Dream Machines
Dream Machines
by Rob Nicolas
by Rob Nicolas
Sunshine, a cacophony of noise, people by their hundreds, the distinct smell of fuel, oil, hot engines and a kaleidoscope of colour seemed to overwhelm me as I made my way through to the grandstand, on the main straight at the Formula One track.
It was ‘that’ time of year again when the McLarens’ and Schumachers’ of the racing world pitted their driving skills against each other and folk like myself, came to dream once more of being the star, of watching that black and white chequered flag fall as my powerful machine crosses the finishing line, of standing on the podium, champagne bottle in hand, spraying the crowds, the teams and film makers below...however it is just that; a dream.
Like most young lads, I had often imagined myself zooming around a racing circuit, my bright red Ferrari, humming musically beneath my seat and the roar of other engines bearing down on me not quite able to match my quick reflexes and incredible driving skills. Alas however, like many, as time went by, I resigned myself to the fact that the fastest I would travel in any land based vehicle would be during the odd trip to Germany when I could slip into a time warp on the autobahn and reach unmentionable speeds.
Instead, here I was, my own miniature chequered flag in one hand, my camera in the other, the baseball cap (with two straws…for drinking beer while my hands were occupied on the cheering front) and my racing car t-shirt; joining the throngs to cheer my current hero across the finish line.
On reaching my seat, with another minute to the start, I grabbed the usual race fare from a passing vendor, a burger and some French fries, and settled down, or rather stood my ground, as the powerful machines and their drivers took to the field and other spectators tussled for my prime viewpoint.
The noise reached a crescendo, and the red lights went off. The crowd’s yells of encouragement threatened to outdo the screams, coming from the motorised power jostling for good positions on the track below. As this brute force of wheeled engines disappeared around the first bend, all eyes turned to the monitor screens above our heads and folk momentarily settled down into their seats.
It seemed like mere seconds before these flying machines, once more came into view and the grandstand rose in a wave as the first to complete the lap passed, the stragglers already falling behind. The race was now truly on. Men and their machines, the concentration in their eyes, as they flashed by, the colour, the heat, the smell and the excitement made my stomach tighten. For today I was living the dream. I felt every bend in the road, every passing car, every glance into the wing mirror - I was going to win today! I knew it.
Lap after lap the struggle continued. On one circuit a spectacular crash occurred right in front of our eyes, the car spinning, then bouncing against the guard rail, wheels flying off and overtaking the car as it came to a skidding, rolling halt. One down… how many more to go?
“Oh, boy”, a teenager behind me announced…”This is the stuff! Hey, you” he shouted in my ear…”did you get a shot? If you did, I’d like a copy.”
Admit it, I thought, there are some who only really come to these events for the crashes. I had noticed the kid had cheered more enthusiastically each time things got out of control, whether in front of us on the stand or on the monitor screen.
“Sure…what’s your address?” jotting it down as soon as the wreckage was cleared from the track.
The deafening roaring mass reappeared down our section of the straight, only two more laps to go. The enthusiasm in the crowd was almost tangible, my heart thumped against my chest and I could barely breathe due to the excitement. ‘My car’ was now lying second and if its driver continued driving the way he was; one more bend might be the answer to his success.
“Rrrreow, rrrreow, rrrreow”, the cars sped by. So fast were they that they seemed more like streaks of florescent noisy lightening than machines. The last lap about done, ‘my car’ and its driver now close on the exhaust of the lead car, came round the final bend in a flurry of pedal to the metal tactics and flew down the straight at breakneck speed, passing the lead car seconds before the chequered flag was dropped.
‘We’ had won!
I knew ‘we’ would! ‘We’ always did, after all, racing was in my blood, it ran thick through my veins and for that split second as the cheers reached a crescendo I was part of it all. I lived the dream, I was the machine.
Note: The Grand Prix 2004 racing circuit has begun and for those who want to be part of this dream the first race is held in Melbourne with the Australian Grand Prix starting the racing season off from the 4th to 7th March 2004 and the Malaysian Grand Prix in Kuala Lumpur next on the 19th to the 21st March. Another racing extravaganza if you happen to be in Australia in March is the Clipsal 500 Festival held in Adelaide, Australia’s largest sporting event, on the 18th to the 21st March.
Book your hotel accommodation NOW for the Formula One season and receive some great offers when you do!
Melbourne Grand Prix 2004
The Albert Park Circuit is a temporary installation set in a beautiful park around a vast artificial lake to the south of the city. The circuit winds over roadways around the park and is a good combination of high, medium and low-speed corners, including a couple of chicanes and several overtaking areas and braking zones.
The Albert Park Circuit is a temporary installation set in a beautiful park around a vast artificial lake to the south of the city. The circuit winds over roadways around the park and is a good combination of high, medium and low-speed corners, including a couple of chicanes and several overtaking areas and braking zones.
The Albert Park circuit has been used before, for six years in the 1950’s, and was the venue for the Australian GP for F1 cars (but not part of the World Championship) in 1953 and ‘56, when it was won by Stirling Moss in a Maserati 250F; it also ran international Formula Libre and Touring Car races.
Today the track in Melbourne has proved to be as popular as Adelaide with the F1 teams and fans, and has now assumed the role of traditional Formula One season-opener.
Malaysian Grand Prix 2004
For many years Malaysia had ambitions of joining countries hosting international motor sport events and on completion of the Sepang International Circuit located adjacent to Kuala Lumpur's airport, the country now has a track worthy of hosting the Formula 1 and FIM Motorcycle Grand Prix races.
For many years Malaysia had ambitions of joining countries hosting international motor sport events and on completion of the Sepang International Circuit located adjacent to Kuala Lumpur's airport, the country now has a track worthy of hosting the Formula 1 and FIM Motorcycle Grand Prix races.
It has been specifically designed to encourage overtaking, being very wide and containing at least four slow corners following long straights. The other corners are medium to high speed. These characteristics lead to the brakes having a hard time, while cars also need plenty of traction to accelerate. The lap itself is 5.5 km and the track record to date is held by Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2003, with a time of: 1:36.412
Clipsal 500 Adelaide 2004
The Clipsal 500 Adelaide is Australia’s largest motor-sport festival with 4 days racing and a week of parties and off-track events. More than 25,000 grandstand seats, a massive 14 Mistral Vision Super Screens, fashion and beach parades, air displays and the world’s best street circuit.
The Clipsal 500 Adelaide is Australia’s largest motor-sport festival with 4 days racing and a week of parties and off-track events. More than 25,000 grandstand seats, a massive 14 Mistral Vision Super Screens, fashion and beach parades, air displays and the world’s best street circuit.
Year six of the Clipsal 500 Adelaide is bound to build on the reputation. Where else do you get full-blooded V8 action on city streets, air displays that will blow your mind, other race categories that set the scene for others to follow (the Clipsal 500 Adelaide introduced such exciting classes as Nations Cup and V8 Brutes), and great after race concerts, all within a few minutes walk of some of the best entertainment precincts Australia has to offer?
This month’s article
Thailand's Songkran festival has ancient roots, but it's present incarnation owes a lot to modern technology, in particular that must-have gadget: the Water Pistol!
This month sees a host of racing engagements; experience 'a day at the races' to whet your appetite.
There's plenty to do outside the race track too. Here's a quick round up of what's on offer in Melbourne and Malaysia for the non-sports fan.
San Fernando hosts an eye-opening religious reconstruction that's not for the faint-hearted.
Terengganu, Malaysia
This 5 star resort exudes the ambiance of the ancient Sultan's palaces the award winning architecture was based on. Set in tropical landscaped gardens with easy access to the beach, the Tanjong Jara offers an experience that is 'unmistakably Malay'.
Now you can relax in style for even less; during March you can double your holiday spending power by booking either a Bumbung or Serambi room and get one night free for every night booked!
More about this Deal of the Month...
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Lucky winner
This month's lucky winner is Lorne Seguin who currently lives in Canada.
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