They share a cockpit and together scrap for every thousandth of a second out on the track – but what makes them tick away from the steering wheel. The ADAC GT Masters drivers answer personal questions about themselves and their team-mates. From cooking skills to temperament: how do the driving partners feel about each other. Today it’s the turn of Kiano Blum and Niklas Kalus, who share a Ford Mustang GT3 Evo for Haupt Racing Team.
Which of you is an early riser, and who prefers to sleep in?
Niklas Kalus: We both get up at about seven or eight o’clock, so we are similar in that regard. I have no idea whether that makes us early or late risers.
Which of you is the better cook?
Kiano Blum: I really enjoy cooking, but unfortunately I don’t like washing up (laughs). When I fancy it, I like cooking with friends. I tend to do that about once every month.
Who is the most impatient?
Niklas Kalus: I am generally a patient person, but that always depends on what – and above all who – I am dealing with.
Which of you pays most attention to detail?
Kiano Blum: I would call myself a perfectionist in everyday life. Whether that means I pay attention to detail, I am not sure. When it comes to my car, everything has to be just right.
Niklas Kalus: I really don’t like cleaning. However, if I do have to do it, then I will sit there for three or four hours, to make sure everything is cleaned properly.
Which of you is spontaneous, and who prefers to plan things?
Niklas Kalus: I am very spontaneous.
Kiano Blum: I am the planner. Actually, I am not really – but I am compared to Niklas. Within my friendship group, I am the one who is likely to be spontaneous.
Which of you is most competitive?
Niklas Kalus: Everyone is going to say that they are the most competitive.
Which of you is tidier?
Kiano Blum: Me. If you compare my locker with his, there is absolutely no doubt about it.
Niklas Kalus: My bedroom at home is always tidy, because I am never there. I spend most of my time in my second room, and I am not discussing that now (laughs).
Kiano Blum: This is where the perfectionist in me shines through again. I want everything orderly and structured.
Which of you is the most punctual?
Niklas Kalus: We are both punctual. If the team tells us, be here at a certain time, then we are both there. I basically hate to be late. I find it very annoying when someone makes an appointment, and then turns up late.
Kiano Blum: Yes, we are both punctual. However, if the team gives us a time range for when we need to be somewhere, then Niklas is always there earliest, because he sleeps in a mobile home here at the circuit.
Which of you is more extrovert?
Niklas Kalus: Three years ago, I would definitely have said that Kiano is more extrovert. However, racing has definitely helped me take a big step forward in that regard, because I have often had to do things that I would perhaps not have done privately. For that reason, I would probably say we are on a par with each other.
Which of you is more willing to compromise?
Kiano Blum: With regard to our Ford, we are similar. We always look to see what suits both of us and try to find the perfect balance. Sometimes it is slightly better for one of us, sometimes for the other. Neither of us is the kind of person who demands to have things their way.
Who is most impulsive?
Kiano Blum: When it comes to penalties and that kind of thing, then me. In those kind of situations, I need time to process everything. As soon as I get back out on the track, everything else is forgotten.
Which of you is more creative?
Niklas Kalus: I am so uncreative that I actually got an E in art in school. I may as well not have bothered doing the work. As soon as I got the opportunity, I dropped art.
Kiano Blum: Seriously (laughs)? Good, then this point probably goes to me. Art was actually one of my favourite subjects, because it was easy going and you didn’t really have to work too hard (laughs). I would not necessarily describe myself as creative, when it comes to drawing or school, but I am in life. I always find a solution.
Niklas Kalus: I am with you on that one. However, I am really not good when it comes to using my imagination or drawing.
Who is happiest to take risks?
Kiano Blum: In everyday life, I don’t take too many risks. Skiing is a good example of that. Or in the summer, when my friends are diving into the water from great heights. I am exactly the kind of guy who would be doing it with them, but I give it a miss for rational reasons and because there is a risk of injuring oneself. It is a different story in a racing car. I will take risks. If it doesn’t work out, then so be it.
Niklas Kalus: In everyday life, I am rather boring in this regard. I actually think twice about everything, because of that risk of injury. Sometimes, the red mist descends on the racetrack. After the race, you watch videos and realise that, oh, that was actually a bit tight.
Which of you is most irritable?
Niklas Kalus: That depends on the person. Unless it is certain people, I am hardly ever irritable. An awful lot has to happen for me to get wound up.
Kiano Blum: Externally, not at all. If I am frustrated, then it is with myself. Every now and again, I wonder whether that really needs to be the case.
Who is the optimist, and which of you is the pessimist?
Kiano Blum: I am a very optimistic person – generally in life. I always think to myself, come on, it will work out. Somehow, it will always work out.
Niklas Kalus: I am more of a glass-half-full kind of guy. At the same time, it is better to lower expectations in certain areas, to avoid being disappointed in the end.
