After two nights of practising, tweaking and qualifying, today was the
big day! We kicked off with a nice sunny lunch by the river with the Phuket lot
who would be watching the race from the posh seats in Zone 1, before jumping in
a taxi over to the event grounds where we went to spend our evening with the
ruffians in Zone 4.
Thankfully Zone 4 was
where all the fun was happening. There was food markets, open bars, picnic
areas, the big screen was televising all the action, and it was where we had
found our key viewing spots during our Friday night investigations.
Having spent an hour or
so wandering around the event, taking in the sights and checking to ensure we
didn’t need to pick up any dirty fried food for dinner (we definitely didn’t)
we made our way over to the specific slot that we had found to watch the early
stages of the race. Just after the main straight stretch and just before a very
sharp corner, this felt like the best place to see some serious speed and also
so fun and tussling at the bend.
There were some warm up
laps, some safety car checks, a messy start where one car didn’t even get off
the grid (which we missed as we couldn’t see any screens we could only hear the
actions) and a very tense moment when a plastic bag blew onto the track and one
of the marshals near us had to rescue it in the opening stages of the race.
Watching from the side-lines
the start was definitely the most fun, with all the cars heavily grouped
together and passing in a big, loud merge of engine noises (although much
quieter than in previous years) and cheering crowds. It was great fun!
After about 40 minutes
of race we decided that we could move away from our prime position to get ready
for the later stages of the event. Picking up a fresh fruit ice lolly on the way
(which was delicious) we made our way over to the bridge where we could see
race track and a big screen to give us a better idea of what was going on in
the actual race.
This then became our
location for the rest of the action, and from here we watched Hamilton lose the
lead and then regain it, we watched Button grind to a very sad halt and we saw
an awful lot of fireworks, both along the track and out at sea when Hamilton
made it first across the line.
As soon as the race was
over the track was opened up to allow fans to run as fast as they could to see
the awards being presented, then we stayed near the speakers to see the prizes
be awarded and of course to hear the British National Anthem be played before
we made our merry way home.
I think that other
peoples experience of the event would have been a lot more drunken and a lot
more excessive, but we had a great time taking a slightly more relaxed approach
to the event, and I loved every minute of it!
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