Pictures from the Monaco GP. Lots of pictures.
Discussion
Because I have quite simply the best wife ever in the history of wives, we had our honeymoon in the South of France last week, coincidentally right at the same time as the Monaco GP. I figure some of the pics we took might be of interest to PH.
First off, the happy couple:
After some hellish plane flights, we got to Nice and picked up our trusty steed for the week, a Renault Laguna 1.6. Fairly asthmatic, it did have some nifty features. A card instead of a key, a starter button, and seats that actually provided enough under-thigh support. It never really encouraged you to drive at speed though - uninspiring through the corners and very slow in first gear, a shame when confronted by all the hairpins separating the bas and moyenne corniches.
Obviously the region is great for car spotting, especially during the GP week.
Casino Square:
Most cars that the valets park in the Square are fast, shiny and expensive. This was just shiny.
There was also a pearl white Roadster we saw on Monday but couldn't be bothered to take a picture of it.
308, 328 or 288 GTO? Perhaps syf0n can tell us.
550 Barchetta
Other interesting cars:
BMW Z1 in Beauliue harbour, complete with camo leather seats.
V8 Ferraris are seriously common. At least as ubiquitious as 997s.
A taxi in Beaulieu. Yes, that is a new S class.
Spotted on the way home from the cinema on Sunday night. 10 minutes later, driving through Cap d'Ail, a red Enzo went the other way.
Right, on to the GP.
Last time I went to the race, my seats were on the run up to Massanet, just behind the wrong side of the big screen.
This time, however, our seats were slightly better.
OK, a lot better. Just in front of the commentary booths, we had shade and a breeze from the harbour. Here's the view of the pitlane:
[url=http://static.flickr.com/63/157195144](click for bigger)[/url]
Close enough to see the drivers as they walked along to and from their garages:
Ralf
Jarno
DC with his bitches
Nick Heidfeld
Jacques Villeneuve
Jenson
Reubens
Taku
Mark Webber and Jacques
Scott Speed
Sir Frank
Jean Todt
Gerhard Berger
Flavio
Bernie
Enough of the people, what about the cars?
The first lap
Schumacher cheats during qualifying. Getting to the circuit on Sunday and finding out he'd been docked all his times made my day.
Assorted pitstops
I've pieced together most of a lap, as taken from the passenger seat:
Start/Finish straight
Out of Casino Square
Lowes
Entering the tunnel
In the tunnel
Entering the swimming pool complex
More swimming pool complex
the last corner of the swimming pool
Entering Rascasse. Now that they sold the restaurant of the same name and it's the Grand Prix Cafe, should they change the name of the corner?
Not quite as impressive as a friend who finished 9th in the Historic the week before, but the best I could do.
The GP circus takes the Friday off, and so did we. A nice relaxing lunch at Paloma Beach, and who sits down next to us but former Ferrari WDC, airline magnate and austrian nice-guy, Nicki Lauda!
There's a shitload more pics over at [url=www.flickr.com/photos/drjonboyg/sets/72157594150551265/]Flickr[/url], if you can be bothered to look at them.
>> Edited by Dr JonboyG on Wednesday 31st May 20:07
>> Edited by Dr JonboyG on Wednesday 31st May 20:33
>> Edited by Dr JonboyG on Wednesday 31st May 20:59
First off, the happy couple:
After some hellish plane flights, we got to Nice and picked up our trusty steed for the week, a Renault Laguna 1.6. Fairly asthmatic, it did have some nifty features. A card instead of a key, a starter button, and seats that actually provided enough under-thigh support. It never really encouraged you to drive at speed though - uninspiring through the corners and very slow in first gear, a shame when confronted by all the hairpins separating the bas and moyenne corniches.
Obviously the region is great for car spotting, especially during the GP week.
Casino Square:
Most cars that the valets park in the Square are fast, shiny and expensive. This was just shiny.
There was also a pearl white Roadster we saw on Monday but couldn't be bothered to take a picture of it.
308, 328 or 288 GTO? Perhaps syf0n can tell us.
550 Barchetta
Other interesting cars:
BMW Z1 in Beauliue harbour, complete with camo leather seats.
V8 Ferraris are seriously common. At least as ubiquitious as 997s.
A taxi in Beaulieu. Yes, that is a new S class.
Spotted on the way home from the cinema on Sunday night. 10 minutes later, driving through Cap d'Ail, a red Enzo went the other way.
Right, on to the GP.
Last time I went to the race, my seats were on the run up to Massanet, just behind the wrong side of the big screen.
This time, however, our seats were slightly better.
OK, a lot better. Just in front of the commentary booths, we had shade and a breeze from the harbour. Here's the view of the pitlane:
[url=http://static.flickr.com/63/157195144](click for bigger)[/url]
Close enough to see the drivers as they walked along to and from their garages:
Ralf
Jarno
DC with his bitches
Nick Heidfeld
Jacques Villeneuve
Jenson
Reubens
Taku
Mark Webber and Jacques
Scott Speed
Sir Frank
Jean Todt
Gerhard Berger
Flavio
Bernie
Enough of the people, what about the cars?
The first lap
Schumacher cheats during qualifying. Getting to the circuit on Sunday and finding out he'd been docked all his times made my day.
Assorted pitstops
I've pieced together most of a lap, as taken from the passenger seat:
Start/Finish straight
Out of Casino Square
Lowes
Entering the tunnel
In the tunnel
Entering the swimming pool complex
More swimming pool complex
the last corner of the swimming pool
Entering Rascasse. Now that they sold the restaurant of the same name and it's the Grand Prix Cafe, should they change the name of the corner?
Not quite as impressive as a friend who finished 9th in the Historic the week before, but the best I could do.
The GP circus takes the Friday off, and so did we. A nice relaxing lunch at Paloma Beach, and who sits down next to us but former Ferrari WDC, airline magnate and austrian nice-guy, Nicki Lauda!
There's a shitload more pics over at [url=www.flickr.com/photos/drjonboyg/sets/72157594150551265/]Flickr[/url], if you can be bothered to look at them.
>> Edited by Dr JonboyG on Wednesday 31st May 20:07
>> Edited by Dr JonboyG on Wednesday 31st May 20:33
>> Edited by Dr JonboyG on Wednesday 31st May 20:59
xiphias said:
Nice pics! Two things I came up with - How long did it take you to go round? Also - are the kerbs there all year round?
A complete lap wasn't possible as driving round Massanet into the square was difficult, so you end up having to go round the back of the Sporting Center and then down past the Metropole, but with traffic, I'd say about 10 minutes a lap! I don't think the red and white kerbs are there year round, but since moving to the US I've not had the chance to get down there that often, and my memory is made from gorgonzola, so I can't quite remember.
mikereynolds said:
Your friend who finished 9th wasnt racing a March 761 by any chance and he doesnt happen to live in Monaco does he? If so its my mates dad, I helped out at Donnington a few weeks back for the first run of the car!
Yes, it is. Any idea how he did at Pau this last weekend? I've still not seen the March yet, but he was kind enough to let me drive his Marcos. Well, he was going to, at a damp Brands Hatch trackday a few years ago. I was being nervously buckled into the car, with wodges of foam behind my back in an effort to help me reach the pedals as I'm fairly short, and I was bricking it. Just as I was about to pull out of the pitlane they red flagged the session as people were driving like nutters and going off a lot. It was the last one of the day, so that was it for me! I don't know if I was more disappointed or relieved, to tell you the truth.
Matt1986 said:
looks like you had a great honeymoon. does Mrs jonboyG like cars too or did she go for other reasons?
She's not quite as into it as me, but she watches the races when they're on, and is quite the Takuma Sato fan. I think the lure of the Celine and Louis Vuitton shops were a bigger draw than the race though...
Not sure how he did at Pau, I spoke to his son on sunday and he said that they were having some engine troubles, something to do with the fuel pump, I think he qualified quite well, did you see the classic grand prix?
Mike
PS the March is awesome Foxcraft have done an awesome job, the T70 is stunning too!!
>> Edited by mikereynolds on Wednesday 31st May 21:17
Mike
PS the March is awesome Foxcraft have done an awesome job, the T70 is stunning too!!
>> Edited by mikereynolds on Wednesday 31st May 21:17
mikereynolds said:
Not sure how he did at Pau, I spoke to his son on sunday and he said that they were having some engine troubles, something to do with the fuel pump, I think he qualified quite well, did you see the classic grand prix?
Mike
PS the March is awesome Foxcraft have done an awesome job, the T70 is stunning too!!
>> Edited by mikereynolds on Wednesday 31st May 21:17
Didn't see the Historic sadly. My Parents went down for that one, but I moved to the US in 2002, so getting to France is a pain in the arse, and you get much less time off from work than in the UK. They went back to London on the Monday, and we arrived Tuesday morning. A shame, as its meant to be a good day out.
FourWheelDrift said:
308, 328 or 288 GTO? Perhaps syf0n can tell us.
That's a 308GTS with added side skirts.
Yeah, I realised eventually it had to be, as the roof is removable.
Saw another bitsa Ferrari, this time a German registered 348, with 355 sides, wheels and nose. The silly thing is, the numberplate was something like D TB 348. If you're going to try and pass it off as a 2555, surely the plate is a giveaway!
xiphias said:
Also - are the kerbs there all year round?
Nope.
www.mercia.biz/gallery/monte.jpg (large image to see) you can see Ste Devote - no kerbing, Tabac corner, chicane area out of the tunnel.
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