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[kozmo]

Thought you all might enjoy this article. Posted in today's Wall Street Journal..


A Racer's Edge: Your Road Map To Grand Prix

Driver Mika Häkkinen Offers a Walkers Guide To His Private Monaco
By MARINA ROZENMAN
May 20, 2005

MONACO -- It's summed up in the Grand Prix posters covering the city this year. On one hand, they are a tribute, showing Prince Rainier III, who died April 6, applauding a Formula One race with his son and successor, Albert II. On the other, they signal that the race goes on.

For a special tour of Monaco -- far beyond the "Europe's Las Vegas" cliché -- we asked former Formula One World Champion Mika Häkkinen, who's lived here for nearly 15 years, to show us his favorite year-round spots.

Since it started in 1929, the Grand Prix of Monaco has always been a key date on the international racing car calendar. The location, between sea and mountain, is ideal. Numerous celebrities, including many drivers, live in Monaco, and stars from the nearby International Cannes Film Festival also like to come in to watch the race and party. And then there's the course -- a rare street circuit, which recalls days gone by and gives drivers a very current challenge.


During the Grand Prix, Monaco's population soars to 200,000 from the usual nearly 30,000. Schools shut down. Buses stop. Streets where the race runs and teams work are blocked. People start sporting passes whose color identifies them: local resident, journalist, member of a racing team, shopkeeper, VIP -- locals call it the corrida des pass, or bullfight of passes. Race-viewing stands for the public sprout up all over the city. You can hear excited commentators from the large screens and speakers all over the city. There's a strong smell of oil, tires and rubber. And at night, when the gates open, it's euphoria, as people walk on the streets where the cars will race.

We met Mr. Häkkinen at the Automobile Club de Monaco on Boulevard Albert 1st, facing the "Port Hercule" harbor. The club organizes the Grand Prix (though the money comes from the government), and the circuit starts and ends in front of the ACM, on a street bordered by umbrella pines. The 36-year-old Finnish driver arrived 10 minutes late but with a good excuse: His wife, Erja, was eight months pregnant with their second child, and the family schedule is hectic. But as befits a race-car driver, he looks anything but frazzled: impeccably dressed, not a hair out of place. (Baby girl Aina was born May 12.)

The atmosphere at the club is hushed (mobile phones are forbidden). To become a member, it's necessary to be backed by two people already in the club. But it's not just locals: Of the 4,500 members, more than 2,000 are from foreign countries, mostly France. For an entrance fee of €400 ($ ), and a €110 annual fee, members get access to the private restaurant, 10% off tickets in the stands for the Grand Prix, and discounts on car insurance and car rentals and in certain shops and restaurants in Monaco.

We sit at a table and Mr. Häkkinen pulls out a map of Monaco, underlining the city-circuit race route with an orange felt pen. "So many great memories," he says. He remembers his first visit to Monaco, at age 20 in 1989, racing in the Formula 3 category (a solid step on the road to F1) and fulfilling a childhood dream. "I walked on the circuit at night to get familiar with it," he says.

He had been racing for two years, since he was 18 and able to get a drivers license. But he had driven his first car in Finland at the age of five -- a metallic blue kart. He practiced every weekend, following the typical trajectory of a future Formula One Champion: From the ages of nine to 17, he participated in regional and national kart championships, winning one after another. At 18, he joined the Opel Lotus F3 team.

In 1990, Mr. Häkkinen won the British Formula 3 Championship. Usually, a driver would graduate to the F3000 (today called GP2) category, but he was so talented that Peter Collins, running the Lotus Team, put him directly into F1. He made his debut in the world's top racing series in Phoenix, Arizona, with the U.S. Grand Prix of 1991. In 1993, he moved to the McLaren-Mercedes team, where he stayed -- first as a test driver, and then a reserve driver for cult Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna. But that same year he stepped in for Michael Andretti (McLaren's second racer) for the last three Grand Prix of the season, beginning with Portugal -- where he made a huge impression by beating Mr. Senna in the qualifying rounds.

In 1995, Mr. Häkkinen had a bad accident in Australia -- but two years after that he won his first Grand Prix in Jerez, Spain, a sign both of his determination and McLaren's trust and confidence. He was F1 World Champion in 1998 and 1999.

Monaco is different from any other Grand Prix, he says: "You get very high emotions here, mentally and physically. It's very demanding." The track is inside the city and lined with large crowds, from school kids to sponsors bringing their top-class clients. "But once you get in the cockpit, from the moment you put your helmet and your gloves on, you enter a different world, you're not in the same planet anymore," he says. "It's peaceful, nobody can touch you."

A visit to Monaco should start right in front of the ACM, in the area of the Hercule Harbor called "La Condamine." Two-thirds of the race circuit is along the water. The boats along the waterfront during the race aren't those there the rest of the year; the locals usually move to neighboring harbors.

Anchoring there for race week can cost €200,000; corporations snap up spots to entertain clients and advertise via logo-bearing sails. (Tel: 37-7-93-10-63-00; www.ycm.org4)

To get a sense of the harbor's soul and overhear the latest news about incoming boats or weather, stop by the seamen's headquarters, Marine Service Rinaldi, at 2/4 quai Antoine 1st. Lucie Rinaldi, 72 (Tel: 37-7-93-30-16-19), runs the shop -- a family business for more than 45 years -- with her daughter, Alexandra, 33. You'll find ropes, navy blue wool hats and plaques inscribed "Nobody's perfect except the captain." But the shop is closed during the Grand Prix: "On Wednesday night before the Grand Prix opens, I escape from the city and take my three children to the country," Alexandra says. "It's way too noisy here."

From the harbor and the Rinaldi shop, it's a five-minute walk up the Avenue du Port to Place d'Armes, a Provence-atmosphere square where the Finnish driver likes to shop for fruits and vegetables (the market operates every day, 7 a.m.-12 p.m., even during the Grand Prix). If you want to hear some of the local monegasque dialect, stop by the Petit Zinc in the covered part of the market; people working at the market come by for an aperitif around noon.

Climb the ancient staircase just opposite the market. It's an easy way up and it'll take you right up to the front of the Palais Princier. Try to be there a few minutes before noon to watch the changing of the guard.

Mr. Häkkinen lives a two-minute walk from the palace, with Erja, newborn Aina and four-year-old Hugo. "I love living on top of the Rock -- the old town, its narrow streets, its quiet, its view on the sea," he says.

"Really," he asks with a laugh, "how could I have stayed in freezing Finland?"

The large, high-ceilinged apartment has a fireplace and view of the sea and the Harbor of Fontvieille. Since retiring from Formula One in 2002, Mr. Häkkinen says, he has time to enjoy his family and have a laugh.

"Imagine, we had 19 races a year, all over the world, plus testing programs of new cars, promotions, etc.," he says. "The calendar was full." This year he's gone part of the way to filling it again -- returning to racing with an AMG Mercedes C-Class in the DTM championship (German Touring Cars). It's "only" 11 races, from April to October, he says.

Mr. Häkkinen recommends lunch at the Castelroc restaurant, on the Place du Palais. "The fish du jour is always delicious -- well prepared and very fresh," he says.

Opened in 1953, this is definitely the place to taste typical cuisine from the region as well as observe locals -- in this case, members of the government and businesspeople. It runs about €80 for two, without wine (tel: 37-7-93-30-36-68).

Behind the Castelroc, follow the ruelle Sainte Barbe to the front gate of Saint Martin Gardens. Mr. Häkkinen recommends it as a place to read, perhaps one of the novels of Arto Paasilinna. "You'll love him," he says. "He's got a lot of humor and is very sarcastic."

On the other side of the gardens, on Avenue Saint Martin, is the oceanographic museum and its famous aquarium (tel: 37-7-93-15-36-00) where Mr. Häkkinen regularly takes his son. "It's mind-blowing -- come, I'll show you the sharks and the living corals," he says.

From the museum, a staircase leads down to the exotic gardens. "This is where I exercise and I run every day, and going back up the stairs is no fun, trust me," Mr. Häkkinen says. The view from behind the museum is a bit of raw nature, large waves crashing onto the rocks.

Back up the stairs and across the gardens, follow the "Théâtre du Fort " sign; from there you can go back into the harbor. Enjoy a moment sitting on top of the new sea wall, with its breathtaking view of the city.

Walk around the harbor and go back to the Automobile Club's entrance. If you keep going on the Boulevard Albert 1st, you'll notice the little Sainte Devote church, often visited by drivers. You're following the racetrack; keep on and the boulevard becomes the Avenue d'Ostende, leading you to the Place du Casino. You can of course stop to play games in the 1878 building (www.casino-monte-carlo.com5), but Mr. Häkkinen prefers to go for a swim at the Société des Bains de Mers's famous Thermes spa (tel: 377-92-16-40-40; www.montecarloresort.com6; www.montecarlospa.com7), and then have coffee at the terrace of the Café de Paris (377-92-16-20-20).

From the place, take the Avenue des Spelugues. You're still following the racecourse -- imagine racing cars hurtling around all these curves during the Grand Prix. You'll get to a tunnel where the drivers reach their peak speed -- up to 302 kilometers per hour. But before taking the tunnel, follow the Avenue Princesse Grace to see some of the nightspots.

Mr. Häkkinen remembers his victory in the 1998 Grand Prix in Monaco. "I went directly to the paddock and celebrated with all the team," he says. "We had lots of champagne. Then I went home, took a shower, put on a tuxedo and black tie, and had dinner at the Sporting Club, sitting next to Prince Rainier." These days, the VIP nightlife experience is "Amberlounge," launched three years ago by Sonia Irvine, sister of former F1 driver Eddie. Located inside the Grimaldi Forum at 10 Avenue Princesse Grace, it's open only once a year, during the nights of the Grand Prix. Prices range from €700 for an individual pass to €7,700 for a table for eight, with all the champagne and vodka you like. DJs are flown from London and St. Tropez.

"Last year, on the final evening, on the Sunday night, at 10:30 sharp, Michael Schumacher was the first one here," says Ms. Irvine's partner in the enterprise, Lucie Bonser. The restaurant opens at 8 p.m. and the club at 10:30 p.m. (closing at 5 a.m.). Tickets are usually sold out in advance, but you could try -- or book now for next year (tel: 37-7-97-77-16-34; www.amber-lounge.com8).

But Mr. Häkkinen, not really a dance person, prefers two other night spots (open year-round): SASS and the Star'n'bars. SASS, a bar and restaurant at 111 Avenue Princesse Grace, opposite the Grimaldi Forum, is owned by local nightlife legend Sassa Pomodor, 67. "Usually people come for dinner, and end up dancing on the tables," he says -- it's open until 4 a.m. (tel : 37-7-93-25-52-00; www.sasscafe.com9)

Star'n'bars, at 6 Quai Antoine Ier on the harbor, is a sports pub -- large TV screens, American cuisine, music, dancing, plus a children's playroom open weekdays from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and weekends from noon to 3 p.m. The walls are full of F1 star drivers' belongings: helmets, suits...but why a Fendi bag from Catherine Deneuve? (Tel: 37-7-97-97-95-95; www.starsnbars.com10)

If you're planning ahead for the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix (May 25-28), the Automobile Club de Monaco will start selling tickets in the stands on Dec. 1 at €50 to €420. Automobile Club de Monaco, 23 boulevard Albert 1st, MC 98000 Monaco; (tel: 377-93-15-26-24;

[xman]

nice read, thanks

[jonpollak]

Your a peach kosmo!
Thanks
Jp

[sek]

Thanks man

[fastlegs]

Good post. Very interesting article.

[Ross Stonefeld]

That level of writing gets you a job in the Wall Street Journal

[xype]

Originally posted by Ross Stonefeld
That level of writing gets you a job in the Wall Street Journal

You are free to apply there.

[kozmo]

That level of writing gets you a job in the Wall Street Journal

Just a little fluff piece on travel to Monaco for the GP, not sure what you were expecting. Perhaps I should have posted to the GP Traveling forum. Nonetheless, I am sure Marina will be greatful for your feedback Ross. Unfortunately her e-mail address isn't attached to the article so we'll just hope she is a member of Atlas.