500.000 visitors for Bavaria City Racing event (+pics)
500.000 motorsport fans were present at the Bavaria City Racing event today at Rotterdam, the Netherlands. During the event, Christijan Albers, Heikki Kovalainen and Nelson Piquet Jr. gave a F1 demo. Not only the F1 fans were spoiled as drivers from a lot of different race series were to be seen in action as well. Robert Doornbos was hailed like a king in his home town during his Champ Car demo.
Christijan Albers was the first one to take the street track at Rotterdam today
Heikki Kovalainen thrilled the crowd during his demo
The Dutch crowd went wild during the Champ Car demo of their compatriot, Robert Doornbos
Nelson Piquet Jr. concluded the Bavaria City Racing event with a thrilling demo in his Renault F1 car in front of 500.000 people
One of our members, Kurtiejjj, was one of the 500.000 motorsport-mad fans at Rotterdam today. Here is an eye-witness report by his hand:
"6 ‘O clock getting out of bed to prepare for one of dutch motorsports’ biggest highlights; Rotterdam racing. Sadly, travelling by train is the easiest way to get to Rotterdam, by car it takes an absolute eternity and you won’t find a parking space either. After two hours in the train Rotterdam central station appears through my slumberous eyes. I quickly close the rucksack, which weighs an absolute ton due to a 36.000 year old, cast metal camera and even older and heavier sandwiches.
It’s about 10 ‘O clock when I arrive and as I expected almost all the good spots were taken by the real die-hards, sitting on their camp-stools complete with thermosflask and other camping equipment. No difference to the previous edition of Bavaria city racing then. After some walking we found a spot at the Coolsingel where I could get some good shots with not many obstacles like trees and flags, only a blonde security girl was in the way, who by the way wasn’t a that badly shaped obstacle (if you happen to read this, get in touch I was the guy with the black camera standing next to someone who found it a good idea to take 160+ MPH photos with a polaroid camera). Anyway after some waiting and a few burn-outs by a rather enthusiastic Corvette safety-car, suddenly I hear a formula car approaching, something which wasn’t on the time-table, after the attack on my ears I realise that it was Nelson Piquet Jr. doing an installation lap to check and warm-up the systems.
Again after some waiting and an enthusiatic safety-car the first proper demo commences; cars from the great Dutch Supercar Challenge doing the ‘drive for kids’, which involves giving ill or unrightly treated children the day of their lives. The cars were properly loud as well featuring a great BMW M3 GTR, Porsche 911, a totally mad Seat Leon and quite a special ex-works Lotus Esprit GT racing car. As per tradition the event is opened by Rotterdam’s mayor Opstelten and the self-confessed autosport, prime-minister Balkenende. As of then the party really got going; Albers appeared on track in the Spyker F8-something or other and went absolutely nuts, it looked as he deliberately wanted to destroy the car perhaps to give Spyker a dose of their own medicine after sacking him. Anyway what was even more brilliant he stopped right in front of us to do a burn out! Bloody brilliant if it weren’t for the fact I selected the wrong setting on my camera and couldn’t get a clear shot of him. Albers kept on going until being waved in by the event control to enable the WTCC demo to start.
Featuring WTCC drivers Tom Coronel, Duncan Huisman, Olivier Tielemans (who for some reason found it was a good idea to drive an Alfa 75 IMSA turbo car) and strangely enough dutch F1 commentator Olav Mol also appeared in a Seat.
After the demos of Kovalainen in the F1, a few drift cars, the huge racing for Holland Dome-Judd LMP1 with the far too fast driving real estate agent David Hart and A1 grand prix cars with an exceptionally slow driving John O’hara there was local-hero Robert Doornbos in his champ car. Which albeit not being the new Panoz DP1 was still great. Suddenly the great Lotus formula 5000 car of Dutch Lotus collectioneur Olav Glasius appeared on track driven by Michel Bleekemolen. The sound of that huge V8 was biblically good, the bass noise making your bowels shake and your ear drums pop.
Then finally time for another F1 demo, this time of Adrian Sutil, which had to be stopped early due to a fire under the body-work. Again after a far too long wait it was time for the last demo of the day this time Nelson Piquet jr. in the Renault F1, who also put up a great show. At the end of the day though choosing a winner for the best demonstration wasn’t too difficult in my opinion it couldn’t possibly be anyone else than Christijan Albers, making the best possible comeback by leaving behind lots of rubber signatures, damaged ear drums and hugh puffs of smoke!"
