Sports
Deciphering the Formula
Columnist's first auto race leaves him confused
They say that people fear what they don't understand. So I must have been horrified as I sat at the Brickyard 500 in Indianapolis and watched my first Formula One race. But more than horrified, I was mystified. Almost 200,000 people were in attendance witnessing these cars shoot by them, yet I couldn't make heads or tails of the blurs.
Seth Jones
Consider this race a sort of self-imposed penance for my insensitivity to street racers a couple weeks ago. I wrote a tongue-in-cheek column about searching for local drag racers, and it seems that to the race fans, any competition of speed, be it Neon versus Amigo or Porsche versus Ferrari, is taken quite seriously. Yeah, I know there was a NASCAR race in Kansas that same day. Let's just say that once in a while, I like to take the road less traveled especially when there's a new city to party in and the whole trip is a tax write-off.
The entire undertaking was quite an event. There were people attending from all over the world. The day before the race, I had my picture taken with the Michelin man and got up close to Ferraris. I learned that even in an international crowd, a good funnel cake is still the dessert of choice.
The day of the race arrived, and I was greeted by soccer star Brandi Chastain, treated to a live performance by John Mellencamp and waved to Miss America. People stretched out nearly as far as I could see in both directions. It really seemed like something special.
Then all the cars lined up. It was "go" time. A light turned green, and they were gone. This was my first complaint.
Not that I knew who any of the racers were anyway, but I saw them for the five seconds they were on the straightaway, and then they were quickly out of my viewing area. About a minute and a half would go by and they would return, possibly in a slightly different order.
Out of BOUNDS
Even though I knew none of
mag@ljworld.com
these guys, I figured I better choose one to cheer for. I selected Juan Montoya because I thought he was from that cool country Brazil — but he's actually Colombian. I also liked this guy because he had the largest number of attractive female fans.
Our seats were just ahead of the finish line, on the track's lone straightaway. So I had the pleasure of watching the racers fly by at their peak speeds but didn't get to see any of the action on the curves.
But I had a great view of Miss America's curves.
To me, being a racing spectator was like going to a baseball game and sitting under the bleachers. Through all the feet, all I could see of the game was third base. The rest of the game would have to be relayed to me via the voices from above.
For example, I was camped there with my earplugs in, and nothing was in front of me except an empty track. Suddenly, the crowd erupted. I looked around, wondering what I missed. My friend John Wake turned to me and said, "Your boy Juan Montoya just took the lead."
"Oh, all right Juan!" I replied. I glanced at the distant video board and saw a replay. Then, 30 seconds later, he flew by in the lead. People pumped their fists and cheered.
"That was ... wonderful," I thought to myself. Fans were able to walk around to other parts of the track to see the curvy parts. But the cars zipped out of sight there even faster.
Turns out people don't place bets on these races. They just somehow choose one racer they
identify with and cheer for that guy. There are no Americans involved in the race. The closest thing to a local was a Canadian. Maybe people can identify with the race cars, because so many folks have product loyalty to Ferrari or something. But ever since I traded mine in, I haven't cared that much.
Anyway, Montoya was somehow representing the Jayhawks in my own mind this day. For a brief time in the race, he was actually leading. Then he wasn't in the lead because someone cut him off on one of the curves, I assume. By the end of the competition, a guy named Mika Hakkinen was declared the winner. He was spraying champagne on his buddies when one of the cars got towed off the track in front of us. Turned out that the car being hauled away was my man Montoya's.
Somehow, it seemed appropriate that I was clueless that he had dropped out of the race. But I could tell you the exact location of Miss America.
- The Mag can be reached at 832-7178
John Wake/Special to the Journal-World
DRIVERS LEAVE the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track and return to the Historic Grand Prix car display on the infield of the speedway after the Formula One parade.
Join us in the beautiful Forest Park to celebrate Kansas! This 56-acre park, bordered by Marais des Cygnes River, is shaded by hundreds of stately oak trees and a wide variety of other colorful trees ready to welcome you with their fall colors.
Kansas Sampler Festival
More than 140 Kansas communities will gather in Forest Park to share tastes, sights, and sounds in hopes to inspire travel throughout Kansas.
Kansas products will be sold, too. Everything at the Kansas Sampler Festival is part of the experience, the story of Kansas. Elements that shape each Kansas community - Art • Cuisine .Customs·History People Geography Commerce and Architecture will be displayed.
For more information call: The Franklin County Convention & Tourism Bureau; 785 212-1410
16: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4; 20017
THE MAG/LAWRENGE JOURNAL-WORLD
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