Tochi's Hut

I’m going to skip ahead in my E08 recaps to discuss Monaco first.  The Principality of Monaco is a small city-state off the Mediterranean Sea enclosed within the Côte d'Azur region of France. 

Monaco is a 30 minute train ride from Nice, where we had spent the night.  Got up early in the morning and discovered the massive line snaking around the train station.  Dispatched BlueOrca to find Segamatic a ticket (very cool F1 racer ticket), though she had some problems trying to get back in line. :)  The massive line actually flowed very quickly, because the stewards were just shovelling everyone into Monaco bound trains.

The Monaco train station is very unique.  Entirely embedded underground into the hillside of the Principality, you feel like you are arriving at a subway stop more than a train station.  Standing at one end of the station, it really feels like a warp portal, with the trail of lights spanning the length of the tube.  As if you won't notice, cigarette ads and Formula 1 banners pop out at you at every possible location. :)

We came out of the station to the sounds of VOOOOOOM and drizzling rain. Scootering around were many folks sporting the paraphernalia of the various racing teams, half of them I swear, were the tifosi. Actually, at the time, the Ferrari clan were the ones I could recognize. I knew of only one other team, Renault, just because I was tasked to pick up a polo shirt. The streets were lined with many any vendors selling pricey Formula 1 goods. So this was what a Formula 1 Grand Prix was like.

We headed down to the L'Automobile Club de Monaco to pick up the tickets we had pre-ordered. Since this was our first Grand Prix, we opted for the cheapest seats: Secteur Rocher at the unbeatable price of 70 Euros each. The next level were K3 Grandstands going for 390 Euros.  At 70 Euros, I must say the tickets themselves were VERY NICE. Holographic F1 logo with a McLaren.  While researching before the trip, we found this video from Secteur Rocher of someone sitting in some tree on the hill. We joked about camping that tree for the race. :)

The race was due to start at 2pm and we wanted to check out as much of Monaco before the race.  We headed up the Rock of Monaco (aka Rocher de Monaco, hence Secteur Rocher) towards the palace grounds.  On the ramp up, it was amazing to observe the extent Formula 1 go to protect the prime viewing spots.  Many of the good vantage from these “free” locations were boarded up to obstruct the view of the circuit.  Still, many people were on their tippy toes and stretched out just to peer through the cracks.

We passed by the famous statue of François Grimaldi, who disguised himself as a Franciscan monk to sneak into Monaco’s Castle.  He singlehandedly murdered the guard who greeted him at the gate, then along with his men, overtook the castle and thus began the Grimaldi rule of Monaco, which lasts till this day.  The story and statue really captivated me; Grimaldi is dressed exactly what I’d imagine a legendary wizard from the Middle Ages to be like.

The main attraction on the Rock was Prince’s Palace of Monaco.  We were hoping to take a tour of the facilities, but given it was the Grand Prix weekend, the palace was, as expected, closed.  Who would want to give a tour when the world’s biggest motorsport event is being held outside?  We were a bit muffled when we spotted a sign that said there won’t be a changing of the guards ceremony today.  This ceremony was suppose to happen everyday! :(

I stepped across the chain railing to cut across to the other side.  The guard immediately blew his whistle to warn me away.  Poor guy.  I bet that’s all he does every day; blowing his whistle at trespassing tourists.  Grab some photos of Port of Fontvieille and probably the coolest car I saw up close on this Europe trip – an Aston Martin DB9.  Fortunately, Segamatic was here to point out that this is the Bond car in Casino Royale. :)

We took a quick tour of the old Monaco, famous for her very narrow streets.  Passed by pubs where people were already drinking and awaiting the start of the Grand Prix on the TV.  We got some respite from the rain inside a small chapel.  An interesting figure of Jesus (I think) lying on his back in a glass cabinet as if he was resting in a casket.

Got back to the Palace grounds around noon.  Decided that it was time to camp our spot.  It was then that we realized part of Secteur Rocher included the platform just outside the palace overlooking Monaco.  I am forever grateful to the ticket guy for just checking our tickets and not ripping them.

We manage to find really good spots overlooking the circuit.  Segamatic and I camped a bench, while BlueOrca somehow got right up to the guard wall.  We dug into our crackers (BlueOrca picked up 3 of the same kind) and water.

I knew absolutely nothing about racing before coming to Monaco.  While IndyCar races are held annually in Toronto, I’ve never paid much attention to them.  Just never understood why people fancy fast cars doing hundreds of laps around the same circuit.   Now that I know a tad more about Formula 1, I kind of wish I had visited Monaco Grand Prix with my newfound knowledge and appreciation of the sport.  (I still don’t understand NASCAR though).

The Monaco Grand Prix circuit spans 3.340 km.  From our vantage point, we could say about 40% of the track - from the start/finish line of sector 1 past turn 1 into the Beau Rivage ramp, and most of sector 3 from the long straight between turns 11 and 12 up though the piscine chicane.  We were quite far away from the track; the photographer in me would have loved to be in the grandstands.  However, this being my first ever grand prix, I consoled myself with the fact that I can see more of the track from the Rock than I would have in any grandstands.

Apartments, hotels and buildings lined the left (north) side of the track.  All the balconies and rooftop terraces were jammed with people.  We encouraged Segamatic to invest in one of those units, so that we would be closer to the action on our return visit to Monaco.  One thing that I did not understand at the time was why there were so many cranes.  They made an unwelcomed intrusion in my cityscape shots.  I realized later that they were used to remove disabled vehicles from the track.

We caught the last bit of the Formula Renault 3.5.  My first time seeing an open wheeled race car!  So that’s what’s making all that noise!  The cars were quite bunched up together, but all of them made it through the curves and chicanes with ease, even in these wet conditions.    I wasn’t sure what this particular race was about, as the race ended almost as soon as we’d began watching.

It was a little amusing when I went through my pictures many weeks after the trip.  I noticed the chassis of the cars in this picture were quite different than the 2008 Formula 1 cars.  It took me a second to realize they were from the Formula Renault race.  This was a difference I did not notice while at Monaco.  Levelled up! :)

At 1pm, while we were bored out of our minds waiting for the race to start (bored enough to be shooting these giant seagulls ;-) ), two guards came of the palace to join the existing one in a mini changing of the guards ceremony.  Now, Segamatic and I weren’t going to give up hard fought bench.  Fortunately, with our 200mm zoom lenses, we were able to catch all the action.  Three guards doesn’t really make much of a ceremony, but at least that’s one thing we can check off from our list of things to see.

As it got closer to 2pm, we could see a lot of activity happening on the grid.  The grandstands quickly filled up with people and umbrellas.  The rain also started to pick up. :(  I kept on checkingat my watch waiting for 2pm.  The cars lined up at the grid, their rear lights blinking in the rain.  The 5 traffic lights went off and voom… the cars accelerated off.  The flashing rain lights firing off like little rocket engines as the cars raced up towards Beau Rivage.  That moment.  The rain.  The anticipation.  The sounds.  The cheers.  The speed.  The atmosphere.  Forever etched into my memory.

A few moments later, the first of the race cars came back through the chicane.  They were all coming through in single file and then returned to their place on the grid.  Oro?  The previous start must have been blotched.  They were restarting the race.  (DUH!)  The lights went off again, and this time, the cars bunched up a lot more near the start, and really started to blast off.

Words really cannot describe what it’s like seeing a Formula 1 Grand Prix in person.  To the uneducated like me, it was just cars doing 78 laps of the same circuit.  I didn’t recognize any of the cars or drivers; I didn’t understand the fuelling and tyre strategies; I didn’t even know who were the top contenders.  And yet, it was totally captivating to watch even in rain.  I suspect it’s a combination of the adrenaline build up from the engine vooms and the awesome atmosphere of Monaco and the crowds.

There were crashes: Timo Glock of Toyota having a run with the railing, Nico Rosberg damaging his £10,000 front wing on the first lap.  Several bigger ones happened at other parts of the tracks that we could not see. :(  There were numerous punctures: Lewis Hamilton and Alonso both experiencing rear right tyre punctures.  I didn’t notice Hamilton’s puncture at the time, but I’d imagine had I noticed it, I’d be exclaiming and laughing at his unfortunate fate.  If I re-watched the race now, my shoe might be flying towards my TV.  Anyway, despite all this fun stuff, it’s spectacular to watch these cars travel at such high speeds in these torrid conditions and yet, be able to main the finesse and control required to navigate the twists and turns of Monaco’s narrow streets.  If I was the one racing, I won’t even be able to take the swimming pool at a quarter of the speed they were travelling at.  Actually, I’d probably end up driving through the chicane, and if I gained any advantage, I’d gladly take the drive-through.

Others may claim otherwise, but these Formula 1 cars are the ultimate driving machines. 19000 rpms, 0 to 100mph in less than 4 seconds, superior aerodynamics and so much more.  These are just beautiful machines.   I should mention, the chassis of the car are made of carbon fibre (even the steering wheel is carbon fibre).  This is the same stuff as my precious gitzo!  L33T!  XD

The rain was horrible on my camera.  Raindrops kept on getting onto my filters, creating these blotches on my photos.  Even after wiping it clean, it was only a matter of time before another set of drops built up.  I also did not feel very comfortable having my lens wet, as much as I trust Nikon’s fine build quality.  BlueOrca went ghetto style with the garbage bag around her camera.  I also found out that my umbrella was woefully inadequate against these hurricane calibre winds.  Many thanks to Segamatic for helping keep this umbrella in one piece.  :|

After about an hour into the race, we decided to head out; we had a lot planned for the rest of the day in Monaco, and our schedule was super super tight.  However, BlueOrca became quite adamant about taking more photos of the Grand Prix from different angles.  In hindsight, had I known about the 2 hour limit and with my new appreciation of the sport, nothing could have made me leave the race early.  Anyway, it was an eye-opening experience in many respects. :|

I had one final task to which I was entrusted – pick up a Renault Polo shirt for a coworker.  Good thing I knew exactly what to get, so it was a very quick shopping trip.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have the same luck with the race programme, as no one seemed to be selling them anymore after the race!!  Somewhere along the way, I misplaced our big bottle of water; an act I would dearly regret later in the day.

Everyone’s first Grand Prix experience is always special.  To have been able to attend it in Monaco, one of the triple crowns of motorsport, is an experience I’ll always remember.  To cap things off, we found out from a bloke on the train that “Lewis Hamilton” won the Monaco Grand Prix.  I had no idea who Lewis Hamilton was.  The chap also had a 1:43 model of the Ferrari F2008.  I was beating myself for not getting a proper souvenir, but then again, I would have probably picked up the F2008.  Now that, would have been a waste of money.  MP4-23 all the way!!

Monaco will forever be remembered as my introduction to the wonderful world of Formula 1.  I cannot wait till my next Grand Prix experience.  Fingers crossed for the Canadian GP in 2009!