The Green Hell

Finally, after thousands of practice laps on the PS2 I was ready for the real thing. Well... I wasn't actually. From the moment I took the ticket from the machine my heart started pounding. Waiting until the track would be opened to public, I was thinking the whole track through as if I was preparing for a real race, while I promised my passenger I would take it easy.

Finally the track was open. My heart rate was now pretty much out of controll as I pulled up at the back of the cue. Somehow I managed to get into the fast one of the three cues. This meant that the Audi R8 would be starting behind me, so as soon as I hit the track I kept looking in the mirror.

I just can't describe the thrill of driving under the first bridge, down to the first few corners: Kerbstones on either side of the track, squirling tires, enormous amounts of grip from the really black tarmac and the poor engine screaming at 6000 rpm.
The first part of the track I found myself actually trying to get the lines right, brake before the corner, throttle full at the apex... Until I was being passed by the R8 I saw at the start. It is just insane. I kept going at pace, but in a fashion that my passenger started talking again.

I did one lap of the track and was completely blown away by it. I can understand now why Jackie Steward after doing this for 2 hours or so in an F1-car called it "Green Hell".