According to the BBC coverage, Prost will join the series at next race. Other commitments prvented him from taking part in the first race. The race was great. I had massive grin on my face from start to finish. It was like watching some old 'buddy' war movie with George Peppard and a bunch of ropey ol' soldiers getting back together for one last mission. Can't wait for the next race.
Prost had Ice-Racing commitments, European TV had the race live. Rumours of a 5 race "season" next year. What amazed me was the 30 lap duration (at the start) then the relative condition of the drivers (at the end)...amazing! Looked like Johannsan had a mechanical (gearbox?) which was a shame, similair for Laffite. I hope they all enjoyed it enough to get fit for next year and that if they do it they choose some "great" circuits rather than going for F1 tedium.
Just saw a 15 second recap of the GP Masters on SpeedTV's morning show. Looks like it was an exciting race, it is sad that no US network carrys it. Sad, real sad.
Speed Channel is addicted to the NASCAR soap opera. It is pathetic that we can't see Grand Prix Masters in the US, especially since there's an American driver (Eddie Cheever) in the series. Jack
.. it was an excellent weekend's entertainment. Very hot (about 100 F), and such a change from normal GP's, because the drivers were relaxed and could interact more with the crowd. I had a pretty good ticket for the weekend included 2 pit passes, and a seat directly opposite the grid and the podium - all for about $120. I could park 50 meters from my seat, and had all the facilities right there. Got to chat to some drivers in the pits, very accomodating and happy to be back I think. Managed to get my programme autographed by Rene Arnoux, Nigel Mansell, Hans-Jurgens Stuck, Jacques Laffitte and Patrick Tambay. The crowd was enormous, bigger than I have ever seen at Kyalami, apparently it was the biggest crowd ever at a sports event in South Africa. Mansell was definitely the crowd favourite, and during the pit walk there was a huge crowd around him. I was standing next to Patrick Tambay about 10 meters down the pit lane and he turned to us with a big grin and said, "Just what I expected.. it should be called the Nigel Mansell show". The racing was as it should be; fast, loud and close, although Mansell and Fittipaldi did leave the others behind a bit. There were also two 10 lap support races involving 10 Minardi 2 seaters, with drivers like Jonny Herbert and David Saellens, and very lucky passengers. I will get my photos sorted shortly and post a few here. Only criticism - no big screen TV, to watch the action when they were on the other side of the track. Best nostalgia, I taped the race and watched it last night, with Murray Walker commentating! I'll definitely be back next year.
I'd rather pay money to see GPM than an F1 race. But I guess in the US we won't even get TV, much less an actual race. I've sent several emails to GPM inquiring about the possiility of US TV coverage, but no reply. I guess they don't care about this market. Jack
I watched this and loved it! Murray Walker commentating with Derek Bell made it even more special. The guys all seemed to take it easy for the first few laps, but towards the end they all started to really go for it. As Murray said it was "Faaaantaaastic!". Any idea when/if the next race is?
Also attended the race on Sunday (Hi Dave) - it was absolutely amazing! What really struck me was how normal and down to earth these guys are - none of the prima-donna business that seems to be part of F1 these days. Chatted to a few of the guys (Arnoux, Patrese, Tambay and Laffitte) over lunch. General consensus was that the cars were great. Some were more competitive than others, though. Tambay was tucking into an ENORMOUS plate of pasta and seemed less phased about the race than catching up with the SA girls, which he rated highly. Patrick, if you read this thanks for the chat. It is worth mentioning that these guys all raced in days when racing was far less sanitised and when accidents almors always had terminal consquences. To all the GP Masters, thanks for giving those of us who were there a much more intimate experience of racing. Time has not diminished your greatness.
Hi. Is that you Ken? It must be if your sign on is the same as your no. plate. Glad to see i'm not the only SEFAC member here. How did you get to have lunch with them? Dave
Some pics of the GP Masters... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
That's cool as all-anything! That's a great idea--just like seniors golf or whatever. I hope they start touring with the GP circus.
Thank you for sharing your pictures from this past weekend, it is great to see all the drivers from the Masters. Anyone know if Jacky Stewart and Keke Roseberg were invited to join the series or not?
Rosberg yes, he said no way. Jackie Stewart too old really, doubt if he was asked - he wouldn't do it anyway.
