4 of us drove the length of Ireland in the wee hours of the morning to catch the first boat to Holyhead from Dublin. Excitement was oozing out of us. Arrived in Wales & started our journey for Silverstone. Weather was awful but we were still in high spirits.
Our map reading skills were not the best & we ended up in Liverpool then did a few laps of Birmingham, our spirits were now truly dampened, but eventually we found our way to base camp. But to make things worse we missed qualifying.
We set up at the campsite anyway & went for a muddy tour of the stalls. The sight of all the fans, camper vans & merchandise was amazing. Had beers with strangers, spent a fortune & the buzz of the trip was back! Hadn't the greatest night sleep but it was filled with a lot of laughter.
Race day started early & we made our way to the track. We couldn't get over the amount of people there, mostly Ferrari & McLaren. Again the heavens opened & as we walked looking for a good spot we got soaked. Finally close to race time we found our spot & huddled close together for as much heat as we could get.
Then in the distance we heard the most amazing sound ever, the cars started to make their way to the grid.
Luckily we had a view of a TV screen so we knew who & what was coming. And then he appeared! The man I had idolised & longed to catch a glimpse of. Michael Schumacher came past us in the amazing Ferrari at a speed I'd never witnessed before!
We went wild jumping & cheering. My heart was beating so fast I thought it would burst. It was like Christmas morning when I was a child. I literally had tears in my eyes.
Then the race started. Hakkinen led & was pulling away fast from Michael. Then not long into the race the rain came again. Mika had a huge lead but then due to spins & a safety car they were all back together.
Weather was now terrible & everyone again was soaked. Race restarted & Michael passed Mika & the crowds went wild! But 2 laps from home Michael was hit with a 10 second stop/go penalty. We couldn't believe it! This meant he was going to lose the lead & the victory.
But to ours & the crowds astonishment Michael doesn't take the penalty on the penultimate lap & carries on racing! No one knew what was going on. Then on the last corner of the last lap Michael dives into the pit lane to take the penalty! There was actually silence. But while doing this he officially crossed the finish line in the pit lane. He sat still for 10 seconds then jumped out of the car!
Then Mika came around the last corner & took the chequered flag & the McLaren fans went crazy thinking they won. We still didn't know what happened or who won until the most amazing roar I've ever heard went up from the Ferrari fans & there on the screen it displayed the winner of the race. Michael Schumacher!
We went nuts, we jumped, roared, laughed & fell in the mud. I had never felt the feeling I had at that moment ever before in my life. The long lost journey we endured, the practically sleepless night we had, the standing in cold wet clothes covered in mud, none of this even mattered anymore as the man we saw only before on TV or magazines, the man we were all huge fans of, the man we all came to see turned our damp wet weekend into a weekend of triumph & celebration!
I will never forget this weekend, nor the faces on the McLaren fans when they found out they only got 2nd place.
Myles Scullion
Memory added on July 13, 2014
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