something that greatly favored my driving. He found that the secret of the best pilots was to drive smoothly. Indeed, after that lesson I realized that it was true. Driving with abrupt changes in the steering wheel doesn't pay off in a race; driving abruptly becomes clumsy handling that rather prevents you from gaining precious seconds in a race. I learned that by driving smoothly I could gain tenths of very valuable seconds in a moment of competition, and that small detail made me a better racing driver.

100

Fórmula Palmer Audi England My time in formula Palmer Audi was very interesting. The journey of from Venezuela to England had been very long because we had to make a stopover in Germany, and once in England we had to travel by train to Bedford. In the track offices at Bedford, I met a

very interesting person: Mr. Chris Dredge. He was the president of Formula Palmer Audi at the time, and he was also president of Formula 2.

were very good, so much so that Mr. Dredge was quite impressed when he saw them. Mr. Dredge insisted with father that I had to come to Formula Palmer in full The first day of testing was and he gave us his under rainy conditions and reasons. “I know,” he told I was a victim of us, “that you come from aquaplaning. Formula Ford, which are Conditions were not the 150 to 200 horsepower best to carry out a cars, and the Formula good test. The next day, Palmer is a 450 the track was dry but horsepower car, and I without rubber, which know that you don't means less grip from the know this track. In spite of car. However, my results that, you broke the

record. You have to enter Formula Palmer, because there you're going to show the talent you have and you'll get good results.” These were his words. Pitifully, the crisis in Venezuela had already taken hold, and that was one of the reasons I couldn't make it to this championship.

To my right, the engineers who assisted me at Bedford. To my left, Chris Dredge, who was the acting president of Formula Palmer and president of Formula 2 at that time.

102

104

London

trips, as she had studied in Manchester for one of her Degrees and knew both cities very well.

Once I finished my tests in the Palmer Audi Formula, we took the train She took me to the most and left for London. I emblematic places of loved it, because it is an such a beautiful city: the amazing city. Tower of London, the Crown Jewels, the Wax There, I had the best tourist guide you can find Museum of Madame Tussaud, Westminster to get to know London: Abbey, The Houses of my mother. She was Parliament and Big Ben, already familiar with London from her previous the changing of the

106

guards, London Bridge, Leicester Square, Green Park... Of course, I went to Abbey Road too, for my picture crossing that famous street like in The Beatlesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; record. As my father is a hardcore Beatlemaniac, I bought his poster of the Liverpool Four there.

2010 Winning the Maracaibo Fรณrmula Racing I had the opportunity to run again in my hometown, Maracaibo. The Formula Racing Championship had been organized for that year. I had the opportunity to attend it and race with friend drivers against whom I had not competed for a long time. Sharing with them was an enriching experience, especially for the younger participants, to whom I had the opportunity to be an advisor on that race track. The reunion was wonderful and I had the satisfaction of winning the race.

108

110

2013 Between 2011 and 2013, I devoted myself entirely to finishing my university studies in Mass Media Communication.

On Saturday morning, we went to the track and, to our surprise, we already had everything we needed for the race: a kart in excellent In 2013, I competed in the conditions, a racing suit, Aruba championship. helmet, gloves ... I was on vacation with my everything. And, as a family on such a beautiful strange coincidence, island, and we met the Wilfredo, who had been owner of the Aruban our mechanic in several Kartdrome, who already races in Venezuela, was knew about us from my also there. sports career. He told us, "We are having a race on Even though I hadn't Sunday, you are invited to been racing because I participate. In addition, was devoting my time to the drivers here would my studies, the result was love to compete against a that I won the race in champion of your stature.” Aruba that weekend. We told him, “But how are From the track, we we going to participate? headed straight to the We have no kart, no airport to catch our flight racing gear, no helmet...” back to Venezuela. “Don't worry. I'll take care of all that for you,” he It was a really fun replied. weekend with my friends from Aruba.

112

My family The family is the center of a person’s whole life. My family has always been supportive. My father, my mother, my siblings, my grandparents, all of them were always there. Their love filled my life and for that I thank God. My Nonna always said that I was crazy, because of all this high speed driving stuff. We called her “Nonna” because she was Italian. So, my mother is the daughter of Italians, but she was born in Venezuela. In spite of living in a foreign country, they always kept their italian traditions and, of course, they are all Ferrari fans. In the picture, with my father Eduardo Balada, my mother Ana Lucía Delmastro, and my brothers Andrés and Alejandro.

With my brothers, Alejandro on the left, AndrĂŠs in the middle, and me on the right

Celebrating winning a championship with my Nonna Teresa Delmastro, my uncle Alberto Delmastro and my mother, Ana LucĂa Delmastro.

114

Media In these pages, I would also like to show my infinite gratitude to all the media that have always followed my races and have made good reviews of my performances in karting and motor racing. I am forever thankful to newspapers like: El Nacional and El Universal, both from Caracas; the newspapers Panorama and La Verdad, from Maracaibo. Also to the different television channels and radio stations that always had a section for my interviews, and to countless magazines which made excellent reports on me during my life in front of the wheel. I especially want to thank Max Lefeld, who always had words of encouragement in his television program ‘Máxima Velocidad’, in Meridiano Television. He gave me my alias: ‘The Kimi Räikkönen of karting’ when he was broadcasting my races, because of the way I drove. The same goes for my friends from ‘Alto

Octanaje’, another program from Meridiano Television, where they always interviewed me with great kindness. Special mention goes to Ricardo Valbuena, Julio Torrens, Carlos Bohorquez, and Guido Briceño for their great support in the interviews they conducted for venezuelan television networks.

116

Magazines Having appeared so many times in the press, magazine directors and reporters could see the information of my achievements in the races and they took an interest in me. They called me to conduct personality interviews to go deeper into my sports career. Many of them honored me by giving me their front pages.

118

With Max Lefeld Máxima Velocidad TV Program Max Lefeld is the host of the television program ‘Máxima Velocidad’, which is entirely about motor sports, and it is transmitted through Meridiano Television's signal from Venezuela. Meridiano Television is Venezuela’s sports cannel, and Max Lefeld has been conducting his program for more than twenty-five years. Max always trusted my talent as a pilot and always followed my evolution; that’s why he always interviewed me on his television program. He even wrote emails when I was abroad to ask me how I was doing in my races....

Once, during the narration of a race, he came up with the idea of giving me the nickname "The Kimi of karting". He said that my driving style resembled that of the Finnish driver. Here, I show two moments of my life on the tracks. In one of the pictures we can see that Max Lefeld is interviewing me as a child, at the age of eleven. In the other one, he is interviewing me at the age of sixteen, when I was already in motor racing. This is a sign of how Max Lefeld was always carefully following my career.

120

Television interviews Countless are also the interviews carried out in different television channels, from interviews for sports programs, like those mentioned before, to personality interviews. Thanks to the fact that I was a top pilot, channels have always taken me into account, and the interview and personality programs, as well as magazines, were very interested in my sporting achievements. On one occasion, Ricardo Valbuena took me to his program at URBE Television, and we took the competition kart with us to show it on camera. But Ricardo wanted me to enter the studio driving my kart. When I came in with my kart, everybody in the studio was frightened, because they noticed that the kart was giving off a lot of smoke, and they feared that the smoke alarm and the water sprinkers would go off. Then we all laughed a lot because, thank Goodness, nothing happened and the interview was very funny.

With journalist Guido BriceĂąo in his program â&#x20AC;&#x153;Primiciasâ&#x20AC;? on Global TV

I have never been afraid of and it's true. But when I have a microphone in front a microphone, neither of me I am dangerous, talking to journalists nor being in front of television because I won’t let it go. cameras. My mother and father say that, personally, I am not much of a talker,

With Julio Torrens in his television program: ‘La vida es así’. On that occasion, Julio asked me to take my trophies with me. But not all of them are included in the picture, there was a similar amount of trophies on the floor as well.

122

A Gallery of Trophies My bedroom was gradually filled, week by week and month by month, with the trophies I won in the karting and motoring competitions. This went on until one early morning, when the shelves on which they were placed gave way because of the weight and fell upon me. There was one special trophy among them, a very heavy bronze figure of St. Joseph, which I had won during the San JosĂŠ Grand Prix. If it had fallen on my face, I would have been badly hurt. would come to my fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Thanks to St. Joseph, this office to carry out time it fell just close to my interviews, they were amazed at the amount of face. trophies I had obtained during my sports career. The following day, my father decided to take all the trophies to his office, and from that day on I had my gallery of trophies there. When journalists

124

The ‘José Félix Ribas’ decoration In February 2007, I was awarded the decoration of the Order José Félix Ribas, in the third class, as a recognition for my merits and achievements in sports. I received that award on the 14th of February 2007 in the city of La Victoria, Aragua state, during celebrations commemorating the Battle of La Victoria and Youth’s Day in Venezuela.

Meeting with managers of the Motaworld Racing English team in Spain

Invitations to international championships When things are done well, the news spreads and reaches places and people in a way that is sometimes hard to imagine.

The R&R Raikkonen Robertson team invited me to race Formula 3 in their team. Also Formula Renault 2000, in Germany and Italy. The english Motaworld Racing team contacted me when I went to the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, Spain, and we engaged in conversations.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve received invitations from teams in England, Switzerland, Holland, Germany, Italy, the United We are only waiting for States, Spain, and sponsors. Argentina.

My father remembers very fondly a generous gesture from his friend Carlos Mayer from RPM Plus in Argentina. It was on one occasion when he had told my father to send me to that country to race. He said that he would gradly receive me in his home so that I could get racing experience there. But, in those days, I could not abandon my studies and I had to let go of that wonderful opportunity.

Carlos Mayer of RPM Plus of Argentina

My fans I love my fans and I respect them a lot, especially children. To them, I always give my best smile. I owe it to them, because they follow my sports career, and I gladly give them my attention and affection, especially when Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m signing autographs for them.

128

My studies and other interests Although driving a car requires a lot of dedication and a lot of time, I have never neglected my high school and college studies.

I am also passionate about video. I have made video clip productions for musical groups and produced and directed short films. This has also brought me great At the University Rafael satisfaction, because I Belloso Chacín of the city have won awards such as of Maracaibo, Venezuela, the Award for Best Short I was awarded the degree Film Photography at the of B.A. in Social URBE Festival, and I Communication with a have been ranked among Minor in Public Relations the three best short films and Advertising. This was at the DirecTv Short Film another achievement in Festival in Latin America my life. with my production: ‘Sin Palabras’ (Wordless). Photography and video are my biggest interests Another interest I've now. I studied always pursued has been photography with Albert music. After studying for Frangiéh, who is several years, I learned to considered one of the play the electric guitar best photographers in and bass, to which I have Maracaibo and devoted plenty of my time Venezuela. Later, I and which has given me became the documentary very good moments. photographer of Maracaibo’s Museum of Contemporary Art.

130

Epilogue My story isn't over yet. My dream is to continue competing in karting and motor racing, because that's what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve devoted a big part of my life to. Speed is my passion and competition is my natural state, my life environment, my motivation. Nowadays, I'm living in Europe. Here, I'm sure I'll find the opportunities that were denied to me in Venezuela for reasons that we are all aware of, which is the sad and regrettable reality taking place in that beautiful country. I also hope that this matter is of interest to some of you, and that you could consider the opportunity of becoming a sponsor for my sports career. Rest assured that your brand will be well represented, at the height of your requirements. It will be a good investment for the corporate image of your company and the marketing of your services or products. I don't want to end this book without thanking the readers for the time devoted to viewing it. To all of you, my deepest gratitude.

Armando Balada Racing driver

Contact: email: armandobaladapiloto@gmail.com Madrid, Spain.

/ Graphic Design & Production by Eduardo Balada. / Text editing, style correction and traslation by Ana LucĂa Delmastro. / Studio photography by Albert FrangiĂŠh.

My life on the tracks Curriculum / Experiences / Anecdotes