F1 2009 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix

sepang

F1 is synonymous with fast cars, grid girls and pit babes. I hear most girls won’t kick the drivers out of bed for eating cookies under the sheets too but I can’t comment on that since I’m heterosexual. πŸ˜‰ The final race was on the 5th of April at 5 pm in Sepang International Circuit.

race

I went to watch Formula 1 last Sunday with Debra and Desmond (one of the Top 10 bloggers in Malaysia, it was an honor to meet him). It was the final race day (and my birthday) and we met up at 1 Utama before catching the SkyBus down to Sepang.

bus

We decided to take public transport instead of driving there. I’m glad we didn’t drive there – the traffic was appalling. The bus cost RM 15 from 1 Utama to Sepang International Circuit.

tickets

Our tickets were in the C2 area – covered hillside tickets, right around a tight corner which allows for great photo ops. It’s RM 200 each. Formula 1 tickets isn’t exactly cheap, cheers to Nuffnang for furnishing the tickets. Anyway, we caught the 3 pm bus, thinking we had ample time for the 5 pm race…

us bus

…except we did not account for the massive turnout. The inbound lanes were gridlocked so badly that some people resorted to parking their cars by the roadside and walking to the circuit. One of the outbound lanes had to be opened for inbound traffic to accommodate for the astounding amount of vehicles on the road.

traffic

Our bus was in that lane. What was supposed to be a 1 hour journey took more than two hours (!). The race had already started by the time we got there. There were street vendors everywhere – enterprising souls selling everything from umbrellas (it was drizzling) to beer (at a whopping RM 15 per can).

ferrari

I managed to find this corner where the F1 cars slow down to make the curve. It’s the perfect spot for taking photos of the cars since they brake before approaching the sharp bend. Ferrari, baby!

crowd

The crowd turnout was amazing – we have some hardcore fans braving the rain (it had started to pour by then) in the uncovered areas.

lead

There were even some people trying to get a Mexican Wave going. I have no idea why, it’s not a soccer match, but to each his own. πŸ™‚

No one can be told what F1 is. You just gotta hear the scream of the F1 engines to experience it for yourself. πŸ˜‰

track

It was fun though…the crowd was great, and so was the company.

overtake

The sky turned a forbidding shade of ebony and the loud rumblings of thunder could be seen (and heard, respectively) about an hour into the race.

rain

The inevitable downpour was nothing short of prodigious – the drains behind the covered hillstand overflowed and caused the already muddy grounds to be even muddier.

drain

I think all of us had a tough time walking without slipping due to the poor grip afforded by the wet mud.

umbrella

It got to the point where I had to stand under Deb’s umbrella ella ella eh eh eh since we decided to go up to the uncovered concrete instead of slipping around in the mud.

pacer

The pacer car came on the race track after that and we all thought the race would be postponed until the rain stops. It was seriously POURING on Sunday.

The race never resumed. It was canceled.

group

People started leaving and we headed for the bus back to 1 Utama as well. We managed to catch the 7:30 pm bus back. Desmond had to meet up with his friends so I had dinner with Deb at Sushi Zanmai before sending her back home.

sushi

It was fun to watch the race – the powerful roar of the high octane engines, the energy of the crowd, the company of good friends. I’m glad I went even though the race got canceled due to the heavy downpour.

It’s a great way to spend a Sunday. πŸ™‚

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

17 thoughts on “F1 2009 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix”

  1. what the hell was i saying in the video.hahaha i can’t even hear myself -__-”
    and ooooh lookie at my gay flowery umbrella ella ella eh eh hahahah: )
    Thanks for inviting me again:)

    Reply
  2. Looks like fun hb. Btw, i never use my real email address cause I don’t want it posted. Maybe I should create an account eh? Anyway, The race looks fun, the girl looks cute, and I wish we got more rain here. Thanks for the post!

    Reply
  3. KY: I know! I was star struck. πŸ™‚
    sean: Yeah, but you’ll miss the ambience and the sound of the engines. Not to mention the mud. πŸ˜‰
    debra fong: Haha! It’s a good thing you and Des brought umbrellas. I tend to bum other people’s umbrella cover. πŸ˜‰
    No worries, I had a spare ticket. πŸ™‚
    yapthomas: Eh, how come I didn’t see you too. You should stand up from the crowd (pun intended) with your height. πŸ˜‰
    andrew: I didn’t know you were going too. Where were you guys?
    ShaolinTiger: RM 50 is a lot! There was a free parking and meal coupons inside the LG envelope though. Taking the bus was the greatest idea we ever thought of. πŸ™‚
    Mike: Your email address will not be shown to the public, only I can see it so no worries. πŸ™‚
    Thanks for the kind comments, I’m glad you liked it. πŸ™‚
    Jeff: My hearing? It’s not working very well.
    Not due to F1 though, it’s the constant loud barrage of music from the car and headphones. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  4. ish i wasnt on that side la. i was at the grandstands and the tower er aimlessly walking. and how can u not stay for jamiroquai!! OMG DAMN WASTED SIAL

    Reply
  5. Gin: Hmph…grandstand. :p
    I don’t have grandstand tickets la. It was raining too hard and we all have work tomorrow.
    vveijie: The night race in Singapore must be awesome though. πŸ™‚
    YilingL: You can take the bus. My hair is back to black dy. I colored it on Sunday. You’ll see it this weekend. πŸ™‚
    amns: She’s also 18 dude. πŸ™‚

    Reply

Leave a Reply to vveijie Cancel reply