Pure adrenaline. Chapter one
Champoluc, 5-6 febbraio 2020. Unusual, engaging, exciting - in perfect "Sun Chemical style" - the "Ice Driving School", wished for by the ink multinational and organized by the Toyota Driving Academy on the Champoluc Driving Park (AO) track. By Stefano Lavorini
«Fully living up to expectations.»
In my hand a well-made package, my gaze falls on the amazing imagery and detail of the label, In my grasp an envelope full of awesome promise ...
In my mind there reverberates a palette of carefully chosen hues to color an extraordinarily special day.
The sky is so blue in the morning to saturate the air with a beautiful cyan color, while the beaks of the impudently scurrying blackbirds show reverberations of yellow.
In the distance, small figures animate the scene, black like the tree trunks against the light, which come alive thanks to impromptu and momentary brushstrokes of magenta, soon changing into red passion.
Everything is covered with snowy whiteness, the color of the ice of the track, where the 340 HP boxcars skim across the surface as light as bizarre skaters.
A setting that pummels otherworldly emotions into the hearts of the participants, thanks to the ability of the venturesome to instil the same spirit into those who, due to lack of time and opportunities, rarely put themselves on the line.
And in the end ... everyone rejoices, winners and losers alike, their hearts eagerly awaiting the new, upcoming challenge.
Evermore demanding, evermore beautiful, like life faced with a smile.
Sun Chemical's word.
Held over two days, the bold representatives of some processing companies measured themselves on slippery ground.
The evening before the test, meeting at the gates of the village and transfer by snowmobile to an ancient 14th century village at 1830 meters, where guests stayed in the village chalets, surrounded by nature.
The next day, early in the morning, return to the valley and briefings by the instructors of the Academy who, throughout the day, would then act as guardian angels to the aspiring racing drivers, their friendly disposition going well beyond the half serious, half facetious warning, repeated by the head of the school Tobia Cavallini: "If you don't do as I say, I'll have you out of there."
Finally, not without initial apprehension, the driving sessions began which gradually allowed all participants to learn how to use accelerator-brakes-accelerator in a "new" way and thus (incredibly!) improve their driving skills, encouraging the more sceptical and even further enthusing the braver ones.
Ending the day, the time trials on 3 laps of the track, which showed how the outcome of a challenge depends on a combination of valor, luck and adroitness. Which is why those who keep their cool end up safer, while those who get carried away by their own passion and enthusiasm put themselves in harm’s way.
This led to the drawing up of the ranking according to which the 15 chosen will face each other on the track for a day of racing this coming September.
Summing up, this is the chronicle of the events witnessed by me, and from which I learned that an idea - even one of those apparently unachievable ideas - can bring on the strength to make it feasibly possible.
Provided that, like the men and women of Sun Chemical, people are capable of acting as innovators, quick to make plans, bold, capable of challenging the "danger" beyond expectations, while being optimistic on all counts.
Until the next episode.
Not by chance The value of relationships and the importance, among actors of the same chain, of sharing information in a process of mutual enrichment: Sun Chemical's teaching.
It all started in 2013 with "Cooking with you", a "smart" event to present four lines of high-tech and food-safe barrier varnishes.
The following year it was the turn of "Color, Art and Fragrances" at the Ca' del Bosco Winery, where the importance of color was discussed.
In 2015, "Rosso Sun Chemical" at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, a prestigious location, perfectly in line with the theme of the meeting, luxury packaging.
Next step, the "Sun Chemical Enigma Vintage Tour" on Lake Garda during which the guests were allowed to discover what the ink multinational has done and is doing to give sustainability to its business, also in terms of product safety.
"Sailing with you" the 2017 meeting in Viareggio where the subject was interactive packaging and brand protection and which offered a state-of-the-art picture on the potential of (printed) packaging.
Back to dry land with the meeting in Gavi entitled "Truffle Hunting", with the seminar "Designing Packaging in Safety" and a side event regarding truffle hunting and the sensory analysis of the same.
This brings us to 2019 with the "Sun Chemical Open House", an event focused on visiting the Caleppio plants and exemplifying the production processes of printing inks and where the stages of an elimination race of skill and courage were announced.
