Brands Indy (Champ Car) May 03

[Crash Test]

It is very photogenic, but the place is getting harder and harder by the year... Every year there are fewer and fewer openings, fewer places to stand etc. Another problem is that the walls have a tendancy to move when they are hit with big fast race cars. The Champ Cars aren't that bad, although I had one scary moment a couple of years ago when Kanaan smacked the wall at the second chicane- luckily i took a few steps back a minute before the change film, heard the screech and the thump from about 1m away though!

Generally speaking, the weight of the big sedans move the walls a lot more. I know Elephino has been attacked by a few side mirrors at different times... This is a pic of the first chicane on the beach side, one of my fave spots. The drama here isn't so much the wall moving, because it backs straight onto a gutter, but the remote control TV camera! The number of times it turned around and gave me a whack, or vice versa... sometimes it would swing around to give you a dirt look... lotsa fun!

[Snapper Baz]

Crash Test...bet it gives you back ache as well!

[Crash Test]

Well yeah! But since I'm not as suicidal as some of the other punters, I try not to stick my head through the opening. If I'm smart and organised this year, I'll take a cushion for kneeling on..

[Jay]

When I think about it, I've never had the nerve to stand that close to the barriers for Champ cars, but I have for Formula 1 cars in Montreal (probably shouldn't have been there with the marshalls)... oddly they don't seem to blow you away in the same way. They're much louder, but don't seem to shake the ground as much.