It's Imola this weekend, an amazing track with an obviously sad history but a track that only has good memories for me
Went to my 1st ever F1 race there when working for Benetton, what an experience......
Fisichella's car broke down on the side of the track so the passionate Italian fans tried to stripped of everything they could.
https://youtu.be/_Un5XEhEeas
After the race the car arrived at the garage doors on the back of a truck in the middle of a full on pitlane/track invasion. The vultures were still trying to steal parts and that's when it all kicked off. While we held them back from storming the garage one race fan tried to rip the Rolex off our chief mechanics wrist. That guy went down with a punch in the face and the other mechanics set off all the fire extinguishers in the faces of the rest of the mob. We managed to drag the car in and drop the garage doors. With the doors shut it was like being in a zombie movie as angry faces peered through the windows while banging on the doors screaming at us
One badly damaged race car but I'm sure more than one looter went home with a fist full of painful carbon splinters
A few years, cars and another team later and Jenson Button charges to his 1st ever F1 pole, I still miss that V10 noise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWItGp4qaY4
Then more years later while living in Italy I'd regularly visit what I think is Europe's largest classic motorbike jumble. Well worth visiting if you're in that part of the world. The full length of the circuit on both sides of the track is jammed full of stalls of people selling all manner of classic motorbikes and parts.
https://www.real-classic.co.uk/2018/10/31/imola-autojumble/
Walking around the track the elevation changes and corners really showed what a challenging track it is so hoping for an exciting race this weekend and maybe another good race result
