Monte Carlo, Monaco

This was the high-point of the trip so far for me. As a rabid Formula One fan, Monaco is the center of the motor racing universe. Walking the streets and seeing alligator-teeth along the curbs

I have seen the race literally dozens of times, yet walking to course give a completely different perspective. The elevation changes are much more dramatic that I expected. The climb from St. Devote to Casino is very steep as is the drop from Casino to the entrance to the tunnel. and about the tunnel -- it isn’t. It is open along nearly all the side that faces the sea. It’s more like a balcony than a proper tunnel. Both Rasscasse and the hair-pin are like I expected. The most shocking characteristic is how narrow St. Devote and the entry to casino are -- It must be like threading a needle each time.

Monte Carlo is home to a number of Formula One themed gift shops, in fact one need travel no further then the train station to find F1 accessories, but I have to admit that most of it is pretty cheap looking. I was able to find a little something though.

I have only seen two others, one at the Rolex Daytona 24 from the guy who sold me the Villneuve rear-wing end-plate, and another on E-bay a few months later. IT is a genuine F1 wheel nut. Not the nut that holds the wheel (get it?) but a very light, heavily machined peice of Formula One history. Of course you know that the wheels on a F1 car are held on by a large single nut. Each nut is made of titanium and applied by a unique wrench with 20 teeth.

I noticed it, hiding in the back corner of a display cabinet during our first visit to the shop but wasn’t really ready -- after a bit of thinking we returned with just minutes before closing. I asked the owner from which car it came -- the response was (of course) Ferrari, and that it was used in the 2006 race. Whether that is true or not is certainly open for debate. I can only say that the marking “Destro” is italian. There are only two Italian teams, STR and Ferrari.

I also picked up a very rare 1/18 Minichamps car. It is called “The Ride” and depicts Nigel Mansell’s 1992 Williams with Senna riding on the side-pod and holding on the dear life. It documents the 1992 British Grandprix where Senna’s car broke near the end of the race and Mansell gave him a ride back to the pis lest he be accosted by British F1 hooligans.

I have wanted one for a long time I have bid on a couple of them on E-bay but was never willing to spend enough to win. I got this one for $100us less than the typical e-bay price. At another shop I saw the ultra-rare Senna rookie Benneton. It had been siting in the shop window and was a little sun-faded. It’s the first one I have seen in person.