Lewis Hamilton, Formula One Driver

Lewis Hamilton
F1 Driver Extraordinaire & Phenom

Perhaps only someone who comes from a small island in the Caribbean can really appreciate how extraordinary the story of Lewis Hamilton is.


While it’s true that Hamilton was actually born in Hertfordshire, England, on January 7, 1985, his grandparents came from the island of Grenada. The blood that flows through his veins is that of an Carib-Afro-English young man, and that alone makes him a stand out in the sport of Formula One racing. That he got to be where he is means that he is possessed of a talent that cannot be ignored. It took a quantum leap to go from the “A” of his heritage to the rarefied air that is the “Z” of Formula Racing. I think that, barring misfortune, this is the Tiger Woods of Formula Racing that we are seeing.

Michael Schumacher has left some very big shoes for someone else to step into. That person will have to be unlike anyone else in racing history. I think that Team McLaren
Mercedes recognize this and have chosen this young man as the Great Hope to take the sport to another level.

Certainly his background is truly impressive. He began karting at the age of eight, back in 1995, and immediately began showing that he was something special as he made winning look so easy. “He was born to the cockpit” was the most common expression heard around the track.

His progression came quickly. He entered the Cadet programme for 1995 and 1996; then in 1997 he moved on into the Junior Yamaha programme. Next came the Junior Intercontinental “A” trials in 1998 and 1999, which saw him confirmed into the full Intercontinental “A” list. The year 2000 saw him introduced into the heady world of Formula “A” racing.

As evidence of his ability to impress people who don’t impress easily, he became the youngest racer to proudly hold a Formula contract when he was only 13 years of age. He was not even legally able to contract on his own without the support of an adult.

The greatest recognition of all usually comes from within the industry. For Hamilton, to have been made a member by the British Racing Driver’s Club of “The Rising Star” group must have been particularly sweet and encouraging. Such accolades are not come by easily, and for the recipients they have profound meaning.

He began his professional racing career effectively in 2001 driving for Renault in the British Formula Renault Winter Series. He finished a respectful fifth overall, and that was encouraging enough for Formula Renault Team and Manor Motorsport to sign him for a full season’s racing card for 2002. He improved on 2001 by finishing the season with an overall third place position, including one outright win.

His 2003 year was great as he began to get comfortable. That year, he won the Formula Renault Series with ten wins and eleven starts at pole position.

He encountered a rough ride in 2004 as he advanced to the Formula 3 class and the Euroseries. He had bad luck in the Brands Hatch Season Finale when he crashed not just once, but in both races, which saw him spend time in hospital. His injuries, while not to be understated, were not life threatening, and he went on to make a complete recovery.

The year 2005 was a much better friend to him as he won 15 of the 20 card season, quite literally dominating the championship and giving a taste of things to come. This was his breakthrough year as he moved into the GP2 series and won in his debut year of running with the big boys. He achieved that, but not before winning the “Ultimate Masters of the Formula 3” challenge, as if an exclamation mark. There was no stopping him. He was on his way to F1 and he would immediately make his mark.

The McLaren Mercedes Vodafone announcement establishing Lewis Hamilton as Number 2 driver, second only to Fernando Alonso for the 2007 season, while met with joy and excitement, was also no surprise. Lewis had earned his place, and has his shot at super-stardom. He started out the season by distinguishing himself at the Australian Grand Prix. The race was between Kimi Raekkonen, driving for team Ferrari, and Fernando and Lewis.

Kimi won ahead of Alonso by a comfortable 7.2 seconds, but the real news from Albert Park was that for much of the race Hamilton was leading Alonso, and this was Hamilton’s debut F1 race. It’s a controversial practice, but in general, Team managements have been known to order their number two driver to allow number one to get ahead. There is no suggestion that perhaps that may have happened in this case, but it would not have been the first time for a number two to be reigned in.

Hamilton has a unique ability to overtake where others sensibly hold back. Perhaps it’s a matter of ice-cold nerves and superb timing. Champions are made of little extras like that. For Tiger Woods it’s the capability of absolute focus. Perhaps, for Lewis Hamilton it’s a fire in the belly and a hunger to be the very best racing driver of all time.

Everybody remembers the one and the only “I am the Greatest” Mohamed Ali. He said he was the greatest boxer of all time, and we believed him. Lewis Hamilton also seems determined to make believers of us all.

Watch this Space!

For the rest of us, please don’t overtake along two-way road systems. Save your life for those who love you!

Copyright (c) 2007 Eugene Carmichael

Speed Kills! (and Kills; and Kills; and Kills!)

I read in one of the Spanish newspapers the opinion of a fellow columnist who was trying to make the case that speed on the Spanish roads was fine, provided it was coupled with what he called security and technique. I was in the midst of formulating an opposing reply when, except for the great floods of 1957, the most horrific calamity in Valencia´s history occurred. As reported, a train in the Metro system travelled at twice the posted speed limit and jumped the track, resulting in at least 42 deaths and many more to recuperate from their injuries.

I do not presume to know the reasons why the train was travelling so fast, but should it turn out to have been recklessness and bad judgement, that will be in line with the usual reasons associated with motoring disasters. One thing is clear: Speed Kills!

The attitude that “driving fast with security is O.K”. is all too prevalent on Spanish roads. Particularly young people believe in this. These are people who talk exceedingly fast; who walk very fast; who wolf down their food entirely too fast, and who drive too fast. But speed with security on Spanish roads is a myth. It simply does not exist, and this myth is one of the things that the government is determined to shatter as part of the new points system crackdown.

The only place that speed with security and technique can be practised is on the race track at Cheste. There they have a controlled environment. Before a race the track is inspected and all foreign matter is removed. There are no pedestrians crossing the street while racing is underway (at least there shouldn’t be), or children playing football on open ground alongside the track. Traffic flows one-way, and there is no mix of traffic. In motorcycle racing there are only motorcycles of only one class, or one class of cars when cars are racing. Even then, there are some spectacular smashes. Drivers run the risk of coming to harm, but they accept that risk. Steps are taken to minimize the risk, but nonetheless the risk is quite high that someone could get seriously hurt. Even the fans that love a great and spectacular crash would rather that the driver walked away unharmed.

The comparison between Cheste raceway driving and driving the highways and by-ways of Spain should be like night and day. We know that, due to the congestion of traffic that sooner or later we will be bumped by someone, or that we will bump into someone, but it should not be such as to cause loss of life. Fender-benders are part of the norm of motoring, but smashing head-long into another vehicle causing death(s) is totally unacceptable. When excessive speed is involved, and all too often it is, then it is all the more unacceptable. We do not accept as a normal risk that a drive to the supermarket will probably result in our death. If we lived in Iraq, maybe. But this is Spain!

Those road traffic signs that set speed limits are usually there for a good reason. I often find myself driving along a particular stretch of road at a speed that I find comfortable. By comfortable I mean that I am in complete control when taking corners, and I approach blind spots so that should there be a sudden hazard I can bring my car to a halt by braking in a soft and progressive manner. When I notice the speed limit sign and compare that to the speed that I am doing, if the two agree I am well pleased, and that is proof positive to me that the engineers have got it right.

That is not to say that I always agree with the deployment of road speed signs. There is much work that needs to be done to refine the thinking behind the placement of such signs. For example, on one stretch of road traffic leaving the town where the speed limit is 50 km/h is advised that the new limit is 70km/h. Less than fifty metres past that sign is another that states 50km/h while crossing a dangerous junction. What was the point of the 70km/h sign?

A Spanish buddy picked me up and drove me to a place where we had a mutual appointment. He habitually drives very fast, dodging in and out of traffic, doing all the nightmarish things that I curse out drivers like him for doing. Curiously, I didn´t feel very anxious as he was so confident. I´m sure he could have made that car do anything he wanted it to do. However, he was certainly not ready for the unexpected. He passed a couple of cars that were driving in the middle lane by going to their right. Had one of them decided to move over into the right lane, where they should have been, we would have had a collision. He also appeared so suddenly behind other vehicles that had they been about to overtake the car in front of them we would likely have had a collision.

Finally we arrived at our destination in plenty of time, where we then had lunch and put our feet up for the rest of the afternoon. So, all that speeding to get there was not even necessary.

Please don´t overtake on two-way road systems. Save your life for those who love you!

Copyright (c) 2007 Eugene Carmichael

Get Lost! It can be Fun.

Discovering the country we live in involves a constant process of getting lost and finding ourselves some place we have never been before. Over the past eight years I have come to know Spain from as far north as Andorra on the Spanish border, to as far south as Mazzaron.

Spain is so diverse. I am always impressed by the fact that one can be on the ski slopes in the morning, and in the afternoon on the beach in warm sunshine. Also, this country is steeped in history. To particularly study the Civil War period and then to visit Teruel in Aragon Province is to walk reverently through the pages of a terrible chapter in Spain’s history. It is also a popular destination for people in and around Valencia City to ski in Winter. As my habitual home is in the mountains outside Valencia City, we decided one day last Christmas to have a day out skiing. We chose the ski slopes at Javalambre.

There are two ways to approach the area. If one is travelling to or from the direction of Madrid along the N-111, the turnoff is at Utiel where you head in the direction of Teruel along the N-330. If starting the journey somewhere near the A-7 by-pass around Valencia, one would travel north along the A-7 to Sagunto, then head inland along the N-234 towards Teruel. This is the better road, although it generally is much busier than the other route.

We chose to head toward Madrid from our starting point near to the town of Cheste with its famous Formula-One racing circuit. At Utiel, a famous wine producing area, being one half of the Requena-Utiel denominacion de origen, one turns off the motorway and heads inland following the signs for Teruel. However, we were hoping not to have to travel all the way north to Teruel, which would mean actually passing the mountain slopes, because then we would have had to then turn south to travel the considerable distance toward Sagunto to reach the turnoff for the pistas de Javalambre. What we were hoping for was a short-cut across to our destination.

As we drove we realised we were getting very close to the town of Teruel. Our route was beautiful and interesting. We were driving through agricultural areas in the early morning icy mist/fog, and frozen winter scenes. We passed through sleepy pueblos, including Ademuz, which is a little area of land that is separated from the Communidad de Valencia, but in fact is a part of the Community. There is an interesting story here, but for another time.

Finally we spotted the sign we thought we were looking for on the right side of the road and eagerly turned right. The state of the road did not look like one leading to a major ski slope, but we knew we were taking a side entrance. Little did we know what we were letting ourselves in for. The real purpose of this column is to warn others not to make the same mistake. The sign we saw was indicating that the Javalambre zone was in the direction the arrow was pointing, but the correct way to the ski slope was to go through the town of Teruel and then turn south to the turnoff.

Our route took us along narrow ridges, down into deep valleys, alongside a river, around and up many hairpin bends, over what is known as la ruta forestall, which is an unpaved track that was covered in ice and snow in certain places. We were not prepared for this as we were without snow chains, and to make matters worse, at one point the car mysteriously stalled. It was unlikely that Mapfre could have found us in the thick of the forest.

Somewhat amusingly, as we passed a barn we thought we saw a person. By that time we needed to confirm that we were headed in the correct direction, so we stopped and my wife called out to get the person’s attention , who we hoped was in the barn. Every time she called out “Oiga!”, back came the reply “Baaaa!” from the goats. “Oiga!”, “Baaaaaa!”. Finally the person appeared and confirmed that we would get there along the path we were on. What a path! Even a 4x4 might have been challenged but my Chrysler performed well, and in the process we saw some of the most breathtaking scenery, unlike any other we have seen in our experience here.

A final note: although we had not planned on such an adventure, with the exception of snow chains we were well provisioned to keep comfortable including food and drink and blankets.

Death on the roads? It doesn’t have to end like that!
Please don´t overtake on two-way road systems. Save your life for the people who love you.

Copyright (c) 2007 Eugene Carmichael

OverCrowding

I drive quite long distances, and in the process I have become really well acquainted with coastal Spain as well as many parts of the inland zones. I have encountered some truly horrific routes, but I have also encountered some wonderful ribbons of highway. Pity I don’t actually enjoy driving, but if I did these modern stretches of roadway would be a dream. Shame there has to be other traffic about.

Spain’s roads have undergone a real metamorphosis from ugly ducklings to beautiful swans. I enjoy watching old Spanish films shot on location. How different the road system was then. To travel to Madrid from anywhere was a major adventure. Of course there are still remnants of the old roads running right alongside the new. I often find myself alone for long stretches and at times like that I hear echoing in my head of the word “overcrowding”. If I didn’t know better I might question that, but I know all too well what that word means.

It is a word that all European countries, including the U.K. are coming to hate. We can build more and better highways, but they all have a destination in some small town, or even the very large cities that simply cannot cope. The motorcar is no longer a luxury. For most families it’s an absolute necessity, and indeed we need more than one per household because it’s a freedom machine. These are times when we need to pick up and go at the drop of a hat. So, given that philosophy there is no political solution to the problem of too many vehicles on our roads.

The only country with a significant population (for its size) that almost had the answer is my own Bermuda. The enabling legislation of the Motorcar Act, 1947, that allowed private use of motor vehicles, contained the proviso that there could be no more than one car per family household, which is still in effect today. Thus, a ten-person family could have only one car attached to their home. But in time as prosperity came and young people acquired good paying jobs they moved away from home so that they could get their own set of wheels. Now we have too many homes and vehicles. But it did keep the numbers of cars down for a very long time.

There is no turning the clock back. There is a tidal wave of young people who have a reasonable expectation of gaining their driving permit, but they are finding it increasingly difficult to get through the process. Some countries that previously had no theory test to speak of, now challenge the applicant with a test akin to a university course. Also, or so it seems, the practical test is so rigid that if most highly experienced drivers were put through it most would not pass. (Especially because of our bad habits).

So, where is all this heading? Already we see gridlock in the cities on good days. In Valencia, I have long given up on driving into the city. I know my way round quite well, but there is simply no place to park. Even in the pay car parks it is often extremely difficult to find a space. The last time I went downtown it took me about twenty minutes to find the last available space in paid parking. Should one be so lucky as to find a space on the street to parallel park, when you come back you will likely find that another whole row of cars have hemmed you in. You could be there until next week. Who knows?

As for travelling the N-332 anywhere along the coast: Forget it! During the Winter period traffic crawls. Cometh the Summer and the tourists. In the not too distant future they will have to get their tans by sticking their arms out the car windows. I fear that towns like Alicante, Torrevieja , Murcia and Cartagena will soon see the day when no-one will go anywhere. (Going out in the car will mean having to take lunch). Benidorm already knows what that’s like in the Summer.

When I first came to Orihuela Costa it was the Winter and everybody warned me that it would be horrible when the Summer came. So I quickly learned all the back streets to be ready. When the tourist jams did occur I laughed and headed for the secret back streets, only to get stuck in the local jams. Is there no justice?

Death on the roads? It doesn’t have to end like that!
Don´t overtake on two-way road systems. Save your life for those who love you.

Copyright (c) 2007 Eugene Carmichael