Woohoo! Usgp

[Mr. Pockets]

Colin called me the other night and told me that a friend of his has an extra ticket. I'm buying that ticket and now I can go to the USGP! Woohoo!

I had to take my wife to the Indianapolis airport this morning, so while I was in town I stopped by the admin office and got a car corral parking pass. Heehee! I'm so geeked. It's scheduled for really early in the morning, but I am SO doing the police escort if I can get in.

[Mr. Pockets]

BTW, if you watched the race this weekend, NO SPOILERS! I can't watch it until tonight, so you'd better not ruin it for me!

[Bwana]

I'll be there too...except...in a skybox . Should be awesome. I went last year too, but this time i get to bring my G/F, so it should be better...hah. And we might take the SVX too!

[Mr. Pockets]

Man, this weekend is going to rock. Apparently people who bought more than a certain number of tickets (was it two or four...I can't remember) were invited to walk the pits on Thursday. Four guys from the office have tickets to the race, but only two want to go - which means I get to go! Woohoo!

Three of us are meeting at 5AM tomorrow and then driving out to the speedway. I can't effing wait. I've been an F1 fan for years, and before this I hadn't even been to a race, let alone entered the pit lane. Sweet!!!

I'm borrowing a friend's digital camera with 512mb of space, plus I'll be taking my SLR with its longish lens. Hopefully with that combo I'll get some good pictures.

Well, hopefully they won't be too restrictive with cameras.

[Chicane]

Hey, would you want to go up to the LS Pro Rally with Phil and I?

- Rob

[Mr. Pockets]

Originally posted by Chicane
Hey, would you want to go up to the LS Pro Rally with Phil and I?

- Rob

Is this the one in the UP?

[Mr. Pockets]

Well, they weren't restrictive with cameras at all. Unfortunately, though, the place was mobbed. I was unable to get too close to Ferrari's garage, but I think I had a good enough angle to get a shot of the spare car without the engine cover on. I'll have to see when I get the film developed. I'll be getting the pictures off the digital camera in a bit...maybe I'll post a few.

Anyway, the event itself. It was practically a religious experience for me. Rounding the corner, the first thing I saw was the engine cover from a Toyota. I've been rooting for Toyota since they announced their program back in 1999 or 2000 (having a hard time remembering which). I've been gulping every bit of Toyota news since they started testing the first wind tunnel model. Like any fan of any other sport, I feel like this is my team and that I've suffered the losses and celebrated the wins (small though they may be) right along with them. Luckily, Toyota's hardly as popular as Ferrari, so I think I got some very cool photos in their garage. In particular, two mechanics raising the very complicated engine cover onto Panis's car and buttoning it up. I was hoping beyond hope that they'd take the car to the weigh bridge. I wouldn't have been able to touch the car, but maybe I could have at least smelled it or something.

A McLaren MP4-17D passed within 3 feet of me on the way back from the weigh bridge. I feel like I've been blessed.

While I was outside Williams' garage, they fired up an engine. The crowd went totally silent. Idle for ten seconds or so. A few blips of the throttle. Then a soft whump of a backfire as they cut it. The crowd went nuts.

I've heard the engines on TV for years, of course, but hearing them in person was...something I'll never forget. Yeah, microphones seem to get the general idea across. But somehow, in person, those engines sing. All 5,000 parts of a P83 work together to make one of the most beautiful noises I've ever heard. Tomorrow I'll see qualifying and the noise will be filtered through echoes, people and other ambient noises. But right there in the garage, with nothing to obscure it, the sound is incredible. There was depth to that sound I'll never be able to describe.

[T.McCaw]

In your best Bogie voice "Its the thing that dreams are made of"

Tom

[Chicane]

Originally posted by Mr. Pockets


Is this the one in the UP?

Yeah. www.lsprorally.com

I haven't finalized where we're going to stay yet.

Wanna come?

- Rob

[Mr. Pockets]

Originally posted by Chicane


Yeah. www.lsprorally.com

I haven't finalized where we're going to stay yet.

Wanna come?

- Rob

Thanks for the invitation, but I'm going to have to decline. Maybe next year.

[Chicane]

Wuss.

"Nyar! I'm Mr. Pockets! I'll only go see racing if its clean! I won't go and see racing in the mud! Nya nyar nyar!"

hehe

[Mr. Pockets]

Originally posted by Chicane
Wuss.

"Nyar! I'm Mr. Pockets! I'll only go see racing if its clean! I won't go and see racing in the mud! Nya nyar nyar!"

hehe

Hey, now. I actually really want to go. I just can't. Maybe next year.

[Chicane]

I'm just messing with you man.

[Mr. Pockets]

Okay, so the race was awesome. It was one of the most 'spiritual' events of my entire life. I'd describe the whole weekend to you, but I think it would take far too long, and nobody would read it anyway.

I took approximately 200 photos on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. It took some practice, but I think I got better at photographing a subject moving at 210mph through a 300mm lens and focusing manually. Anyway, the rolls are going to Sam's tonight to be processed. That means I'll have to wait until Wednesday to get them, but hopefully the 1/3 (guessing) of the shots that turned out will be worth the wait and expense.

More than these photos, I can't wait until Canon makes a digital SLR I can afford!

Anyway, I'll post some of the good ones - if the lockers are working well by then. I tried to post digital shots of the pit walkthrough, but had some difficulty. Two may have made it...possibly only one...

[Bwana]

I have a few pics from the USGP here

I'll be adding more as I get some more free time.