Monday, October 04, 2004

 

Stalking Schumi - Part 3

3rd Attempt: Australian GP 2004
March 2004
Score!!! :) Senangnya dalam hati, dapat signature Schumi, seperti dunia, ana yang punya...

Another year, another GP. Even more determined to get Schuey's signature, hehe. Failure is NOT an option! :) This time it's just me and Jules. Irwan is too far away at Hinwil to come each year, of course.

Alrighty then. Jom jalan-jalan tgk Melbourne! :)

This is Swanston St - the main street in central Melbourene. 1st day sampai dah jumpa muka Schumi. It's a sign!!! Literally and figuratively, hehe - no puns intended :)


Haa, tu dia, sebesar-besarnya muka Schumi on the billboard at Niketown store :) Posted by Hello

Now, let's visit Albert Park again shall we? :)

This time round, still watching at General Admission. Takde duit weii nak tgk at grandstand :(


At Waite General Admission. Already with a visible unwanted tan line. Posted by Hello

Watching from the Albert Park general admission (GA) area is much better than at Sepang cos they have screens for all the GA area. Plus, it's not hot!! It rains though - that's typical Melbourne weather for u :) You do have to arrive early to book a space though cos there's lotsa crazy sports fans in Oz, be it local or foreigners. Kalau kat Sepang I will arrive around 10-11am, here, by 8.30am dah sampai. The best thing tho, you can just leave your mat there and wander about. Org takkan curi your mat or your space :) Mmg best!

Food/drinks is much better organised here. Kalau kat GA area at Sepang tu, we dont have much choice but to buy those pre-packaged combo packs worth RM20++. Yg ada muffin, sandwich n chips tu. At Oz, they have a big area with lotsa stalls selling different types of food, with benches and tables for folks to sit. The queues are long though, but the weather is so sunny and nice most times and it's fun people watching you dont really mind. There are also lotsa rides for kids, games, and face painting etc.

This year at OZ they do not have lots of different stalls selling merchandise anymore. They have built a superstore where all the official merchandise are sold, complete with changing rooms! Impressive indeed considering it's not a permanent track.

Anyway.. let's get to the stalking bit, huh? :)

Managed to get paddock passes again, courtesy of our friend who works with Magnetti Marelli. Grazie Luca! There was one pass only, so me, Gerry and Jules had to take our turns, hehe.

I went in the paddock after qualifying. Schumi on pole, yaaay! :)

Masuk2 paddock, as usual, of course le takkan nampak Schumi punya. Yg selalu lepak kat luar garage/motorhome were the Williams drivers. The Sauber drivers and Alonso pun selalu lepak kat luar. Spotted as well were HHF, Heidfeld, Webber etc...

While taking pics with them, mata tu mmg tak lari tgk Ferrari garage, takut2 ada sesapa yg keluar kan.

And then Jean Todt comes out! Cepat2 dgn maintain-nya ke Ferrari garage, hehe. He was talking with someone so I waited for him. Bila dah habis, he nodded his head at me so I got my pic with him, hehe.


With the Toad, as we all affectionately call him, hehe :) At the background, you can see Luca Badoer (4RE test driver). Posted by Hello

A few minutes after I took a pic with Jean, Schumi came out. Nak berpinar agaknya mata I, hehe. Happy banget! I asked him to sign on my book and then he was off! Now you see him now you don't, hehe. As fast as he drives dia disappear, hehe. He did take time to sign on my hardcover book though. Nasib tak berat, kalau tak, letih tangan mengendong, hehe.

Here's my pic with Schumi while he signed my book. Nampak kepala je (side view) pun jadilah. Thanks Fadli!! (Fadli is the only M'sian Sauber engineer based at Maranello - beruntung sungguh!)


Schumi signing my book. Jean Todt looking over. Forever fawning over his Schumi!! :) Posted by Hello

I gave Schumi a red marker to sign with. Check out his signature on my book. Cantik kan? For Schumi fans, check out this book cos it's co-written by Schumi with his PA Sabine Kehm. Lotsa pics in this book.


Schumi's signature on my book.Posted by Hello

I didnt take a pic with Ross Brawn unfortunately as there was no one around to take it for me. I keep bumping into Ross at the toilet, that's why! Hehe. But I did manage to take pics with Schumi's trainer, Bulbir Singh. I'm sure most of you have noticed him with Schumi on TV. He's such a nice guy! I also took pics with Luca Badoer, tapi tak yah le post kan... sarat kang blog ni ngan gambar2 hehe.


With Schumi's trainer Posted by Hello

This next pic is with Zaman, who I'm sure some of you might have seen in multiple Petronas F1 adverts. He was 2 yrs my senior at uni and such a humble, funny and nice guy. He's doing Electronics for Sauber and goes to the track all the time. Kesian dia, he rarely has time to see his two young kids.


With Zaman Posted by Hello

And now, my favourite stalking pic of the trip! Ironically it's with JPM, who I can't stand to watch most times, hehe.


With Montoya. Sungguh comel tul mamat ni, walaupun badan sedikit berisi, hehe :)Posted by Hello

When I came across JPM he was walking with someone, and Ralf was walking ahead of both of them. I could only take pics with one of them as they were walking so close to each other. Since I already have that Internet pic with Ralf I had to forego Ralf lah. When I came up to him, I did hold out my hand to salam him though. Baik betul Ralf, terus dia sambut, hehe.

When I approached JPM, I said to him "Can I please take a picture with you? Por favor, por favor, por favor?" I said the "por favors" really fast (sbb tgh excited) and he jokingly imitated me saying "Por favor, por favor, por favor". Cheeky habis, hehe. For those not familliar with 'por favor', it means 'please' in Spanish :)


With Mrs Montoya. She's so sweet and I love to watch her clothes. Simple but nice.Posted by Hello


Gambar wajib sbb Petronas driver :) Posted by Hello


Another gambar wajib :) Posted by Hello


Rubens signing autographs. I didn't get a chance to take pictures with Rubens, so just amik gambar dia sorang je. This was taken from inside the paddock, hehe. I was just next to him when I took this picture. Posted by Hello


With Marc (a French Canadian from Montreal), whom I get special discounts from. His stall is just opposite our hotel so we see him everytime we enter and exit the circuit, hehe. He goes to most of the circuits. What a job huh?!! :) The stall next to his was manned by a Malaysian :) Posted by Hello


Cora Schumacher and Connie Montoya lepaking together? Nooo??!! :) hehehehe Posted by Hello

Bilalah nak dpt jumpa Corrina Schumcher pulak. Suka tengok dia, simple je orangnya, minds her own business, jarang ikut Michael to the GPs.

# posted by Niwanda @ 8:51 AM


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