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[nish2280]

I happen to live quite close the four seasons hotel and I was told in 2008 that the Ferrari team stays there.

So i walked over there and went into the cafe/resteraunt and had a cuppa with my dad and just chilled out there for a while. Sure enough a huge brigade of vehicles pulled up and there came the boys in red.

To be honest i didnt see Kimi or Massa but i saw a few pit crew members who i recognized from the television but not Stefano or anything.

[wittgenfrog]

I met Jack Brabham when I was 15. He was doing a prize-giving at my school (Sheerwater, near a certain Woking-based Racing outfit's palace). I was 15 JB was probaly 35 (blokes looked older in the 1960s!), but after the formal bit he stayed on to chat. I can't remember what was said (I'm sure I blabbered stupidly) but I remember he treated us kids with respect.

He was a great driver, and seemed like a really great bloke too.

[forzafred]

wow...

meeting senna and all those legends - good on you!

Quick chat with Montoya here, that's all.

[Frosty]

Met Anthony Davidson and DC last year at Silverstone. AD is a really nice chap.

[Robert12010]

Met Ayrton Senna twice. Once in Adelaide 1990 and also 93. You know how they say some people just have a special aura about them, well his was their so much you could almost see it glow. He was truly remarkable and my first ever sports hero because of meeting him. Met Prost in 93 and he was nice, took the time to talk to me. Piquet in 91 was funny cause he was getting the boot from Benetton cause of the new Schu that fits and he couldn't smile if he tried, one of the funniest photos in the collection.

I got to meet most of the drivers from the 94 season in Adelaide too cause a Brazilian mate of mine was a photographer and he lent me his pit pass for about 40 minutes. Back then security wasn't as strict. The best driver was Rubens, even though it was 15 mins before qualifying I got to speak to him for about 10 minutes. It was unreal, I was about 17 at the time and just blown away by the experience. Damon was also a nice guy, as was Alesi and even Schumi who I bailed up for an autograph as he was slipping out of the loo also just before qualifying. The biggest eat a cake was Nigel unfortunately. It wasn't that he was rude it was just that he was getting hounded by the press and just barged me out of the way as I tried to get an autograph. Barry Sheene was also there and there is one man who I wish was still alive. He was definetly someone who understood life from a fans point of view.

In 97 my brother and I got awesome seats above the Minardi pit in Melbourne, thanks to Dad who splurged on us but unfortunately couldn't come at the last minute due to work. Anyway, we got to meet Trulli and Katayama and also Fisi was more than happy to come out and meet us in the pit walk. Ralf, however, was a real jerk. The best part though was at the end of Friday afternoon, the security guard that separated the upstairs guest area to the paddock area, where all the drivers/team managers etc hang out, finished his shift and his replacement for the night was running late. He saw that we were massive fans and just left the gate open and said, "my shifts finished so if you two wanna go through then I'm not gonna stop you, have fun boys." Anyway, we met absolutely everyone. I was a big Villeneuve fan till I met him haha he was okay but a bit stand offish, Berger was a top bloke, he could nearly be an honourary Aussie he was so easy going. Jackie Stewart was a real gentleman and David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen were also very fan friendly. Eddie Jordan was an absolute crack up. Webber was there also to promote himself, I think he was doing British Formula Ford or F3 at the time and was bloody brilliant. What you see with Mark is what you get, he was easy to talk to and clearly at the end of the day, just a massive fan of motorsport like all of us. Anyway, to wrap it up cause I've been crapping on but also loving reliving the memories, my prize possession from that year was a Tonykart hat (brand from karting) with all the drivers and team owners signatures on it. A lot of the drivers were really happy to sign it and talk briefly about their days in karting, especially Trulli who was a Tonykart legend back in his karting days, even though his English was a bit limited. Anyway, the funniest part was when two guys dressed like CIA agents bailed up me and my brother. They were really good about it and just asked if we were supposed to be in the paddock. They said they wouldn't have even suspected that we were in there but the hospitality crew in the upstairs area saw our bags were still there and told them to keep an eye out for us. Unfortunately they said we had to leave. Damn myself for forgetting my bag, being in the paddock was like being a kid again in the worlds best ever toyshop. I couldn't imagine how much it costs to get in there now.

Wow, what a fantastic story! Thanks for sharing. What an experience!! I would have predicted Mark would have been a top bloke and Eddie a real crack up.

your one lucky person!!!! but credit to your for sharing your experience!!!

[Robert12010]

Only Martin Brundle.Couple of times,once at his dads buisness used to run a massive car dealership and once fitted a windscreen for him at his house.His marble floored entrance room is bigger than my appartment.He's a nice guy,takes time out to speak to you.

i would love to meet martin brundle, great commentator and can be funny on the grid when he takes on tanja bauer or whatever her name is from sky germany!!