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May 21, 2005

North Carolina meets the Upper East Side on the Riviera

The best race of the F1 circuit, the 63e Grand Prix de Monaco, is tomorrow morning. It's on Channel 123 on Time Warner Cable; the main networks are carrying such enjoyable things as Arena football.

For those unfamiliar with the GPM, it's a city street race that winds from one end of the Principality of Monaco to the other: from the front doors of the Casino Monte Carlo, through a tunnel under a hotel, down Ave President JF Kennedy, along the quay of the Port, and around in front of the old palace. Monaco itself is a tiny strip of land along the French Riviera, population 30,000, that has been ruled by the Grimaldi family since 1297. The country has no taxes, making it a haven for old-money billionaires and other less savory types. Every other car is a Bentley, Roller, Ferrari, and real estate prices cause blushing even among veterans of the New York real estate market.

Unlike the he johnny-come-lately races, the GPM has been around since 1929. As the Automobile Club de Monaco describes it:

There were 16 cars on the starting grid, positions drawn by lots: 8 Bugattis, 3 Alfa Romeos, 2 Maseratis, 1 Licorne and 1 Mercedes SSK. A certain Englishman by the name of Williams, who arrived too late to take part in the official trial sessions, got up at dawn on the Saturday and stunned all onlookers with an unofficial practice run. Williams went on to win the Grand Prix in a green 35B Bugatti in 3 hours, 56 minutes and 11 seconds, with an average speed over 100 laps of 80.194 km/h. The race was a phenomenal success.

Race festivities last four days, culminating on Sunday's big F1 race. The normally-quiet country is filled with the rumblings of engines speeding through the streets, Monegasques hang out of their balconies, and wealthy yacht-owners relax aboard ship as the cars roar by. (The yachts are moved from Cannes the day prior, as the Festival de Cannes ends the day of the Grand Prix.) On the street, vendors hawk all manner of Ferrari gear, a bit like rednecks meeting the Upper East Side.

Here is a view of Monaco from one end to the other on the day before the Grand Prix. This is the view from the country's train station.

The Principality lies below the old fortress, part of the defences that kept the city from being swallowed by France, like happened to so many other formerly-independent principalities.

The country is so small that one only needs three digits on the license plate of his Ferrari.

One of the warm-up races as it winds through the streets.

A crash already! The crashes are by far the most fun part of watching a race, especially when the finish line isn't visible from one's location

After the race, people take their sports cars over the course. Here is a Lamborghini speeding into the tunnel.

Posted by adrianjo at May 21, 2005 01:04 PM

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