Part II

Another excerpt from the Spanish GP chapter

/ Christiaan W. Lustig / Leave a comment

With the Spanish Grand Prix chapter now all but finished, I thought I treat you to a second excerpt, as thanks for your patience.

At the front, though, the first scheduled pit stops started taking place. Senna was the first to stop for fuel and fresh tyres, on lap 19, followed by Alesi, who was running fifth at the time, on the same lap. Before his first stop, on lap 21, Schumacher started experiencing gear selection problems. His Benetton-Ford soon appeared to be stuck in fifth gear. Despite that, the German pitted successfully, retaining his lead. He profited from his experience as a sportscar driver, controlling the car effectively despite being stuck in one gear. However, Schumacher was soon overtaken by the charging Häkkinen, on lap 23, while Senna reeled in both drivers. Then Häkkinen pitted, dropping to third, leaving the order, Senna, Schumacher, Häkkinen, with Lehto in a lonely fourth place, followed by Hill and Brundle.

I’ll re-read what I’ve added to the chapter during the next few days, fixing errors I may have made. Afterwards I’ll make some minor alterations to the first couple of chapters, too.

Into the groove

/ Christiaan W. Lustig / Leave a comment

No, I haven’t finished the Spanish Grand Prix chapter of my Schumacher versus Senna story yet. I have read all of my scribblings, however, and I must say that I really got back into the groove. The 1994 Formula One season is top of mind again, and that’ll most likely help me proceed during the next couple of weeks.

I did make quite a large number of notes and I expect to make some minor changes to all previous chapters later on.

Next Tuesday: finish Spanish GP chapter

/ Christiaan W. Lustig / Leave a comment

First post of the new year. And my first post in the second year of my blog. In a way that’s sad, because initially I had hoped to finish my book somewhere late 2008. Alas.

I announced late last year that I planned to reduce my working hours from 40 to 36 a week. This allows for a day off every other week, a day that I plan to spend (a) caring for my son Nathan and (b) writing my book The Encounter Down Under.

For the coming months, I have planned this day off every other Tuesday, starting Tuesday next. I plan to first re-read my work for part II of my Schumacher versus Senna story, to get back into the flow, and I hope to finish the Spanish Grand Prix chapter as soon as possible.

And maybe I’ll post some additional excerpts from the Monaco and Spanish GP chapters to keep you happy…

Excerpt from Spanish GP chapter

/ Christiaan W. Lustig / 2 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.

Well, you probably read the above before, and the ‘Monaco’ part probably gave it away. But the statement still stands, as I’ve only completed the practice and qualifying sessions for the 1994 Spanish Grand Prix. Here’s an excerpt:

The Benetton-Ford [attacked] the governing body over their [rule] changes. Managing Director, Flavio Briatore, believed that chances of an accident occurring had in fact increased under the new rules. The flamboyant Italian made his remarks in an open letter to FIA President Max Mosley, stating that initial tests showed that the changes “will decrease car safety in the future”. The team, however, risked being banned from the Spanish Grand Prix, because Briatore had also said he was not happy that his cars had not properly tested after having been modified to the new safety standards, and that he could not guarantee the safety of the Benetton-Ford cars. The FIA promptly kicked the team out of the race, with officials saying Benetton could not race unless they confirmed their cars had undergone testing.

Spanish race is 5th oldest GP

/ Christiaan W. Lustig / 2 Comments

I stumbled upon something interesting while researching and writing the Spanish Grand Prix chapter. Something I hadn’t realised before. Fact is that the Spanish GP is one of the oldest Grands Prix in existence. The first one was contested in 1913, and as many as 12 races took place pre-WWII. This makes only the French, Italian, Belgian and British GPs older, and the Spanish race one of the old ‘Grandes Épeuvres’. Just thought I’d share.