Scirocco Central

The weekend started off with an 8 hour wait at Sydney airport as Jetstar worked hard to live up to their reputation ..... 3 time delays, then we got onto the plane taxied for 10 minutes then taxied back and got off. They then rebooked us on Qantas flights.......my 1:00pm flight became an 8pm flight........12 hours door to door....Sydney to Melbourne......

I was in the Friday morning 8-9am session for the Minardi's. It was still dark when we arrived and they had the cars setup on either side of the garages without wheels/engine cover etc. There was 5 of us to run in the session, 3 from ING (salesman of the year types) and two competition winners. The grandstand ticket winner (me) and the 25 words or less comp winner.

I recognised a few of the pit crew, the two guys in charge and one of the mechanics, probably from the '80s/'90s F1 telecasts. Because they are mainly ex-Tyrell guys.

We got suited up with the fire proof underwear and overalls/gloves/etc and took some photos next to the cars. Zsolt Baumgartner is the F1x2 driver and he joined us as the crew started putting the cars together and warming them up. (7am wake up call for the residents of Albert Park!)

Zsolt was standing self consciously by himself so I took the opportunity to get a photo. I tried to talk to him a bit but I don't think he's too confident with his english. (or maybe the Aussie accent was throwing him!)

Ok, the cars are warmed up and the pit crew start wheeling them out to the pit lane, us in tow, getting more and more nervous. They line the cars up (just in front of the scrutineering garage) and take off the grooved tyres and put on some '09 slicks(!) and started the first car up.

The first guy is finally in the car and the belts are tightened, the engine guy gives the thumbs up, Zsolt gives the thumbs up. And then two AGP officials turn up and ask who's in the car?.....and say sorry, he hasn't done his medical.........he can't run!!!!! The car is turned off, the crew chief's face has gone white as he has to explain to the guy what's happened. Zsolts looking around wondering who's delaying his fun time.....and this guy and his girlfriend are whisked away back into the paddock. I can't imagine just how gutted that bloke must have felt.

Anyway, guy number two is out on track and I'm standing next to the crew. I'm now seriously nervous and it's nearly time..... then breaking the perfectly still morning air, from the back of the circuit, we could hear the car screaming up towards turn 11 and the nervousness disappeared...... it was a really bizarre moment, it just left and suddenly everything was fine and I couldn't wait to get into the car!

It's my turn and the pit crew are guiding me into the car, telling me where to stand, what to hang on to etc. Nervousness has now returned ....lol....... to my releif I fit into the car and it's surprisingly comfortable. Very hard but you still fit snuggly inside. My fear from the start was that I wouldn't fit because I'm slightly over the maximum height of 6 foot. (I'm about 6'1) (the other limit was 88kg)

The seating position is as you would think but with your legs wrapped around the drivers seat. I was surprised to find that the drivers elbow was actually resting in the joint of my ankle and the backs of his arms on my shins! The first thing I checked was how much vision I had from the back. By tilting my head 10-15 degrees I could see right down the side of the drivers helmet and both sides of the nose of the car. His helmet obscuring the opposite side of the nose of the car. So you really couldn't ask for much more, it was brilliant. The think that shocked me, was how big the front tyres looked and how close they looked from in the car! Race-cam makes them look half the size and twice as far away.....

Ok, time to go! Zsolt is given the thumbs up and drops the clutch...... 2-3 seconds of sheer acceleration until he hits the pit speed limiter....... and I can catch my breath again! A brief second of doubt as to whether I'm going to be able to handle this or not and he floors it again as we exit pit lane.....

I look to my left and notice the big flouro orange braking markers and he hits the brakes.........hard.........I now realise why they strapped me in so tight........he hooks the car into turn 1 and the grip is incredible! Still on cold tyres and the sensation of grip and the gforces on your neck are incredible........then a quick feed of the throttle and your sucked back in your seat for a quick half breath and then and then he hooks into T2 and hits the throttle..........hard.......on the exit and rockets up towards turn 3.......

This is the only time in the 3 laps that I thought that if we crash, it's going to be massive.....then just as I was thinking that the acceleration is everything I'd hoped/expected F1 to be it went into rocket ship mode!!! I thought he was accelerating at 10/10ths and then suddenly you realise it was about 5/10ths!!! And the world changes completely.......the wind is buffeting your head like you're a boxer getting slapped around and you're getting sucked into your seat and you're fully aware of just how fast the scenery is going by.........and I'm looking left and right down each side of the driver to see the approaching braking markers and turning points........the phrase, "it's all happening!" doesn't do it justice.......it's an absolute full body experience if ever there was one!

At this point the gforces on my neck are extreme but not a problem. I'm leaning into the corners, checking the apexes.......riding every second of it as if I was driving........having an absolute ball.

Then turn 8 (constant radius right hander) and the forces on my neck are incredible! But turn 10, the long, long, long left hander that leads to the fast chicane.........wow........the forces just build and build and build........you lean into the corner at maybe 30 degrees and by half way through it's level again (still forcing your neck against the pressure as hard as you can) by the time the track levels out for the braking zone you're actually leaning about 10 degrees the other way and thankful that it's time to brake........and then he slams on the brakes and you're thrown forward and you're fighting against a whole new set of forces as your body feels like it wants to fly out of the car and over the drivers head!! And this is just the outlap!!

I can't explain the respect I have for the drivers, the forces are so incredibly strong and the cars have so much grip. And they have to physically handle all those forces and have a feather touch control on the steering input and the throttle etc.......amazing stuff. And then do it for 60 laps while thinking about the race strategy and the tyres and everything is just super human.

We came around to the Prost stand section and through turn 16 and onto the pit straight to start the hotlap and when he put the foot to the floor the only image that would come to my mind was those astronauts that used to sit at the top of rockets......by half way up the straight the wind pressure was that strong that it was lifting up my helmet and it felt like it was going to fly back over the car, an absolute pummelling from the wind.......to sum it up in one word.......rocket ship.

Time to brake for turn 1, I'm looking at the markers preparing for the jolt.....and then bang! he really hits the brakes........my head slams forward into the partition between the driver and myself........and I realise that this lap is serious! LOL The best way to describe the forces in braking is like being tackled by a footballer from behind, right in the middle of your back and then your head wanting to shoot over the top of the driver and down the escape road! (but in a good way!)


He got all crossed up under braking into 13 but gathered it up and with the backend hanging out roared up towards the next corner. And corner by corner you could feel your neck and all your muscles get weaker and weaker........ and he didn't back off for a second until we entered pit straight on the third lap and I could get my first full breath since we left.

He cut the engine about 20 metres before the pit box and we cruised in. If they'd asked me to go again I would have.........but part of me was relieved to stop.......I don't think my neck would have gone another lap.......a few more corners and it would have quit on me. It took about 15 minutes to come back to earth and get my head in order again.

We then went back to the garage as they wheeled the cars back in and got a chance to get into the drivers seat. Because Zsolt is "built like a 12 year old" (as the crew cheif said) I could only get in up to the middle of my rib cage.....and the wheel was about 10 centimeters from my face! But it was good to finally get behind the wheel.

We said our thanks and goodbyes and headed off for a giant breakfast and the whole GP weekend in front of us.

andy wrote:so a bit like a trip to the shops with CTRNutter

andy wrote:organiser isn't ross brawn by any chance under an alias

Kev wrote:http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsp ... 996698.stm

Brawn has won the diffuser appeal.

Get in.

I think it's great to see some new teams up the front for a change.

andy wrote:i've made a few changes so we'll see what happens this weekend

a few teams have been doing a few aero tweaks in light of the diffuser issue

Kev wrote:4 of the top 5 finishers in my team.
Me be top o da league