Excerpts

Excerpt of Monaco Grand Prix chapter

/ Christiaan W. Lustig / 3 Comments

I’ve been working on the Monaco Grand Prix chapter of my Senna versus Schumacher story for about a week and a half, now. I have to say, it’s not easy to combine writing with my day job, caring for our baby boy Nathan, household chores, and giving the missus some attention, too.

However, I’ve completed both Thursday’s and Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions for the 1994 Monaco Grand Prix, as well as written about all announcements by the FIA regarding rule changes, on Friday. Here’s an excerpt from the Monaco chapter:

On Friday morning, Ayrton Senna announced the re-formation of the GPDA: “At the drivers’ meeting today, we agreed to form the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association. It was agreed that the representatives of the GPDA will be myself, Michael Schumacher, Gerhard Berger, and Christian Fittipaldi. The GPDA requests representation and recognition within the FIA to improve the safety of Formula One, after the accidents of Rubens Barrichello, Roland Ratzenberger, and myself at Imola, and Karl Wendlinger, yesterday. At our meeting, we discussed to take immediate action to look at the next three Grand Prix circuits, together with the FIA, for possible improvements.”

Tell me what you think.

Excerpt from San Marino GP chapter

/ Christiaan W. Lustig / Leave a comment

Finally… I’ve finished the San Marino Grand Prix chapter of my book. Here’s an excerpt:

… it was obvious that Senna had been injured in some way — there was no movement in the cockpit. Upon impact, the right front suspension had broken, releasing the wheel from the chassis, which glanced Senna’s helmet, knocking the driver unconscious in the process. Senna’s head leaned motionless onto the right side of the cockpit for over a minute. Just as the medical car, carrying professor Sid Watkins, arrived at the scene, Senna’s helmet slightly moved away from the cockpit edge, to a more upright position. In the moments that followed, Watkins and his team extricated Senna from the wrecked Williams-Renault, and laid him on the ground. Quickly afterwards, the medical helicopter landed on the now-empty track, and right before Senna was rushed to Maggiore hospital, the triple World Champion opened his eyes.

I’ve already started reviewing the other chapters of part I of The Encounter Down Under. I reckon I’ll be finished before the end of May.

Prologue finished

/ Christiaan W. Lustig / Leave a comment

I’ve finished the draft version of the prologue: ‘A horrible weekend in May’.

The prologue is the first chapter of my story ‘The Encounter Down Under: an alternate version of the 1994 Formula One season’. The chapter drags the reader right into the story, with an illustrative view on Sunday, May 1st, on which the Grand Prix world trembled.

“Oh no, not again.”

Those were the words on everyone’s mind in Italy, near the town of Imola, and, in fact, around the world. Triple World Champion Ayrton Senna had just crashed his Williams-Renault at the infamous Tamburello corner at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. And he had crashed hard.

Read the entire prologue to The Encounter Down Under