2016 McLaren F1 Owners Club: the Spanish Tour

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Dear friends
Since I was a boy I'm abducted by cars. My life is all about cars and I've done lots of crazy things for my love for cars.
I'll try to explain one of the best weeks of my life (and I have plenty of good stories to explain...).

As you all probably know, I own the three books edited by Ray Bellm about previous McLaren F1 tours. When I contacted him months ago to buy the third one (about the F1+P1 Wyoming's Tour), I insinuated him why not to come to Spain for a new tour: we have here good roads, good food, good climate, nice landscapes...
As a tremendous surprise he answered me that he was thinking about it for a long time and he wanted me to look for good roads and hotels in Northern Spain.
I recommended him some roads and hotels in the Costa Brava region (Northeast of Spain, with roads used by the Spanish round of the World Rally Championship).
I also suggested him why not to come with the cars to the Catalunya Circuit: the race track that holds the Spanish round of the Formula 1 World Championship (and where I work since 1995...).
He came to personally check roads and hotels. He liked the roads very much but hotels were not luxurious enough.
I gave him a new option: La Rioja region. There is a fantastic hotel designed by Frank Gehry (one of the best architects in the world). He liked the idea.
I asked him if it would be possible to follow the convoy of cars with my own car. No problem, he said to me.

This was great news for me but not for my family as I had to change my summer holidays to attend the McLaren Tour. My wife wasn't very happy but she knows my passion for McLaren...
La Rioja is 500km far from Barcelona, where I live.

After eternal weeks of waiting, the Tour began.
When I arrived to the Hotel Marques de Riscal I didn't know what cars I was going to see. I only knew that 15 cars were expected. It was a surprise when I saw one 12C, ten 650S/675LT (including a 650S LeMans), three P1s and... #046!!! MY FIRST F1!!!

#046!!! I missed it in 2015 when it was at Catalunya Circuit (still in silver color) for the World Series by Renault races: the only weekend that I didn't worked there!!!

And I finally met Ray Bellm for the first time after dozens of emails... What a nice person! A true gentleman.
I was ready to follow the cars with my car but Ray Bellm said to me that he had plans for me: he introduced me to his daughter, he gave me a roadbook of the Tour and he ordered me to be "guide" of the group.
I was going to be co-pilot of the first car of the convoy (his 12C, driven by his daughter).
What?!?!?! Really?!?!?! OK, I said.




End of Part One.
Do you all want to know more?

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Picture of the first day of the Tour by Alastair Bols (official photographer of the McLaren F1 Owners Club)

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Picture of Alastair Bols doing his picture (by the only one that attended the McLaren's Spanish Tour that doesn't own a McLaren)

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As soon as we all left the hotel, it was clear that there were two kind of groups: the 675LT owners and the others.

I knew it later, but all the 650S cars (except the LeMans Edition) were rental cars provided by McLaren Automotive. These cars were driven by F1 and P1 owners that didn't bring their own cars. They had a more "relaxed" rythm.

The 675LTs got into hyperspace in the first meters of open road. We lost them.
It's an incredible feeling to be in the first car of a convoy of McLarens. We were followed in the 12C by three P1s, several 650S and a F1!!! This doesn't happen to me every day...
The view in my mirror was astonishing. I tried to get some pictures but I had to be focused in the road and the roadbook: "relaxed" doesn't mean "slow"... and my pilot needed an extra-help as it's not easy to drive a RHD car in the right side of the road.
As shit happens, after 10km of route, there was a minor mistake in the roadbook and... we got lost! I wanted to die!!!
10 McLarens lost in the middle of nowhere... It wasn't my fault at all, but I felt like if it was.
We called Ray Bellm (he was driver of one of the 675LTs) and he suspected where we were lost: he didn't use the roadbook as he knew all the routes. He helped us to find the right road.
After that, we did 150km without troubles.
Mr. Bellm's daughter happened to be a really good driver. She was really interested to know "how" I managed to get into her car. I told her the truth: it has been something like a miracle. She didn't believe me when I told her that I only knew her father via emails. In fact, it is incredible...
We arrived to the restaurant to have lunch. It was a medieval convent turned into a luxury restaurant.
Ray Bellm invited me to have lunches and dinners with all the group: you are a member of the Tour, he said to me. This was far beyond my more optimistic expectations!
What a nice bunch of people! They always treated me as one of them. I felt really honored.

After lunch, Ray Bellm asked me about my first experience as a McLaren co-driver: it has been calm, I said.
His answer was: calm?!?!?! OK, now you will be my co-driver to return to the hotel!
This turned interesting: co-driver of a 4th finisher in the 24h of Le Mans race in a 675LT with Trofeo tires!!!
What a fantastic driver!!! I have to say that I'm quite often co-driver of professional racing drivers (former Formula 1 drivers, a two-time world rally champion...): he is really good!
At some point, it started to rain and it was clear that Trofeo tires are only for dry asphalt!

We arrived first to the hotel, then the other 675LTs (also driven by former racing drivers) and finally the rest of the cars.
Ray Bellm reminded me that I was invited to dinner with all of them but I had plans to dinner with some relatives that live in La Rioja. In fact my plan was to dinner every night with my relatives but I had to cancel my family dinners as I had "new friends".

I was studying the roadbook to know the next day roads and I realised that we were going to go to a race track near La Rioja!
What a surprise! The Circuit of Navarra! A friend of mine is the General Manager of the circuit.
When I suggested Mr. Bellm to drive the cars in a race track (in Catalunya Circuit), he didn't comment anything about my idea. So when I learned that the McLarens will pass by a race track I wanted to think that this was probably my little contribution to the Tour.




End of Part Two.

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Hotel Marques de Riscal:

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#046 parked next to Ray Bellm's 12C

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#046 between 12C and 675LT

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Genesis Blue Metallic + Onyx Black + Volcano Orange

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The second day of the Tour was even better: we were going to go to a race track before going lunch.
The ambience was more relaxed than in the first day. For some members, this was their first Tour with McLaren cars and they didn't know the others. The McLaren "veterans" created a good ambience of friendship. Ray Bellm was always taking care of everyone: what a fantastic host!
Besides that all knew who I was and what I was doing there (everybody asked me about it...).

The caravan of cars started the way to the race track with me in the 12C again. We lost again the 675LTs and some 650S in the first meters of road. Our pace was faster than the first day: drivers were more confident with roads, traffic signals and their cars.

We arrived to the race track. All the facilities just for us. The General Manager of the circuit came to welcome us. He didn't know that I was in the Tour and it was a great surprise for him! Also Ray Bellm was surprised when he realised that we were friends!
Mr. Bellm wanted to do a hot lap alone in his car to check the track. After that, some cars entered the track to do some hot laps: all the 675LTs, some 650S, one P1 and... THE F1!!!
The owner of #046 did some laps alone in his car. It was crazy: what a roar! The sound of the V12 silenced the rest of V8s. The other engines sound like electrics...
They all did some fast laps. The fastest ones were the 675LTs (all driven by former racing drivers). The timing system wasn't available: what a shame!
I was taking pictures in the pitlane, chatting with everybody when Ray Bellm invited me to do some hot laps in his 675LT: OK, as fast as possible! I said.
It was really impressive! He is a really good driver. The layout of the track is interesting with some difficult turns.
When we returned to the pitlane, Mr. Joy approached and asked me if I wanted to be his co-driver! No, no, no... What? OF COURSE!!!
We are going to go relaxed, he said to me, but put your helmet on... just in case!
OK, relax... Nothing should happen to a car that costs 10 million!!!
My first time in a McLaren F1 and it is in a race track!!! In fact, this was the first time that #046 was lapping a race track.
After doing laps in a 675LT, this was like a 20 years jump back in time. Manual gear, no ABS, no ESP, no power steering... After 5 laps, the driver was exhausted. Try to imagine this in a 24h race!
Mr. Joy was increasing its pace lap after lap. Last lap we did, we achieved a "discreet" 150mph at the end of the main straight. Relaxed, he said...
Sadly, we had to stop in the pitlane because Mr. Joy didn't want to overheat the engine and brakes. There is nothing in the Owners Manual about doing laps in a race track and I don't want to have problems with warranty, he said to me.
After some minutes cooling engine and brakes, #046 returned to the track with Tim Burton (aka Shmee150) as co-driver. I was joking with him because "I did it first"!!!

What a fantastic morning!!!
After taking some group pictures & videos, we had to go lunch. This time in a P1!





End of Part Three.

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Being co-driver of Ray Bellm in his 675LT

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Being co-driver in #046 at Circuit of Navarra race track

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650S LeMans & 675LT

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Go to 05:20 (the guy that exits #046 it's me)



Shmee150 "doing it" after me

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#046 & friends

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We left the Circuit of Navarra with me co-driving again the first car of the convoy, but this time in one of the three P1s of the group (the grey one).
What a fantastic car! Very comfortable, roomy and with a very bright interior thanks to its glass roof.

I asked the owner about the name of the color of his car. "Grey", he answered.
Yes, but all McLaren colors have a "poetic" name, I said. The orange P1 of the group is called Volcano Orange, the Shmee's blue 675LT Spider is called Orion Purple...
OK, I had no idea! He said.

After some kilometers, I asked him about the feeling when pressing the IPAS button (I was assuming that he was going to press the button for me...).
What button?
The red one on the right spoke of the steering wheel... It's like the Turbo-Boost button that KITT (Knight Rider's black Pontiac Trans Am) had, I said.
Oh, really? I had no idea. And he didn't press the button...

We weren't fast, but it was a great time enjoying the road and landscapes.
After half an hour, I started to have hot: the climate control was off and I wasn't surprised when the owner didn't know how it works...

We finally arrived to a regroupment point in the path.
I was talking with one of the drivers of a rental 650S Spider. He is Canadian and owns a P1. He attended the F1+P1 Wyoming's Tour. A really nice man!
Do you want to drive my car?
Of course, and I'll drive it with the roof down! I said. And don't worry: this is going to be my first McLaren but not my first drive in a +600hp car.
Which car? he asked me. Audi R8 V10 Plus, I said.
It's a good car! I also own (amongst others) an R8 GT (he didn't remember his number of the limited edition).

It was great! I was following Shmee's Spider. We were talking about cars and his other passion: helicopters (first time I meet someone who owns an helicopter...).

We arrived to the restaurant to have lunch. We were talking about cars and watches. But it wasn't an usual chat: I often don't have lunch with 6 McLaren F1 owners.
I was in the same table of #018, #046, #075 and #06R owners, XP4 former owner... and Ray Bellm, of course.
They were talking about their cars, not only the McLarens...
What a conversation! LaFerraris, 918s, Aventadores, classic Ferraris (250, F40, F50...) and Lambos (Miura)...

I usually recommend my friends and relatives the cars they have to buy. I use to talk about VW Golf, diesel Audi A4...
#018 owner wanted advice to buy a new car! Other members of the group were talking about the Koenigsegg Agera but I recommended him to buy a new one-off Pagani Zonda 760... He liked my idea: my most expensive recommendation, ever!
If a new Zonda 760 appears in New Zealand it will be my fault!

After lunch, I returned to the hotel co-driving a 675LT: the black one with golden rims and roof scoop. The owner is a former racing driver and we were racing against Ray Bellm's 675LT. OMG!





End of Part Four.