Your First F1 Experience

[FGD]

Just curious to know how everyone first was exposed to and got into F1.

My own experience:

Listening to USGP races broadcast over the radio in the late 70's.

Attended my first F1 race: USGP, Long Beach 1982

Have since attended: Mexican GP, Mexico City 1990; USGP, Phoenix 1991; Canadian GP, Montreal 1997,1999; USGP, Indianapolis 2002, 2004

[paused]

Just curious to know how everyone first was exposed to and got into F1.

My own experience:

Listening to USGP races broadcast over the radio in the late 70's.

Attended my first F1 race: USGP, Long Beach 1982

Have since attended: Mexican GP, Mexico City 1990; USGP, Phoenix 1991; Canadian GP, Montreal 1997,1999; USGP, Indianapolis 2002, 2004

Me betting you were rather happy you went to the USGP in 02 and 04 but not in 05

[FGD]

Just curious to know how everyone first was exposed to and got into F1.

My own experience:

Listening to USGP races broadcast over the radio in the late 70's.

Attended my first F1 race: USGP, Long Beach 1982

Have since attended: Mexican GP, Mexico City 1990; USGP, Phoenix 1991; Canadian GP, Montreal 1997,1999; USGP, Indianapolis 2002, 2004

Me betting you were rather happy you went to the USGP in 02 and 04 but not in 05

No kidding. But I hope they go back to Indianapolis some day. The sound of the cars and the atmosphere there is nothing like any other race I've attended.

[Giblet]

I was at a friends place, and a race was on TV, around 85, and this was a couple of years before I started watching races and actually found the sport.

My friends parents were English, and understand you have to be dedicated to view F1 in North American time zones. The races are rarely on at a good time, and this was 9pm replay of a 4:30am race I think.

All I remember from the race, is that it was an important enough one for English folks to tune in that were not huge F1 fans. I'm not sure if it was 85 but that is what I figured out but my age at the time. I might be plus or minus 1 year.

We thought it was funny that this guy commentating the race (who I realized was Murray Walker years later) was yelling and screaming about something as simple as 'gearboxes'.

I had friends that were into racing, and one of them's father was the track doctor at Mosport park for a period of time. Their passion basically rubbed off on me. I started watching religiously in 88, and have only missed three races, 1 because of my PVR crashing, and the other two were a direct result of the greed and blackouts of Fox and SpeedTV.

Coming home to a 1.5 hour recording of "This event has been blacked out in your area" with no explanation makes this kid angry

I've bitched about this before, but I had saved money to attend the Montreal GP this year, and had accommodations arranged. Screw YOU Bernie. Now the closest race (cheapest flight) is in England, Brazil, or maybe Japan.

[ISLAMATRON]

Watching the race recaps on the TV in my uncle's race shop as a kid back in the 4th grade back in '87. Loved it from the first sec.

Whole reason I became an automotive engineer.

Went to my first GP at INDY in 2000. Went with a bunch of guys from the U. Michigan FSAE squad.

[paused]

For me also mid eighties. Started watching regularly in 86. Who could forget Mansell's tyre blow out in Adelaide. Good drivers back then too.

Mansell, Senna, Prost, Piquet, Patrese, Rosberg, Jones, Alboreto, Arnoux, Berger, Boutsen, Latiffe. Argually more depth than now but that could just be the rose coloured glasses.

[FGD]

I was at a friends place, and a race was on TV, around 85, and this was a couple of years before I started watching races and actually found the sport.

My friends parents were English, and understand you have to be dedicated to view F1 in North American time zones. The races are rarely on at a good time, and this was 9pm replay of a 4:30am race I think.

All I remember from the race, is that it was an important enough one for English folks to tune in that were not huge F1 fans. I'm not sure if it was 85 but that is what I figured out but my age at the time. I might be plus or minus 1 year.

We thought it was funny that this guy commentating the race (who I realized was Murray Walker years later) was yelling and screaming about something as simple as 'gearboxes'.

I had friends that were into racing, and one of them's father was the track doctor at Mosport park for a period of time. Their passion basically rubbed off on me. I started watching religiously in 88, and have only missed three races, 1 because of my PVR crashing, and the other two were a direct result of the greed and blackouts of Fox and SpeedTV.

Coming home to a 1.5 hour recording of "This event has been blacked out in your area" with no explanation makes this kid angry

I've bitched about this before, but I had saved money to attend the Montreal GP this year, and had accommodations arranged. Screw YOU Bernie. Now the closest race (cheapest flight) is in England, Brazil, or maybe Japan.

I think I really got hooked on F1 in the mid-eighties. I remember watching Nigel Mansell trying to push his Lotus over the finish line... I think it was USGP Detroit, 1985 - only to see him collapse out of sheer exhaustion. "F*****G GLADIATORS!", I thought. Those were the days.

[FGD]

For me also mid eighties. Started watching regularly in 86. Who could forget Mansell's tyre blow out in Adelaide. Good drivers back then too.

Mansell, Senna, Prost, Piquet, Patrese, Rosberg, Jones, Alboreto, Arnoux, Berger, Boutsen, Latiffe. Argually more depth than now but that could just be the rose coloured glasses.

No. There was more depth to the field and the drivers had personalities. Can you hear me Kimi?

[Belatti]

I have attended races in a not so regular basis since I was a little kid, basically because some friends of my grandparents or my father. The first F1 image I remember was from 1988, I was 6y.o... me and my family arrived late a saturday night from a dinner, my father turned the TV on and Senna vs. Prost were defining the championship. I didnt pay much attention (I should) because TC races (if not Futbol) were what called my attention at that time.

In the lapse of time till 1994 I remember several races, but not much: Prost failure in the 1993 Monza GP, Senna at donington the same year, and some more.
But it was till Imola 1994 where I got "a feeling", if you know what I mean. Those men, at that speed... I started reading about Sennas life and got hooked up in matter of minutes. That year, my cousing bought a Datsun Stock car and I started going to the races.
But the final hit was when I was 13 y.o. he invited me to the 1995 Argentinian GP, in Buenos Aires:

It was a cold wet friday that April 7th of 1995. Early in the morning there were already a lot of people in the grades. I could read a flag: "Ayrton, in Argentina we love you like we love Fangio and Reutemann". Besides that, the rest where all Ferrari flags, mostly. I could hear some engines making noise far away, at least 500 metres away. The first one who was brave enough to get wet a little bit was Jos Verstappen in a colourful Simtek:



The Ford V8 noise wasnt that far from the TC 6 cilinders I was used to. A couple of other cars were out and till then, nothing special. Sudenly, the crowd went silent. You felt you could cut the air with a knife. The atmosphere was really really special. A very loud sound (and Im talking about sound, not noise) grew up from the distance, the word to describe that was: ANGRY!
A couple of seconds later I had Jean Alesi´s glowing red 412T2 Ferrari, with beautiful black wings and golden wheel rims screaming in front of me. I could not only hear that infernal machine but also the absolute silence from more than 60,000 people.



At that exact instant, I knew what I was going to do with my life. After that, F1 became part of my daily life.

I can add the Reutemann lapped an 11th time with a 1994 Ferrari 412T1 under the water that afternoon, 14 years after his last F1 race.



To get a feeling about the sound Im talking about, hear the second 37 of this video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwmvVWSvSpg

[FGD]

I have attended races in a not so regular basis since I was a little kid, basically because some friends of my grandparents or my father. The first F1 image I remember was from 1988, I was 6y.o... me and my family arrived late a saturday night from a dinner, my father turned the TV on and Senna vs. Prost were defining the championship. I didnt pay much attention (I should) because TC races (if not Futbol) were what called my attention at that time.

In the lapse of time till 1994 I remember several races, but not much: Prost failure in the 1993 Monza GP, Senna at donington the same year, and some more.
But it was till Imola 1994 where I got "a feeling", if you know what I mean. Those men, at that speed... I started reading about Sennas life and got hooked up in matter of minutes. That year, my cousing bought a Datsun Stock car and I started going to the races.
But the final hit was when I was 13 y.o. he invited me to the 1995 Argentinian GP, in Buenos Aires:

It was a cold wet friday that April 7th of 1995. Early in the morning there were already a lot of people in the grades. I could read a flag: "Ayrton, in Argentina we love you like we love Fangio and Reutemann". Besides that, the rest where all Ferrari flags, mostly. I could hear some engines making noise far away, at least 500 metres away. The first one who was brave enough to get wet a little bit was Jos Verstappen in a colourful Simtek:



The Ford V8 noise wasnt that far from the TC 6 cilinders I was used to. A couple of other cars were out and till then, nothing special. Sudenly, the crowd went silent. You felt you could cut the air with a knife. The atmosphere was really really special. A very loud sound (and Im talking about sound, not noise) grew up from the distance, the word to describe that was: ANGRY!
A couple of seconds later I had Jean Alesi´s glowing red 412T2 Ferrari, with beautiful black wings and golden wheel rims screaming in front of me. I could not only hear that infernal machine but also the absolute silence from more than 60,000 people.



At that exact instant, I knew what I was going to do with my life. After that, F1 became part of my daily life.

I can add the Reutemann lapped an 11th time with a 1994 Ferrari 412T1 under the water that afternoon, 14 years after his last F1 race.



To get a feeling about the sound Im talking about, hear the second 37 of this video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwmvVWSvSpg

Great story Belatti and thanks for the photos! Maybe if we get enough stories from this forum, they could be sent off to Bernie, Max and FOTA as a way to shake their own memoies of what F1 used to be. I'd love to read some stories from F1 followers who saw races in the 70's and 60's. Just a thought.

[RH1300S]

My first "proper" contact with F1 was Brands Hatch 1986 - Nigel Mansell won, the crowd went wild. But the greatest impression was the animal noise of the turbo cars, you felt it in your stomach and the smell of the brakes and fuel. Something you never properly experience at Silverstone. At Brands standing on the inside at Druids you were just feet from the cars.

From that moment I followed F1 closely and went to races.

Another defining moment was arriving at Silverstone in 1989 - dissappointed that turbos were gone..............but even before we got to the track we could hear the spine-chilling howl of the Honda V10 (that first V10 sound was something else) and the scream of the Ferrari V12. Pure magic.

[pjobmathew]

I was forced to watch the video of the 1967 Italian GP . What a race it was !!!!
Jim Clark falls 1 lap behind the entire race , after the pitstop he takes back his lead .
AMAZING !!!!!!!!!

He didn't win the race , but he's my favorite !!!!!!!!!!

[Belatti]

Great story Belatti and thanks for the photos! Maybe if we get enough stories from this forum, they could be sent off to Bernie, Max and FOTA as a way to shake their own memoies of what F1 used to be. I'd love to read some stories from F1 followers who saw races in the 70's and 60's. Just a thought.

A nice thought FDG, but I think the stone cold blue hearts of those old farts do not pump enough blood too feel something beyond money and megalomaniatic feelings.

[peteskar]

I have yet to go to an F1 race but the first time watching would be sitting with my dad early sunday morning to watch Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger running the Ferraris

[donskar]

Been following F1 since the days of Phil Hill in Ferrari.

First "in-person" race: Watkins Glen, New York, way back in 1966 (?) There was nothing better (when we were young) than canned pork and beans and hamburg cooked over an open fire in the cold and dark with the sound of Ferrari V12s in the near distance. It was so cold that we got so close to the campfire that my socks ignited.

Those were the days - or so it seems in retrospect. All very clinical and sterile now.