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London Grand Prix
Published: October 25, 2004
I had just finished work for the day, legged it to Hastings rail station and caught the train to Charing Cross to see the evenings Formula 1 in Regent Street. As soon as I got there I realised I was in for a massive disappointment as the crowds were in their hundreds of thousands. I was despondant. People had got there from the crack of dawn to stand next to the makeshift track. There wasn't an inch to spare. An hour and a half of squeezing through the crowds looking for a spot came to an end when I heard the first car fire up.
The noise was incredible and they hadn't even started revving yet. I knew I wasn't going to see the cars running so I focussed on making sure I got to see the cars taken back to the paddock and the drivers walking past. The best plan was to virtually hug a policeman outside the paddock gates. I just waited and listened.
As I type this, I'm trying to describe how loud and stunning the noise of the cars were. I can't put it into words. Only people that were there can understand it. It wasn't loud. It wasn't even screaming loud. The engine noise rips through your head and you can feel your spine shake with the volume and I wasn't even close to the cars. I'll never forget it. This was the first time I had ever heard a Formula 1 car being driven and as the noise bounced through the streets I was in my element. Kids were crying because of the shocking sound they were making. I couldn't blame them, if I had known about it, I would have worn ear defenders.
Silence fell. The cars were being prepared for return and the drivers were on their feet. Hugging policemen isn't something I'd recommend but in this instance it paid dividends. A wall of coppers pushed me right back into the crowd and put a barrier in front of me. Great, I was right at the front of a 20,000 strong army of fans.
I'm actually off to Monza to watch the Grand Prix for myself so I'll see them for real. I got my cheap Fuji 35mm ready for the drivers and cars to appear. Here we go!
I was quite upset by how badly the camera behaved. I couldn't get all the shots I wanted as the button was unresponsive and you're being nudged left, right and centre by everyone trying to get a shot. I knew I caused grief for some people behind me as I'm 6'2" and blocked a lot of the view but I managed to let a lady squeeze into the front who had travelled from Scotland and hadn't yet seen a thing.
This event was the first time in ages that I really had to rely on a camera so the decision was made for me really, I had to buy a quality digicam. After trawling through the forums, review guides and photography sites, the camera that fits my needs is Canon's S1 IS. I've also purchased a 512Mb high speed compact flash memory card and a USB2 6in1 memory reader/writer. Monza will be the test and I have from now until September to learn how to use it, how to pre-focus and get great shots, and basically, learn a little about photography.