irrational_i
11-11-2005, 11:49 AM
So I just returned from the first practises of the new Grand Prix Masters series.
Where to start.
Okay they have 8 2-seater Minardis. It was good to hear an F1 engine again.
Kyalami is kind of next to a hill with a building-filled business park next to it. Basically the F1 howl echoes all around you. It always amazes me how pure the sound is and how clear it is even from 1.5-2 kilometers away!
My seats turned out to be main grandstand. It sucks, but I will have to live with cars going in a straight line. I feel a bit cheated as ticket info was scarce and I could see no way to choose tickets for a specific place. I had to assume I could choose myself. "wrong". They didn't even mention seperate stands. But I get a lovely echo between the pits and the stand, as well as a good view inside.
The drivers I could spot inside:
Johnny Herbert, Hans Stuck, Ricardo Patrese, Rene Arnoux, Eddie Cheever, Patrick Tambay. I only went to the pits late - so I will spot the others tomorrow. 8)
The GP Masters themselves. The cars are very cool. They look like old F1 cars and have a similar sound. Much lower than modern cars. And the way they "splutter" on downshifts are impressive. Small-ish wings and slick tyres. I am hoping for good racing!
The sound is like a solid wall really. You can hear the power in those cars.
The old guys are a bit grey in the hair, but they are not holding back. I often heard the revs bounce of the limiter!
I was most impressed with Emerson Fittipaldi. Boy he was not hanging back at all. On the other hand neither was Nigel Mansell. He has a red "5" on his car. Had to laugh when I saw that. So many things are familiar. It was good recognising faces from racing familiarity and not from tabloid articles like nowadays. Flashback to the days you could get close to the drivers!
So in spite of myself I am quite excited about tomorrow's quali and sunday's race. The event must have a live broadcast as all cars had those "T" bars with cameras on top. I am taking my video camera with tomorrow so will hopefully have some pictures and vids.
Unfortnately there was nothing spectacular in the car park. My porsche was joined by 2 other SCs. Maybe better hunting tomorrow. I did pass a black Gallardo on my way to the track. Impressive-looking.
Here's looking forward to a day of sunburn. Hopefully the rain stays typical and only starts at 4-5 o'clock tomorrow. Its been overcast all day today.
Oh yes. The site. http://www.gpmasters.com/
Where to start.
Okay they have 8 2-seater Minardis. It was good to hear an F1 engine again.
Kyalami is kind of next to a hill with a building-filled business park next to it. Basically the F1 howl echoes all around you. It always amazes me how pure the sound is and how clear it is even from 1.5-2 kilometers away!
My seats turned out to be main grandstand. It sucks, but I will have to live with cars going in a straight line. I feel a bit cheated as ticket info was scarce and I could see no way to choose tickets for a specific place. I had to assume I could choose myself. "wrong". They didn't even mention seperate stands. But I get a lovely echo between the pits and the stand, as well as a good view inside.
The drivers I could spot inside:
Johnny Herbert, Hans Stuck, Ricardo Patrese, Rene Arnoux, Eddie Cheever, Patrick Tambay. I only went to the pits late - so I will spot the others tomorrow. 8)
The GP Masters themselves. The cars are very cool. They look like old F1 cars and have a similar sound. Much lower than modern cars. And the way they "splutter" on downshifts are impressive. Small-ish wings and slick tyres. I am hoping for good racing!
The sound is like a solid wall really. You can hear the power in those cars.
The old guys are a bit grey in the hair, but they are not holding back. I often heard the revs bounce of the limiter!
I was most impressed with Emerson Fittipaldi. Boy he was not hanging back at all. On the other hand neither was Nigel Mansell. He has a red "5" on his car. Had to laugh when I saw that. So many things are familiar. It was good recognising faces from racing familiarity and not from tabloid articles like nowadays. Flashback to the days you could get close to the drivers!
So in spite of myself I am quite excited about tomorrow's quali and sunday's race. The event must have a live broadcast as all cars had those "T" bars with cameras on top. I am taking my video camera with tomorrow so will hopefully have some pictures and vids.
Unfortnately there was nothing spectacular in the car park. My porsche was joined by 2 other SCs. Maybe better hunting tomorrow. I did pass a black Gallardo on my way to the track. Impressive-looking.
Here's looking forward to a day of sunburn. Hopefully the rain stays typical and only starts at 4-5 o'clock tomorrow. Its been overcast all day today.
Oh yes. The site. http://www.gpmasters.com/