This past weekend Durban hosted the only street race on the A1 Grand Prix calendar. It was a massive, ambitious event that went very well. A1 is a relatively new series, and although it looks similar to the F1 you see on TV, there are a few differences. You see, Schumacher and the boys race for their constructors (Ferrari, Toyota, etc), whereas the A1 is the “World Cup" of racing and therefore each driver represents his country. All the cars are identical under the hood, which means driver’s ability and team strategy play a much bigger role in deciding the outcome. South Africa even has a team, our driver’s name is Stephen Simpson and as it turned out he did really well, placing fifth in the main race! Not bad for a 22 year old.

The circuit was constructed on the streets around the Suncoast Casino and Battery Beach. The proceedings started on Friday but seeing as it was quite expensive, we decided to head down for the main event on Sunday. The weather was typical of a Durban summer’s day, blisteringly humid and partly cloudy, threatening to rain but never actually following through. Our seats in the Silver grandstand were way overpriced at R230 each, sure it was a slightly better view, but I would’ve been just as happy in the general admission for R85!

Watching the racing live was mind-blowing. When the cars speed past you at over 250 km/h it’s like a banshee screaming in your ear; and then as they approach the chicane and drop gears it’s like the same banshee firing a hundred rounds of a tommy gun into your head! The first time I heard it I thought the car was backfiring, but according to the guy that sat behind me it’s some kind of rev limiter that kicks in and causes the mini-explosions.... sick!

We couldn’t see a big screen from our stand. Not the end of the world, but it’s better to be able to follow the action from the camera’s point of view. Without the screen it’s kinda like watching an entire cricket match without ever knowing the score. Maybe that’s just because I’m not used to racing events, and keeping track of actual and effective positions of all the cars in my head seems like quite a mission. Still, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen those puppies up close and personal.

There was plenty of action, with many of the cars wiping out on the very narrow Durban track. The safety car must’ve been brought onto the track at least four times in the main race. It all ended very dramatically too - with Jos Verstappen overtaking Switzerland’s Neel Jani in the final lap after Neel had brake problems.

There was a lot of other cool stuff on the day, such as go-cart racing, and Lamborghinis, Porches and Ferraris doing laps of the track. The market was fairly well organized but the queues were about a half hour wait on average! Long time to wait for beer in the heat! It was a sweet experience and I’ll definitely be back next year – in the cheap seats.