Schumacher Stuns Cabbie In Airport Dash
Updated:09:44, Wednesday December 12, 2007
A taxi driver in Germany was shocked when he expected to take Michael Schumacher to the airport - and found himself as the passenger.
The seven-times Formula One champion had flown with his wife and two children to the Bavarian town of Coburg on Saturday.
They then took a taxi to the village of Gehuelz, 30km away, to pick up a new puppy - an Australian sheep dog called Ed.
But when the 38-year-old motor racing star and his family caught a taxi back to the airport they were short on time - and got stuck in traffic.
After a polite request, cab driver Tuncer Yilmaz watched amazed as Schumacher took the wheel.
Schumacher, 38, told stunned Tuncer Yilmaz: "You don't have a problem with that, do you? I've got a licence."
The Turkish cabbie told how Schumacher hurtled round corners in the Opel and made the flight with just seconds to spare.
"I found myself in the passenger seat, which was strange enough, but to have 'Schumi' behind the wheel of my cab was incredible," he told the Muenchner Abendzeitung.
"He drove at full throttle around the corners and overtook in some unbelievable places.
"He did the impossible, passing everything, like the professional he is.
"He took the curves with elegance and grace, they just vaporised. It was the turbo-charged experience of my lifetime."
And the cabbie was well rewarded - on top of the 60 euros (£43) fare, he was given a 100 euros (£72) tip.
"He also gave me his autograph," said Mr Yilmaz. "It was the coolest ride of my life. And the fastest."
But he would not reveal how fast the former champion drove, saying: "I don't want him to get into trouble."
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1296666,00.html