WE ARE SAILING

 

Getting to the Turkish Grand Prix is an unusual experience for Panasonic Toyota Racing, with the team’s trucks driving across Europe before taking to the sea for the final leg.

Three trucks started their journey directly from Monaco after pack-up there had been completed on the Monday after the race. Over the next day or so they made their way across 700km through northern Italy to the port of Trieste on the Adriatic coast, where they were joined by another truck from the technical centre in Cologne, Germany.

Then, without turning a wheel, they arrived in Istanbul, courtesy of a two-day ferry trip down the Adriatic Sea, through the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara into the port of Pendik, close to the Istanbul Park circuit.

From there it was straight to the circuit where the hard work of setting up the garages and preparing for the weekend could begin. Still, at least the trucks were given a rest for a few days before another gruelling journey back to Cologne.

The contrast between Turkey and the Geman Grand Prix, at the Nürburgring, could not be greater. For the Geman Grand Prix the trucks have to travel only a modest 90km to get there, compared to a round trip of around 5,500km on land and sea from Monaco to Cologne via Istanbul.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

 

It’s not every day you have the chance to buy part of a Formula 1 car but that is exactly what Panasonic Toyota Racing offered its fans in the build up to the Turkish Grand Prix.

While Jarno and Timo were blasting around the Istanbul Park in the very latest Toyota Formula 1 car, the TF109, parts of some previous models were offered for sale on www.toyota-f1-shop.com.

Naturally, the technical details of the newest cars remain a strictly-guarded secret but items from as recently as 2007 are available, complete with full Panasonic Toyota Racing livery and sponsor logos.

So, it might be a little early for Christmas but for the man or woman who has everything, why not consider a TF103 engine cover with underfloor? Or a TF106 rear wing with crash structure?

Every one comes with a certificate of authenticity which proves it is a genuine Formula 1 car part which has been fitted for a Grand Prix weekend or for testing. Who knows, maybe in two years you could buy the exact engine cover which took Jarno to fourth place in the 2009 Turkish Grand Prix.

TURKEY KICKABOUT

Jarno Trulli may not share the obsession for football most Italians have but he does enjoy the occasional kickabout, especially if it is for a good cause.

As he did in Monaco, Jarno arrived in Istanbul early to take part in a charity football match on Wednesday evening. For the third time, the Turkey Automobile Sports Federation (TOSFED) organised the Formula Soccer Festival; a match between a Formula 1 XI and a Turkish All Star team.

Jarno joined forces with fellow Formula 1 drivers Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg, Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel, Giancarlo Fisichella and Sebastien Bourdais to take on a Turkish team featuring former international players and local celebrities from film, TV and music.

The Formula 1 drivers had a proud record to defend, having won the previous two games, but the game ended in a draw.

The match took place at Galatasaray’s imposing Ali Sami Yen Stadium, with profits going to various children’s charities, including UNICEF and UNESCO.