Post by Henrik on May 12, 2002 14:57:07 GMT -5
Telefonica World Series by Nissan
11 – 12 May 2002, Valencia Spain
After catching a glimpse of the F1 race in Austria, and especially that brilliant and nail biting finish (is Ferrari really going to make Rubens look like a total fool), I thought it would be refreshing to speak about some racing.
Having received some VIP invitations to attend the first Telefonica World Series by Nissan (thank you Greg for your great connections!), we made our way to Valencia for the weekend. It might be necessary to explain here what this racing series is, since it is not known by all (although Senninha is a big fan, but then again she is a big fan of all the obscure series). For this year, Dallara have developed an all new chassis which can be compared to the Lola F3000 chassis, although in my personal opinion it is better looking. These are powered by a Nissan 3lt V6 producing 415 hp. They may not be F1 cars, but they are fast, make a nice noise, and still have slicks! Minimum weight with the driver is 645kg, again very similar to F3000. There is a nice driver line up, including former F1 driver Ricardo Zonta, and F3000 champion Justin Wilson.
The scene was set for a great weekend, but alas, the weather began by being against us. Saturday brought cool rain, something that sunny Valencia is not really known for. As a result, the qualifying was a bit of a lottery, and Zonta ended up last on the grid, having had some car trouble in the early and dry stages of the qualifying. Franck Montagny got the pole, and given his talent and knowledge of the track, looked set for a victory on Sunday.
Greg managed to brighten the day though by obtaining full access passes, including grid access for Sunday!!!!
Opening the blinds on Sunday morning showed that normal weather had returned…bright sunshine! We got to the track reasonably early, and noticed a considerably larger crowd than the previous day being present. Time for a quick drink in the hospitality suite, and then it was time to watch the first race of the day. There was a total of three support races, the first being Formula Nissan 2000, a class very similar to F3. This proved to be a great start of the day. Something that must be said about the Valencia track is that it has been built in a way that you can actually see the entire track. This is fabulous as you can really follow how the action developes. It is easy to see where the action is taking place, and then follow it through. And this first race did provide much action. Lap after lap there would be drivers overtaking each other, and others messing it up in the trickier corners. All good fun, and perfect for building the excitement for the racing yet to come.
Next up was the first heat for the World Series. Given that we had grid passes, that’s where we headed. It was an amazing feeling walking around on the grid, snapping off several reels of film in order to capture all the contestants. I have to admit to having spent most time at the back of the grid where Zonta was, as I had made him my personal favourite. The sirens went off, and it was time to vacate the grid (well accompanied by the Telefonica grid girls!).
11 – 12 May 2002, Valencia Spain
After catching a glimpse of the F1 race in Austria, and especially that brilliant and nail biting finish (is Ferrari really going to make Rubens look like a total fool), I thought it would be refreshing to speak about some racing.
Having received some VIP invitations to attend the first Telefonica World Series by Nissan (thank you Greg for your great connections!), we made our way to Valencia for the weekend. It might be necessary to explain here what this racing series is, since it is not known by all (although Senninha is a big fan, but then again she is a big fan of all the obscure series). For this year, Dallara have developed an all new chassis which can be compared to the Lola F3000 chassis, although in my personal opinion it is better looking. These are powered by a Nissan 3lt V6 producing 415 hp. They may not be F1 cars, but they are fast, make a nice noise, and still have slicks! Minimum weight with the driver is 645kg, again very similar to F3000. There is a nice driver line up, including former F1 driver Ricardo Zonta, and F3000 champion Justin Wilson.
The scene was set for a great weekend, but alas, the weather began by being against us. Saturday brought cool rain, something that sunny Valencia is not really known for. As a result, the qualifying was a bit of a lottery, and Zonta ended up last on the grid, having had some car trouble in the early and dry stages of the qualifying. Franck Montagny got the pole, and given his talent and knowledge of the track, looked set for a victory on Sunday.
Greg managed to brighten the day though by obtaining full access passes, including grid access for Sunday!!!!
Opening the blinds on Sunday morning showed that normal weather had returned…bright sunshine! We got to the track reasonably early, and noticed a considerably larger crowd than the previous day being present. Time for a quick drink in the hospitality suite, and then it was time to watch the first race of the day. There was a total of three support races, the first being Formula Nissan 2000, a class very similar to F3. This proved to be a great start of the day. Something that must be said about the Valencia track is that it has been built in a way that you can actually see the entire track. This is fabulous as you can really follow how the action developes. It is easy to see where the action is taking place, and then follow it through. And this first race did provide much action. Lap after lap there would be drivers overtaking each other, and others messing it up in the trickier corners. All good fun, and perfect for building the excitement for the racing yet to come.
Next up was the first heat for the World Series. Given that we had grid passes, that’s where we headed. It was an amazing feeling walking around on the grid, snapping off several reels of film in order to capture all the contestants. I have to admit to having spent most time at the back of the grid where Zonta was, as I had made him my personal favourite. The sirens went off, and it was time to vacate the grid (well accompanied by the Telefonica grid girls!).
Don't Die Before You Live...
