Went to see the Red Bull Racing F1 car at Killarney racetrack in Cape Town. Not through any particular interest in seeing the car 'live', but to hear the sound it makes. Watching the races on TV doesn't bring the atmosphere of live racing, and I thought I would go to hear what turns people into petrolheads.
The sun beat down on the tarmac, roasting the crowd from above and below. A stall selling high-class coffee had chosen the wrong place at the wrong time. Nobody could face the idea of a hot drink - a shame because it smelled delicious and even a dedicated coffee drinker like me turned away.
From deep inside the pits came a throbbing roar as the F1 car was fired up. Every face turned expectantly towards the entrance. The impressive roar became an eardrum-bursting cacophony as the driver revved the engine and the crowd swept en masse to the pit lane fence to get a closer look at the object that had enticed them to queue for two hours in the scorching heat.
I was there already. Being very short means you have to get there early and be in front. The video camera was rolling as the car came out onto the track. The announcer's voice reached a crescendo of excitement as the crowd cheered and waved Red Bull flags. The massive sound stage thumped out an incessant house beat which was appropriate for the mood of the day. And then - rrrwoooaaaaaarrrrrr!
How do you find a word for a sound that nearly shatters every bone in your body as it passes within 10 feet of you and is gone in an instant? My reaction was to scream - not out of fear - but that crazy woo hoo! that you see people doing on TV and wonder why. It's called adrenalin. Every time the car passed, we would all scream as if taken by surprise again, then fall about laughing at our reactions. And of course, nobody could hear anyone, so that was even better. Letting it all hang out with no funny stares!
It was great! Now I understand the attraction of Nascar where the cars just go round and round an oval track. It's the noise that thrills them.
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