on air diary...
EVERYTHING IS NEW!
posted by Lee McKenzie on 10/03/2010
New drivers, new teams and new season; it really is a new era for Formula One. Whilst the new teams being a mixture of sentimentality, showbiz and slight concern, the new drivers bring a mixture of pound signs and promise!
Some of you will only know me from F1 and might not realise that I have been working in many series of motorsport for the last 6 years. In fact I still try to get to as much as I can throughout the year. It gives me a chance to catch and glimpse and get to know the F1 drivers of the future. This year there are a flood of new faces in paddock and I am proud to say I have worked with them ALL before. So here are my thoughts about how they will fare.
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Minus 14, Polar Bears and Tigers...in Scotland!
posted by Lee McKenzie on 22/02/2010
Tigers, Polar bears and temperatures as low as minus 14 all contributed to an absolutely amazing few days filming in the north of Scotland last week.
I absolutely love presenting on BBC Scotland’s outdoor country show Landward – it is very rewarding and the variety of stories covered means there is always something for everyone in the programme.
After my horse power section last year, in the next series I will be presenting from the Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore where I get up close, worryingly close, to Amur tigers and Mercedes the Polar bear!
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2010 STARTS WITH A BANG - AND A CRASH!
posted by Lee McKenzie on 05/02/2010
I cannot believe I have not updated this for so long! Very sorry but trust me I have been busy – kart races against some of the best drivers in the world, the BBC and F1 launches and some amusing photo shoots and other random events that seem to become a “normal” part of my job. Thankfully now though F1 is back, well testing at least and I cannot remember such a buzz surrounding an F1 test!
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MERRY CHRISTMAS
posted by Lee McKenzie on 23/12/2009
I am writing this from the comfort of my bed! Cup of tea on the left, slice of Panettone on the right and out of my window the ground is white with a glistening of danger! The snow that fell a few days ago is now frozen solid after temperatures in Scotland have struggled to climb above zero.
Driving anywhere at the moment reminds me of when I trained on a frozen lake in Norway before taking part in Mountain Rally Norway – probably the scariest thing I have ever done!
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LEE'S END OF SEASON REVIEW - the story from Oz to Abu Dhabi
posted by Lee McKenzie on 06/11/2009
If Formula One worked on the Chinese calendar then 2009 would be the Year of the Underdog. Others might argue that with the news stories and drama we have had, this year has also featured the Snake, the Rat, the Tiger and the Monkey – you can choose which F1 character fits the description best!
One thing is certain though, 2009 provided a story which sounds more fantasy than fiction and restored the heart back into the sport: privately owned Brawn GP winning against the odds and conquering the corporate giants.
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AWESOME ABU DHABI
posted by Lee McKenzie on 03/11/2009
End of Season fever turned to depression in the space of 24 hours! Abu Dhabi proved the doubters, who thought we should finish the season in Brazil wrong, and put on an outstanding event. The atmosphere was electric ....but then it was all over.
Next stage - you are surrounded by people saying, "this is the last F1 check-in of the season" or "this is the last F1 flight of the season." And when I told Sebastian Vettel on Sunday that there were 133 days until the race in Bahrain, I thought the poor guy was going to burst into tears. For many people F1 is like a drug and Abu Dhabi definitely left them wanting more.
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Jenson's Dream Becomes Reality
posted by Lee McKenzie on 19/10/2009
“I’m World Champion Baby” is what Jenson Button shouted at me live on BBC 1 on Sunday in front of 8.9 million viewers! And what a deserving champion he is. Yesterday saw him drive one, if not the best race of his life. I have known Jenson for a while but it was still difficult to keep emotions in tact during the interview although this little live hugging on BBC 1 still caught me off guard! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv1_cr3lCd0
The difficult thing is I love interviewing, and really like and respect Rubens Barichello who is a ture gentleman and sportsman. He saw his dream shattered, as did Sebastian Vettel, another really great guy and a pleasure to work with. Just off a crazy plane trip home! Will write more in week.
Lee x
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Horsepower and Interlagos Magic
posted by Lee McKenzie on 14/10/2009
I can’t believe it’s almost 2 weeks since I was writing the last diary from Japan! It is almost the same scenario but this time I have switched continents and am now in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This was my first race for the BBC last year when I worked for Radio 5 Live. Could it be that I am about to see another British driver crowned champion in the wonderful amphitheatre of Interlagos?
Since I last wrote I have been filming for an outdoors show for BBC Scotland – it really has been the perfect (and probably the most tiring) month in the world of Lee!
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Jenson's weekend? Kazuki's Cookies!
posted by Lee McKenzie on 02/10/2009
This is the weekend where Jenson Button could win his maiden title. There are lots of variables, mathematics (which I am very bad at) and things which need to happen but I will try and explain them all here. More easy to wrap up this weekend for Brawn is the Constructor's championship. What an amazing year it has been.
And what a week it has been for me, after a couple of lovely days relaxing in the Singapore sun we have moved to a soggy Suzuka - although it is great to be back at such a historic track. The last time I was here was in 1998 when Mika Hakkinen clinched the championship, could I see Jenson doing the same thing, at the same track 11 years on?
I visited the fan shopping area this morning, purely for research purposes of course and the there were some hilarious things on offer. Jenson Button biscuits and cushions all in the shape of his helmet. Kazuki Nakajima has his own shop -he has Kazuki Cookies too!
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SPECTACULAR SINGAPORE
posted by Lee McKenzie on 25/09/2009
I don’t want to seem as if I have too much fun at work but I have had a great evening in Singapore. I watched the start of free practice 2 in a pod on the big wheel, or the Singapore Flyer as it is known. To see the cars dancing round the strip of light round the dark Marina was amazing.
This is my first time at the night race in Singapore and although I knew I would become vampire-like, sleeping in daylight and coming out at night; it is not until you get here that you realise how confusing things actually get.
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