The professor and son went directly to the race at Hockenheimring from Mainz.
We were watching with 113,000 close friends (seriously, those seats really are
packed tight). Thanks to a friend, we had paddock passes and got to see the
inside world of F1. The race was pretty good, with Alonso winning easily after
Kimi's transmission went south. Juan Pablo won a close second after passing
Jensen late in the race. Giancarlo took fourth from local favorite Michael with
a late pass. He was followed by baby brother Ralph. In all, a good race, with a
good view from out seats at the entrance to turn two (Einfart Parabolica).
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View of the track |
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This was our view of turns 2 and 3 |
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David |
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David Coultard was just walking around pit lane while we were looking around |
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Michael Schumacher |
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The local hero was nice enough to pose with Ashton |
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Flavio Briatore |
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We got to walk around with some of the big names |
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Pit Lane |
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Ashton with the computer displays along the pit fence |
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Kimi Räikkönen |
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Interviews after qualifying for the pole. I would hate to be this close to him after that DNF from a 35 second lead Sunday. |
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Red Bull Paddock Center |
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Red Bull definitely had the most cushy setup in the pits. |
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Main Event |
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Although the F1 cars were a pretty big deal, this is the race. There were 37 Mini Coopers battling to be the star of the weekend. |
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Team Toyota |
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Ashton takes the Toyota simulator for a spin(out). |
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Red Bull Center |
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We had to go inside and check things out Sunday. Nice place and a free Red Bull for Ashton. |
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F2 Cars |
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Post race impound lot. |
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McLaren Pits |
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A look at Kimi's hardware. |
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Red Bull Pits |
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This is the more serious end of their business. A nice view of David's car. |
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Michael Shumacher |
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Michal and a little bit of Rubens in the pre-race parade. |
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Ralph Shumacher |
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Pre-race parade |
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Fernando Alonso |
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Pre-race parade. His day only got better. |
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Cheap Seats |
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Very impressive tree climbing to avoid those gate fees. |
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Post Race Walk |
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They opened the track for walking and rollerblades after the race. Ashton may have jumped the gun. |
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Gravel Trap |
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Walking around turn 2 after the race, I was just too fast and landed in the pea gravel. |
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Takuma Sato |
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Post race chats in the pits. Not one of his better days. |
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