on air diary...
Taking on the Nordschliefe and Cold Turkey!
posted by Lee McKenzie on 04/06/2009
I returned from Monaco relaxed, rested and sun tanned after staying out on a fabulous boat with some friends. It was my first break since the season started and although only a few days, it was much needed.
So what better way to ease back into work; tearing round the 22 kilometres of the Nordschleife, affectionately known as the ‘green hell’. Toyota’s Timo Glock expertly charged round the old Nurburgring which used to tame the greatest of drivers and tragically took the lives of many too.
It is without a doubt the most tricky, busy, complicated lap any driver would ever do and from my experience of co-driving, is more like a stage of a tarmac rally than a circuit! In fact it is so long that there can be very different weather in various parts of the 20 mile journey! Timo was great and spent plenty of time with us for the feature, which will be broadcast before the German GP in July. His parting gift to us was lunch at the Nurburgring and he was adamant we all sampled the track’s speciality - curried wurst mit pomme frites! It did taste much better than it sounds although probably not the healthiest lunch we could have had.
My 4th flight in 3 days has brought me to the cold and rain of Turkey. In previous trips here it has been baking hot but today it is chilly, I am wearing a fleece and drinking tea!
This is always a tricky weekend, traffic is awful, temperatures are high and for the drivers, the anti-clockwise circuit is very tough on the neck. And to be honest many people are still enjoying memories of Monaco and the thought of Silverstone in two weeks time. I personally cannot wait for the British Grand Prix and it seems like everyone is putting in a massive effort in preparation for, sadly, what looks like the last F1 race to be held at Silverstone.
Right, I am going to brave the elements and find out the news from the paddock. I am doing that feature for Saturday’s show and also the piece I did with Nelson last week in Monaco will go out over the weekend. He says some pretty strong stuff about his career, Renault and Fernando Alonso so make sure you watch that either on the show or on the BBC website.
Better run but, as always, thanks for stopping by.
Lee x
