[deetjohn]

I am so J! That pic with Niki Lauda is priceless. Thanks for sharing these infrequent pictures with us.

What are the prerequisites for being a member of your crew for 2015?

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

You can see a slight glint of gold under the engine cover of the Red Bull car. I remember reading that gold is the best reflector of heat and it was used the Gordon Murray designed McLaren F1 in 1994. Probably the Red Bull team is using gold sheets for the same reason!

Yes Indeed. Teams use gold fold behind the seat and suspension components for heat shielding. The advantages is gold's extreme malleability which allows making these foils very thin and lightweight. Carbon composite coating is also used.

[forester]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

No page 3 pass or paddock club pass could have matched the experience I had.

I truly am blessed and I hope and pray all my fellow TBHP-ians and fellow enthusiasts (non-TBHPians as well!) get to experience what I experienced. This sort of experience should not be limited to people with connections and money. It should be available to all enthusiasts.

Let's all hope that the future makes motorsport a little more accessible.

Well, a majestic experience in the true sense of the word!
And I absolutely second the opinion that every enthusiast ought to be a part of such a show to be able to live our passion and feel the high when one gets to see their dreams becoming realities. You simply had a wonderful time there and utilized the opportunity to the core. Kudos to your focus on the various small details that you've captured and brought forward, which one definitely does not pay heed to while seeing so many crazy things happening around.

I also had a similar experience in 2011, when I had registered for the Marshal intake for the Inaugral Indian F1. Luckily, I got through and similarly had an experience of a lifetime working there. I was a team member in the Recovery & Track Clearance Team and worked under the guidance of Motorsport stalwarts like Mr. Hari Singh, Mr. Sunny Sidhu, et al.
It was a Phenomenal experience, one that I would cherish throughout my life. We also had access to the Pit Garages, where many of our meetings would happen and also used to venture out on the track to study its layout. It was a complete week of madness and passion and seeing F1 cars and drivers from the closest one could ever see, I agree that even the most expensive Paddock ticket wouldn't assure that much fun. It was a dream come true and I got to learn so much and it made my horizons about the Motorsport scene so much broader. Every motoring enthusiast should be given a chance to feel it sometime!
Simply a fantastic thread!

[Soumyajit9]

Brilliant stuff Nikhil !! Thanks for taking us on a tour to see the "Behind the Scenes" of the Pit Lane.
Each and every pic speaks so much about motorsport. The machines, the engines, the tyres, the big-shot people, the technology used (cameras, Laptops, Walkie-Talkie, etc etc).
I am literally shocked at the number of tyres lying around !!

More so, honestly, I had not known Niki Lauda till the movie Rush and your pic with him. Just went through Wiki and Google to know more about the legendary driver. Massive respect for him.

Motorsports for us, middle-class petrol heads is normally out of range for being held internationally till BIC happened. Still then, it is a premium affair to get a good seat.
I will pull out all the money I have, and put in to a flight, hotel and venue tickets, to experience F1, atleast once in my life, probably in the near future.

[iceman7]

That photo with Niki Lauda - EPIC!

No amount of money could have bought that moment.

I admire your self restraint. I would have jumped up ahead of Kimi and asked for a picture.

.. Oh, and Thanks so much for sharing.

[toiingg]

Brilliant narration Nikhil, made us feel as if we were experiencing it first hand. 5 stars for the thread.

[abirnale]

This is an amazing thread Nikhil. Worth five star

The narration and the pictures make me feel live those moments. I remember changing tyres of my cycle after a puncture and complaining why they are not tubeless. Or even when changing the spare tyre with all kind of right gears has taken never less than 10 minutes for me! When I compare that with your feet of changing 45+ tyres in 60 minutes, I think I better get my acts together.

Thank you for bringing this amazing experience and story to us.

[naveenroy]

Very nice thread! And the pics add to the excitement. And to be up that close to Niki Lauda. A chance of a lifetime.

Yup, sad about the page 3 "fans" of F1. But it is the same in every country I'm sure. But that's what makes such experiences something to be cherished - when a true petrol-head gets a chance like this!

[Joe M]

Super cool. Very informative! Thanks for the detailed info. These are totally inaccessible to us otherwise! Always wanted to know what goes on inside the 'pit'.

[informmaha]

Lucky you Nikhil!!! Those were incredible photos and you have captured almost everything that was to your reach.. Thanks much for sharing those photos to the group.

[finneyp]

Lucky dude Nikhil! Thanks for sharing the experience & great pics!

Hope Grand Prix comes back to India in 2015...

[Desmosedici]

Oh Man. Lucky or what. So close, so close, it might have felt like heaven. I am just going green after reading and checking all the pics.

Great Stuff Mate. You surely do have an envious job
Hope that you bring us more such interesting pics and stories. Thanks for sharing guru.

[rahul4321]

Thank you so much for sharing these pictures!! I absolutely loved them! I can just imagine what you must have been going through and what it must have been like.

Just one question (and I hope its not a stupid one)- but what are those scooter like things in Photograph number 14 (starting from the top)

[Nikhilb2008]

Thanks for the appreciation guys!

Originally Posted by rahul4321

Thank you so much for sharing these pictures!! I absolutely loved them! I can just imagine what you must have been going through and what it must have been like.

Just one question (and I hope its not a stupid one)- but what are those scooter like things in Photograph number 14 (starting from the top)

Even I'm not too sure but I think they are some sort of personal mobility scooters used by the team personnel in and around the paddock area. I never saw them being used.

[anachronix]

Whoa Lucky Nikhil dude

Hope you had loads of fun there and thanks for sharing those awesome pictures.

[AlphaLamb]

First up, Thanks a ton for sharing your experience with the forum through your pictures and narration.

Next up, i pretty much feel green with envy at the oppurtunity you had at BIC.

The ringside view of the event you had,being part of the event is something i believe could not be had by any other way.

Cheers and looking forward to more of such experiences from you.