A serious case of Schumacher-fever

WHAT do you do when you're face to face with one of sports' most iconic figures?

I pondered the answer to that question as I flew halfway round the world to Spain. My first stop was Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, home to the Spanish grand prix.

Now being smack in the middle of over a hundred thousand passionate Spaniards would make for an interesting read, but I have a better, more exquisite story to tell.

And it begins after the Spanish Grand Prix. Instead of boarding a plane back to Asia, I hopped on a domestic flight to Malaga, and then jumped into a minivan for a two-hour ride to a small Spanish town called Ronda.

This beautiful hideaway in the depths of the Andalusian countryside, clearly has a lot of history. But I wasn't here to sightsee.

Not too far away from Ronda is one of motorsports' best kept secrets. A playground for the rich and famous who also share a passion for speed. The Ascari Race Resort. Picture a prestigious golf resort, then wipe out the golf course and replace it with a racetrack and that's what you get.

I was here not only to interview Michael Schumacher, but to also have him be my designated driver. Yes, you read that right. Michael Schumacher was going to drive me around this racetrack!

My 15 minutes with Schumacher felt like 15 seconds, but the most notable difference from the days of Formula 1 was his more relaxed nature and his willingness to engage further and volunteer more than what was asked. What a difference being away from the pressure of Formula 1 makes.

Later that afternoon came the moment I had been waiting for. I put on my helmet and hopped into the Maserati GTS.

I could feel my heartbeat increase as I anticipated spending the next two laps sitting beside a sporting icon, sharing the same oxygen with the man who holds almost every record possible in Formula 1.

I was still swooning from the thought when Schumacher calmly slid into the driver's seat and greeted me. We shook hands and as we pulled out of the pit lane, he asked me: "What would you like, slow and steady or the full package?"

To which I replied: "What can you do for me, Michael?"

He smiled and said: "Well, let's see what this car can do for both of us!"

Magic! And with that, he gunned it and we were off.

I later learnt that Schumacher personally picked the Ascari Race Resort as he'd never driven there before and driving around the track, I understood why he wanted to come so badly. But I'll save that story for another day. Right now, we had a 4.7-litre engine capable of 434hp fitted into a luxury sports car at our disposal.

What better combination of car and driver could you ask for? How do I put in words what I witnessed? Well for starters, Schumacher drives like a true champion. It's hard to believe that he'd only just driven here for the first time the day before.

His steering inputs were so smooth ... Just the right amount to get us through the corner and back out pointing towards the next. No jerking around or wild movements. Simply put, he was precise.

I've always prided myself with having a pretty good sense of direction, but after 13 right and 12 left turns, I must admit, even I was lost out on track. But not Schumacher, he knew exactly where we were and on top of that, precisely where to brake, how much speed to carry, how much kerb he could risk, how soon he could get back on the gas, and just where to place the car for the optimum entry into the next corner.

The man's mind must be a goldmine of similar information for every track he's driven on. How much would a rookie pay for that? As we sped around the circuit, I believed we hit about 240kph and were pulling close to 2Gs in some of the corners.

There was one time we approached a left turn and Schumacher must have braked a little too late because we went into the corner very hot and I could feel the car slipping out beneath us.

A rare mistake, but the best part was that I managed to witness Schumacher's car control at its best. He must have realised way before me what had happened because without missing a beat, he counter steered and adjusted, even using the throttle to help him.

I wish I knew exactly what he did but before I knew it, we were barrelling onto the next corner as if nothing had happened. That's what separates the men from the boys. The ability to anticipate, react and just get on with the job. Why bother looking back?

Make no mistake, despite being accustomed to much faster and more powerful vehicles, Schumacher was driving at the limit. Just watching him drive was pure joy in itself, and he did it so effortlessly.

But I could just tell, he was gently coercing the car, getting it to do more that its used to, more than it was probably designed to, but all the time in complete control.

It was like watching a lion tamer control a beast more powerful than him. Priceless. As we pulled back into the pit lane, I was giddy with delight. My stomach was churning like never before. I had just witnessed one of the legends of Formula 1 in his element. And it was all for me.

The most successful Formula 1 driver in the world was just giving me an insight into the skill that has made him a global phenomenon.

And yet he is just a man, and I can tell you that no one is more aware of that than he himself.

Which is why, as I flew back home from Spain, I can safely say that I didnt bring back a contagious virus. Rather, it was a good old case of idol fever.The Star/ANN