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I have a friend who was recently invited to race in the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique. David Abbott, from Christchurch (NZ) has just returned from racing in the Formula One category in the Grand Prix. He was privileged to be able to race a McLaren M26 (1976) in this race which would be regarded as one of the most historic car races in the world.

This isn’t a race for anyone! For New Zealanders, household names such as Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren have all raced in the Monaco Grand Prix, so for David to race around this famous circuit he was indeed in esteemed company. I was indeed very proud of him.

The format for the Grand Prix consists of one qualifying round on the Saturday (8 May) and the race proper on the Sunday (9 May). Prior to arriving in Monaco David had practiced on the race course using a race simulator, but one of the things that surprised him about the circuit was the variation in elevation over the race track – steep hills are a reality. He was required to abandon a qualifying circuit due to an ill fitted tyre, so didn’t have the ideal start position on race day at the back of the grid!

For the Sunday race, the event consisted of 15 laps of the Monaco circuit. David was happy with his average time of 1 minute 50 seconds per lap, but the winner was averaging 1 min 38 per lap! He was saying that he was reaching speeds of 165mph (265 km/h) as he approached the casino. I just can’t imagine that, and if he’d been a tourist he would have arrived in Rome in about 40 minutes!!

I have often driven tour groups through the famous Monte Carlo tunnel, and David was saying that he found this tunnel deceptively difficult. Hitting speeds of 165mph (265 km/h) through here as well, he found that the end corner exit from the tunnel was very tight and required extreme concentration. To make matters worse, he said that he had a loose mirror, and coming out of the tunnel he had to put his hand out to re

-adjust his mirror!! Keep your hands on the wheel David! His memory of this circuit was driving through the centre of Monaco at top speed with high rise buildings on either side, whilst recognizing views of the track that he has known since his youth.

In New Zealand we hear a lot about high profile sports, and most of the stars in these sports feature on the front pages of most newspapers and magazines. Here we have David Abbott who has never appeared on any front page, but in rugby terms he has just played a Test Match at Twickenham, and today I want to celebrate this achievement. He didn’t achieve a podium place, but I know with his ability and humble determination, he’ll be hoping to make it back there another time, and then I’ll be on the track side watching him win!