Re: US Grand Prix
Well, I was there and it was wierd. I've been to every USGP except last year when I had my gall bladder out the Monday before the race and couldn't get in racing trim in time.<br /><br />My buddy and I were blissfully unaware of developments until Sunday morning. We camp across the street from the track in a yard and spent Saturday night getting properly lubed and NOT watching TV. Some friends came in Sunday to park there and filled us in on some of the drama, but nobody really knew what was going to happen including FIA, apparently.<br /><br />At the track, a guy behind us (Canadian) was on his cell phone getting information that there wasn't going to be a race. When all the cars pulled out for the formation lap, we thought maybe things had been resolved and we were going to get a race. When the Michelin cars pulled in at the end of the formation lap, we thought maybe they were going to change tires and start from the pit. Then we saw on the screens that they were pulling into the garages. Stunned silence was followed by booing, whistling (lot of foreigners there), cursing and throwing of water bottles and beer cans.<br /><br />We decided to stay for the "race", nowhere else to go. After the race, the lady whose yard we were camped in said she was sitting outside her house, heard the cars take off then about 5 or 10 minutes later saw all kinds of people coming out of the stands. Next thing a bunch of Speedway (City of) police in riot gear came by and told her and her daughters to get in the house and stay there. Nothing major happened although a bunch of people tried to storm the ticket office at 16th and Georgetown. Obviously the police ahd sheriff's office were expecting trouble and were well prepared.<br /><br />OK, now the positive stuff.<br /><br />1) My buddy and I have gone to every Indy 500 since 1978 and every USGP except for me last year. This was the first entirely rain-free race weekend in at least 25 years. We really can't remember for sure.<br /><br />2) Once the "race" was under way and the people who were really pissed left, we were visiting with some of the folks sitting around us and talked with people from England, Colombia, India, Portugal and a few Canadians. The English guys were the hardest to understand. We all decided to just enjoy being at the track with cars going around it, even if there were only 6 of them. A couple of the Indian guys (all wearing Ferrari shirts, btw) started blowing their air horns every time Karthikeyan came by. Can't beat fun at the ol' race track.<br /><br />3) Did I mention the weather?<br /><br />I love racing, especially F1, and I'll be there next year if the cars show. Just hope they get some of their politics out of the way by then.
