Revving the senses

I missed watching most of the last five/six F1 races. Red Bull taking podium after podium started becoming the trend and that somehow piqued little interest; yes, it seemed like the rise of Ferrari in the early races but that clamour died down as time went by. Winners and losers aside, I was recently reminded of why I really like the sport – all it took was a trip to the race tracks recently with a few friends.

This served as the circuit: A short straight, followed by a sharp swerve to the right opens the track to a broad hair pin bend, after which comes two right and left swerves in quick succession serving as a chicane and the final right turn to the pit entry.

Although being denied the opportunity of a side-by-side race start because it was “almost lunch time” was a snub, we sat in our karts ready to race. Each of us sped down the gravel, laying rubber on the tracks (exaggeration much? Oh yes) as the next ten minutes passed by in a jiffy. I was third out of the pit lane and by the time we got back in, I was amazed as to how the pole sitter lapped me. Logic dictated the head start and a plausible faster car for the pole sitter and my slower turns on the chicane as reasons, but I wasn’t entirely satisfied.

All of us wanted to go at it once more. “Almost lunch time” was now “lunch time” and we were shooed away from the track. Determined, we returned after our own lunch.

We swapped cars, buckled up and were ready to go once again. Being overtaken few laps from the start, getting bumped in the hair pin bend and seeing the car that bumped me crash into the makeshift yellow tyre barriers while I managed to stave off a spin with a counter steer was an adrenaline kick unlike another. Leading the race, seeing the car behind crawl up into my peripheral vision, slamming the accelerator pedal to stay clear was another moment. Braking late with the goal of overtaking two side-by-side cars engaged in their own battle was fun through and through. To summarize, round 2 was fabulous.

Poor rear balance, low grip, losing power – I experienced it all. I reconnected with a lot of the jargon F1 drivers throw during press conferences and pre-race interviews. I also went through the not so lovely experience of backmarkers sauntering in the middle and obstructing the track.

The karts we drove were not even a fraction of the monsters F1 cars are, but the rush remains. Finger joints grimacing in pain and hands stiff as a board, all of us discussed the “happenings” of the race for a good 20 minutes, better appreciating all that we see on TV. 

It was a pity I couldn’t just slam the accelerator while leaving the karting arena and heading back. 😀

Interest renewed, all set for the Silverstone GP today!