The Green Room

I don’t really want to post daily blogs in here, but because it really baffles me how these happen as they do, I feel the need to add to yesterdays first post (and it gives me an excuse to try adding a video to my blog, and Elbow’s epic singalong from the Other Stage at Glasto last year is as good as any to try).

It’s kind of related, but today has been one of those days that, even though you don’t go into it expecting much different to the normal tedium, I’ve come out of it feeling happy as a pig in the proverbial.

Yesterday, I talked about the plans ahead, and as promised (to myself), I went ahead and booked the trip, so it’s now 100% on.

Today, work confirmed that my fellow department heads are happy for me to do the trip and that the rest of our team would use the opportunity to experience life at the head of the table. Smile number one of the day.

Next, it was confirmed that some travel vouchers I have been promised for the last twelve months have been sent by recorded post, and will be here tomorrow. Those should cover most of my flights on the trip (UK-Johannesburg; Johannesburg-Gaborone; Gaborone-Cape Town and Nairobi-UK) and maybe leave a little towards a hotel stop somewhere along the line. So smile number two.

Work was a lot quieter than it has been for the last few days, and I got caught up enough to mean that I shouldn’t need to go in on Saturday, so I can stay home and watch the Grand Prix qualifying and GP2 races, and maybe go out on Saturday night. So that’s good (but I’ll still be on call over the weekend, which I can cope with).

And then I get home to a letter confirming that I’ve been chosen as one of 30 British flag marshals (among 300 or so Brit marshals of all disciplines) who’ll be working at the F1 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi at the end of the season (1st weekend in November), which is more or less all expenses paid (certainly flights, accommodation & meals). It’s the season finale (taking over from the historic but ramshackle Interlagos in Brazil), and if Red Bull carry on the fightback then it could go down to the wire between them and Brawn GP. And I’ll be there!

To say I was happy about that letter arriving would be a massive understatement.

This is a great opportunity to work F1 abroad, and although it’ll have a strong British flavour, it certainly won’t be Silverstone or Donington (it’ll be 25-30 degrees in November for a start!). Although I’ve worked at Laguna Seca and Long Beach in the states for the ALMS / IndyCar series, and at Le Mans in France for the annual sportscar classic, F1 is so different, and with a brand new circuit to learn (for both drivers and officials), it is going to be immensely exciting, and I feel very privileged to be one of those selected.

One day like this a year I can cope with!