Brought to you by Adam Macdonald
As all from TJ13 are away enjoying the merriment of the occasion, we thought we would leave you with this for the day. Merry Christmas one and all!
- When stuck behind a learner driver, you find yourself continually weaving to maintain heat in the tyres. Worst still, when the learner signals that they will be turning off the road you then proceed to back up the chasing pack.
- When watching a Christmas re-run of the film Titanic, all you can think about is how talented Nico Rosberg is to have an F1 career after Hollywood.
- If you find yourself commentating on the driving of a taxi driver before a night out.
- When you tell your partner to sit in the back of the car on a long journey to help with weight distribution. When they try to start a conversation you reply in Lewis Hamilton style, “Please just let me drive man.”
- When business goes well and you find yourself celebrating by doing doughnuts in the company car park.
- Similarly, at Christmas when there is a bottle of bubbly on the table and you have to use all your mental strength not to spray it over Aunty Edith podium style.
- When you’ve moved house, but still feel the need to pay a visit to your previous home.
- When conversing with your partner, you hint that data analysis could help both of your performances in the bedroom. [The reply to this will probably be a “no”. TJ13 does not recommend you try this]
- When you see somebody on the side of the road wearing yellow and you immediately take this as a sign to avoid overtaking and slow down.
- When driving anywhere you remember Mika Hakkinen’s wise words about “sisu.” If the flying Finn can drive an F1 car, you can surely drive around the Arc de Triomphe. (skip to 4:21)
When you stop at a red light and place yourself in a grid order style instead right next to the car who’s already standing there.
When you get penalised by the FIA (Female Interference Annoyed) if you drive to aggressive.
When you yell “multi 21, multi 21!” If an other car overtakes you when you thought you should be leading the pack.
Very good Bruznic. Merry Christmas wherever you are in the world.
Thank you. And merry xmas to you too. I found this one funny. If i come up with some more I’ll post em too. (And I’m from belgium, home of the most beautiful track in the world 😊)
Although I’m from England, I have to agree that Spa is THE greatest track still on the F1 calender.
I thought British people only like stuff from england 😋 no i know what you mean. Not saying that silverstone is bad. But spa has something magical. For drivers and spectators. Doesn’t matter how many times I’ve been there, it never gets old. The thing is when you see a track on tv, what you see is what you get. But at spa it’s different. Only live you can see the elevation of eau rouge. The extremely terrible wheater only comes across if you’re sitting in it for 5 days straight.(all though i must admit english wheater ain’t that great either😌) long storie short. Every f1 fan should be at spa at least once in his life…
having never had the pleasure to visit Spa, nor any track outside North America, I would not hesitate to agree. Spa is the ONE current track I would most luv to visit. but I am hopeful of visiting Montreal or Austin in 2014.
we DO have a few handy tracks on this side of the pond. having been a spectator, camper, partier, worker, racer at all these, I can say they are all pretty kewl. not meant to diss some other tracks, but I cannot personally attest to them.
the “Glen” needs no intro. (anybody remember “the Bog”)?? my very first time on a real racetrack in ’64 in Dad’s ’62 Olds Super 88. an amazing family sedan on “Slick” Denman tires with merely 3 circumferral grooves with Mom & Dad and the trunk filled with suitcases 🙂 no security back then – did some hot laps. then Dad spanked my ass with some faster times 🙂 Mom sat in the back seat and only once uttered “be careful” :):)
most will not be aware of Nelson Ledges in NE Ohio, but it was Paul Newman’s favorite track in the whole World and where I put in the most miles as it was merely 30 miles from me. some VERY scary blind high speed stuff…
Mid-Ohio has always been a challenging track and site of big shoot-outs for almost anything but F1 over the decades.
Mont Tremblant was a very tricky little track among the beautiful mountains of Quebec.
but my personal fav hands down was always Mosport East of Toronto for anything from slightly modified amateur Datsun 510’s to F1 and everything in between.
of course, none of these are the ultra-sanitized, 5 star, Disney-safe venues demanded by Bernie today. but one cannot deny the beauty, history, track difficulty, great spectator vantage points, and knowlegable and party-fun fans!!
if ever in the area of these tracks, I think even the most ardent race fans will have a good time and relatively small expense!
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a safe, fun and successful New Year to each and every one at TJ13!!!
@titanracer69. I’d love to go to montreal. My second favorite f1 track. So I’m jealous 😊 as for the other parts of your post, as an American le mans enthousiast i can only say that there are beautiful tracks in america who are to unknown in europe. But the same goes for the little tracks in europe. Now a days the youth doesn’t know the track in zolder for example. I live about 20km from it and can only say that it’s a shame. Having spend much time there. Very fun track. Kinda like montreal. Hard acceleration, hard braking. Very short but intense lap.
The monuments (to borrow a cycling phrase) for me are Spa, Suzuka, Silverstone and Imola.
I would love to go to Laguna Seca and Bathurst also.
And I would loooove to drive them all.
@titanracer69. And don’t forget Road America at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, a truly fantastic circuit. What’s with the name, did you drive a Titan FF in ’69?
@SteveH.
I drove a ’69 Titan Mk 5 FF and morphed it into Formula Atlantic specs from the late ’70’s to late ’80’s.
Ha HA if you find yourself using the words “mobile” and “chicane” next to each other in a sentence while driving LOL! Also, do you regularly lift your hand in the universal F1 signal of annoyance whenever the person in front of you demonstrates their signal lack of spatial awareness?
IF you are really bored and have twitter, you can try searching #F1DriverInMyHead. I did try to make a go of it last year, but just couldn’t keep it up.
Happy Merry All! And now after my bog standard 1.5 hours sleep it’s time to go make some music (yes I did get some family time in too, at the expense of sleep, as it always is xD).
When you carefully plan the drive to see the in-laws and get concerned about tyre degradation and gearbox reliability making your retirement before half distance inevitable.
Merry christmas adam,liked your post its like having an evening tea,sorry i don’t drink alcohol,by the way is danilo still drinking Redbull
This is sad but true.
When driving alone I pretend to be Crofty and Brundle commentating on my driving as if I was doing a pole winning lap. (have been disqualified twice and currently have 9pts, so haven’t done it for a month or 2)
When you turn up late for a meeting and complain about an ‘underfilled tank’ and ‘fuel conservation’
When you get beat to the toilet so you do another lap of the room so that you don’t have to ‘double stack’ even though you run the risk of having an accident due to borderline control!
A very Merry Christmas everyone!!
Hillaire!!
When you learn the hard way that others don’t like when you stick your finger up to them.
Or when you do a brake test on them
When you angry at other people with poor lane discipline when they ignor the white lines……
Can definitely relate to this…..driving and walking CV. Merry Christmas
Driving hone from store and tucking in tight to the apex of non important curve and just like Monaco.
No more then one turning movement prior…
Went you find pleasure in slowing down for a roundabout just so you can flick down through the gears, using the paddles, to optimise both engine braking and brakes to shed speed. And your car is a manual…..with no paddles.
When you try and kiss the apex of EVERY corner.
When you get all smug following someone who isn’t as efficient as you through bends.
When you think you could possibly shave 2 tenths off your trip to Tescos if you left foot trail brake into the turn into the car park.
When you just know that you’re going to beat your mates in karting.
When you just know that you’re still the best driver when not winning the karting because you got the crap kart – and still finished second
When you find yourself looking at the lines taken by the group before you in the karting and tutting at the obvious mistakes they make.
When you hear a 412T1 engine in your head when ‘on it’ during a drive. On Sunday. With the family.
When you refer to your caravan as ‘the motorhome’.
When you think you could be competitive in F1. Maybe not Vettle good, but could definitely worry a Sutil type guy. And blitz Chilton.
I’d better stop now……..
Festive wishes to all!!!!
“And your car is a manual…..with no paddles.” – LOL 🙂 🙂
I have an automatic WITH paddles (well, sort of paddles…) but the auto sensors are so incredible I’m unable to improve performance with the manual over-ride…
It’s me, isn’t it…? It must be me…!
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#17 – Every time you get carved up on a freeway/motorway/autostrada you shout: “Multi-21…!” – at the sun-visor.
On a long journey recently I was jokingly (I swear) doing this for a friend, who speaks little English. After about 150 kms. she was shouting it as well, followed by multi-giggles. I kept a straight face and asked what she was shouting… She replied: “I say him, ‘You big a***-h***, bad man driver man!’…”
– – –
Does anybody remember the driving lesson in ‘Starman’: “Red light: Stop. Green light: Go. Yellow light: Go faster.”
Oy vay – and a Happy New Year to all in the ‘tJ13’ community. 😉
DSG Porsche by any chance?
My mate has a carerra with the buttons on the wheel. Amazing gearbox, its almost telepathic with its decisions.
He wants a flappy paddle ‘box’ on his next one.
I’m trying to talk him into a new GT3 – have to get a spin in one of those!!
Signs F1 is affecting your life – getting a 1:18 scale F138 for Xmas at 28 years old from your wife.
Hey it beats slippers
Going to tj13.com everyday til Melbourne
I’m 41 and I’d love that prezzie!
Although, I’d love a copy of the updated McLaren in the red and white warpaint. That would be too cool for school!!!
Let’s hope your better half reads this comment then Colin
well i’ll be damned, christmas would have been perfect had points 6, 7 and 8 been made public last week
Got a RedBull racing team cap for Christmas off my mum, she said I gotta wear it when watching the racing. I’m not a massive fan of RedBull but I think the cap design is one of, if not the best on the grid.