Truly alive

Driving an F1 car on the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia was more than an ordinary adventure!

I guess an adventure is when you do something that you have never done… so yes, by this definition even writing a poem for someone who has no idea of metres, syllables, and rhymes is as intense an adventure as is driving the F1 car in an international driving circuit for someone who generally drives on city roads.

The adventure that I intend talking about happened when I was invited by Michelin to fly to Kuala Lumpur to drive the F1 car as well as a Renault racing model on the Sepang International Driving Circuit there. Well, my adventures on four wheels had been limited to driving a ten-ton truck on a field during a Driving & Maintenance class when I was a cadet at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun or weaving through dense traffic on Delhi roads.

Our driving session at Sepang was quite unlike what I could ever have imagined… I mean, we had the opportunity to wear the driving suits that actual racers wear, there were the hostesses to lead us to our car when the right time came, and there were even masseurs there to help us get back to normal after completing our circuit. This isn’t all… the Michelin Pilot Experience was all about an intense hour on the simulator to learn all about handling the cars that we were to drive… a thorough communication of all relevant driving behaviour on the track, the risks involved, and even being asked to change tyres using the latest gadgets meant that the one-day sessions were way above the ordinary and full of impact.

The track on which we drove…

What really happens on the tracks!

That day began as a shocker for me, of course… I had eaten prawns the previous evening and had remained awake the entire night trying to get rid of the massive swelling on my face. A couple of anti-allergics, continuous cold treatment and a sleepless night saw my reasonably fine to get down to the lobby, have my breakfast and be driven to the circuit. But the doctor there said, ‘This is not ordinary driving. I cannot allow you to drive as your blood pressure is too high.’ I was advised rest and asked to come back after an hour.

The next hour was spent with the simulator and I was so involved with the dynamics of fast driving that the hypertension probably decided to relax… and it must have as the doctor waved his approval.

The excitement began… we were all wearing driving suits with the famous Michelin Bibendum figure. A Bibendum figure is indicative of the tread depth indicator on the tyre. The depth of each indicator is 1.6mm. Interesting story to the origin of the Bibendum figure… the Michelin brothers visited the Universal Exhibition in Lyon in 1894 and noticed a stack of tyres on one of the stands. Edouard imagined arms and legs on this stack and O’Galop, the artist created the character. By the way, Michelin has been encouraging racing and their initiative began with a victory at the inaugural round the clock race at Le Mans in 1923. The first victory team in F1 history was the Ferrari with Michelin tyres. The atmosphere was charged and there were people from china as well to try their skills at F1 racing car driving. No, we were not going to break any records but zip starting when the engine reaches 1500 RPM is an enthralling moment. The track at Sepang has negotiating bends ranging from 30 to 240 metres and we were going at high speed on a track that was at times just 8 metres in width… and for your information, the track at the Sepang International Circuit just outside Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia is officially certified by FIA F1 of course.

The thrill… before the drive!

The emotional moment… after the drive!

I really must also mention that Michelin brings to us one of the prime technologies connected to tyres. We were casually informed that the newer tyres were efficient enough to ensure a lower rolling resistance and thus lower fuel consumption. What was more interesting though was knowing that carbon black isn’t there to just give tyres their black colour but represents 30% of its composition to it an adhesive quality that improves wear resistance.

Driving there wasn’t a merely peppy experience but was one that made me smile and say: Fantastico!

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This post is a part of #AdventureNme activity at adventuren.com.

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Some more pictures:

The one-day session gave us the complete experience of being an F1 driver/ racer!

Inside the Renault…

Just before I began my drive…

Phew! What an experience!

The Michelin Pilot Experience

A view of the driving track…

The triumphant moment!

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Arvind Passey
14 February 2016

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This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

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