The last but one

The headline coincides with the order of the editorials in this series. This is where the last but one of these 14 articles starts – all shared with you over these last few months and which we hope have helped to publically present our raison d’être and will act as a stimulus to all the forthcoming future activities. Likewise, the theme has been the different milestones in the biography of our president Javier Hernández Aguirán, and here we are going to reflect on how he obtained his international driving licence …driving with his feet and only the third person in Europe to do so. And this certainly fits in with the philosophy which we are trying to project from here –wanting one more, don’t let now ever be the last time– fill your life to the full with life itself.

To get down to the details of the last but one, Javier passed the theory test and the practical driving test and was issued with his driving licence by the Spanish Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority in Vizcaya, in March 2014, and after four very intense weeks of preparation under the guidance of the Irrintzi Driving School in Basauri – right now the only one in the whole of Spain able to do so. The first two weeks were a mix of theoretical and practical classes, and Javier passed the theory test on his first attempt. The four weeks of practical driving classes consisted of an average of six classes a day from Monday to Friday clocking up a total of more than 2000 km in the city and on the open road.

“I remember him for his tremendous enthusiasm and desire to learn. Even when he was in the garage looking at technical aspects which don´t usually interest drivers” says Hugo Martín, head mechanic and a driving teacher at Irrintzi. He goes on to say “We could describe him with many adjectives, but I would stick with his calmness. He is always quiet, analysing, looking to improve but without ever getting in a state. Everything is done calmly. I remember how at the end of each class he would ask about what he had done well, what he had done badly and how he could improve. He made it very easy for me”.

José María Andrés, in charge of Irrinzti and the teacher who spent almost all the time with him in his practical lessons: “I expected him to pass and to do it as well as he did. The most important thing, and he did this, was to show that he was completely safe at the wheel, so that absolutely nobody could doubt his capability. I would highlight his great capacity for adaption and for overcoming obstacles”.

Read more details in the new edition of the biography ‘From My Feet to Your Mind’.