This brief indication of the cars power to weight ratio, rhythmically blasting 30-40 yards forwards to get some heat into the tyres, weaving to build the grip ready for that full bore launch off into the first corner. That early indication dried my mouth, my thoughts focused on just how hard it must be to control all of this pent up power. 800+bhp in a car weighing little more than the average spectators wallet, this would be very interesting.
The drivers lined up, the crowd waited patiently. The starting light gantry was clearly visible from where we sat and the big red orbs began to sequentially glow red. All of them were red, the revs soared in a synchronised fashion to a chest thumping roar. All I could hear in my head was Murrays perfect 'Go, go, gooooooo!!!!!'
Off they sped. Hamilton was on pole and he held his position in front of Raikennen and twenty others, all barrelling into the first corner. This brings to me to a relevant point for us petrol heads. The two things that stand out clear as day to me with these most highly tuned automotive missiles. The sheer wall of noise when they close in your position. That and the cornering speed. For anyone that has watched racing at Silverstone or better still driven it, what sort of speed would you say the first corner Copse was completed at?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/northamptonshire/3 ... copse.html
For those that don't know it is a 90 degree right hander. The answer, taken from the BBC's sport pages, is entry at over 180 and mid-corner speeds of over 175mph
Back to the point. Hamilton started fading, pitted and Raikennen fooked off into the distance. That's about it. Several more attentive people than me stated that had Massa not stalled on the line that Hamilton may not have got a podium at all. Equally amazing how quickly I expected him to win the race. The guy wasn't even racing in F1 6 months ago........he's still a marvel, infact they all are. To race at such a pace for 60 laps and with such consistency. Truly remarkable and a skill that very few people could replicate. I know peopel that are genuinely quick and can drive cars with levels of car control that leave me dumb struck. I doubt any of these could hold a candle to these guys for one lap, let alone 60. Different class.
Anyway, race over and time for more grub. Not wanting to be seen as playing it safe we ventured outside of the nucleus of concessions and food stalls directly behind our stand. We headed towards the Luffield area of the outfield and, true enough, there were some very different attractions.
Mercedes, god bless 'em, in a decision as baffling as my lunch choice that followed, decided to put on some live music in the shape of some 'rockers'. It was actually great to hear some proper music being played after attending several Japanese shows where the concept of music seems lost on the young'uns, rock music and F1 are like an old happily married couple, but it was incongruous all the same. Just seeing this band lurch around so clearly out of place with their other show stands.............it was kind of like walking in on your mum and dad having sex. You know it happens, you just don't want to see the vinegar strokes.........
Moving on, we had hoped that the crowds would start to dissipate but I suppose 100,000 is still a lot of people to shift and the food and drink vans were mobbed. Gary, Debbie and Pete joined the queue at the Fish and Chip stand, I took one look at the waiting line and wandered off, driven by my hunger. I kept walking. Passed the Pizza stand, passed the Veggie burgers cooked by a crew of staff that looked like someone had just dug them up, passed a chicken salmonela special and onto a stand with no queue. This should have told me something. This should have been a sign. I strode up to the Thai counter and asked for a vegetable curry. The Polish guy serving me took my
