Chasing the Red Herring

by internationally known writer and artist Dolf Riks

The good news is that according to Mr Paul Harris of the Daily Mail, after an absence of 500 years, the red herring has returned to the British waters. This sounds incredible as everybody thought either that it had never existed or that it had become extinct. The big question is: "Where has it been for those 500 years and why did it come back?" The rare creature is called the "Clupea Harengus harengus rosen" by the biologists. Most of us mortals know it as the red herring.

In the days of Richard III and Henry VII, the red herring roamed in vast shoals around Britain and its unique flavour made it a popular fish on the dining table. It was expensive in those days and what made it disappear is an enigma.

A shopping list for a Baronial house in West Country mentions that the cook bought two cases of red "herringe" for the sum of a shilling, which is, according to the article, the equivalent today of £ 200 or about 13,200 Baht. It was over-fished, but the author of the article suspects that it was a change in the plankton around Britain that wiped it out, or it was probably pushed out by predators or the common herring.

Where has it been for all those centuries? The answer to that question is "Nobody knows". In March of this year (1998) a trawler fishing off the coast of Dorset caught 14 red herrings in a large catch of the ordinary silver variety. The skipper said that they were going to take them home for the cats but then he realised that he had heard from other sources that red herrings had turned up in nets in other places on the coast. He decided to keep one female alive, which he sent to a Marine laboratory in Weymouth where it was appropriately called "Rosie". It was first thought to be a chemical reaction caused by polluted water, but after painstaking research it was established that it was the authentic red herring of yore.

In charge of Rosie is a marine biologist by the name of Laura Harris, probably the wife or a relative of the author of the article. She makes the observation that it is not a very wise thing to be a red herring among a shoal of silvery ones, as predators are confused by the mass of glimmering objects, but the red herring will stand out like a sore thumb.

The phrase "chasing a red herring", to express the pursuit of a false clue, probably comes from the fact that criminals were chased by blood hounds and the clever ones would drag a red herring or a herring in a sack behind them which would confuse the dogs. Some say that the oil of the fish would penetrate the cloth of the sack and make it become red and this could be true as the red herring is higher in fat content than the ordinary clupea harengus.

Many people, among them the Americans, believe that a red herring is a kipper, which is smoked for a long time so its colour becomes a rusty red.

Alan Davidson, the famous fish expert, in his book "North Atlantic Seafood, gives us other information on the subject of red herrings and quotes from a book written buy a Lowenstoft man called "Lenten Stuffe, or the Praise of the Red Herring" (1567). He was actually also talking about the silver herring being smoked until it became as "red as a lobster". The information is rather confusing as Alan quotes from another book by a Mr. A. M. Samuel called "The Herring: Its Effect on the History of Britain" (1918). In this the author obviously talks about a real red herring as it is not smoked but eaten raw.

"The fish is not gutted before it reaches the kitchen. The Yarmouth Red Herring may be eaten uncooked during the months of October, November and December. The skin should be peeled off, the head removed, and the fish is gutted and cut across into four pieces, dusted with pepper, and eaten with bread and butter... The Yarmouth Red Herring is locally sometimes called a ‘militiaman’, per contra, the vulgar Norfolk term for a militia man in his red tunic..." Reading this, one comes to the conclusion that the Daily Mail did not know what they were talking about and that the red herring did not disappear until much later.

I have never read anything about the subject in Dutch literature, but then I have had little opportunity to browse in the Dutch libraries. Herrings in Dutch history are probably even more important than in the British past. It was the herring industry in the fourteenth and fifteenth century which started the development of the Dutch fleet and its superiority on the high seas, which culminated in the golden age of Holland (parts of the sixteenth and seventeenth century).

There are no true herrings in the South China Sea but a close relative of the Atlantic Herring, the Pacific Herring has its habitat in the northern waters off Japan, etc. They are slightly smaller than their Atlantic relatives.

Herrings should not be confused with pilchards and sardines, which are of the same family, the Clupeidae. A sardine is a young immature pilchard. The latter can become as long as 25 cm. A pilchard is very similar to the proper herring but it has a green back, yellow sides and a silver belly. Sardines are common in the waters of South East Asia. When I was sailing the high seas we once called at Walvis Bay in South West Africa, what is now Namibia, where we were invited to have a tour of the town. This included a visit to a pilchard-canning factory, run by migrated Dutch fishermen. Our captain, who was included in the party, was one of those tiresome people who always knew everything better than anybody else. He tactlessly started an argument with the fishermen about the fish they were canning. He insisted that they were herrings while the expert fisherman said that they were sardines. It was all very embarrassing and I was glad when we left to see the desert and the only tree in town, as the place is totally devoid of rain.

Postcard from Sankampaeng

Story & photos by Suzanne Dooley

Chiang Mai in northern Thailand is a popular destination for many people. Only a one hour flight from Bangkok, this rural city provides access to traditional Thai culture and a province of the same name.

Hilltribe trekking, elephant riding, river rafting and trips to the Golden Triangle are synonymous with Chiang Mai. Its natural beauty includes the accessible Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s highest peak, and numerous waterfalls.

However, Chiang Mai ought to be better known for the skills of its local artisans. It is Thailand’s major centre for handicrafts. The heart of the handicrafts industry is the Sankampaeng District, a little to the east of the city.

Importers come here from many countries, but casual shoppers are also welcome to visit cottage industries and see the painstaking work which creates exquisite objects. An extraordinary variety of handicrafts are made and sold by the local people.

Sankampaeng Road is a traditional village handicrafts area. There are workshops, displays and sales of jewellery, silverware, silks, paper umbrellas, celadon ceramics, lacquerware, teakwood carving and hilltribe embroidery and crafts.

Bo Sang is the umbrella village. For two hundred years the villagers have produced sa paper from the bark of the mulberry tree. The women begin by pounding and soaking the bark. Finally, the umbrellas and fans made from sa paper and local bamboo are hand painted in traditional designs.

Sankampaeng District is famous for silk. Here, one can observe the women unravelling the cocoons and spinning the silk thread. A weaver can make about five metres of silk a day on a wooden loom.

Sankampaeng is not an area renowned for ‘bigs’. However, one workshop advertises the ‘biggest jewellery shop in the world.’ Intricate and exquisite jewellery is made in an open workshop. Customized jewellery is available in 48 hours. Sapphires, rubies and emeralds are popular choices.

Teak and rosewood furniture is on display and can be packed for transport. Silversmiths work patiently, producing works of art. Embroiderers sew traditional designs. Eggshells are painstakingly applied to lacquerware.

Leather products, including shoes and handbags, are numerous. Celadon pottery is produced from local clay. These are traditional handicrafts at their source.

Before purchasing, a visit to the Night Bazaar is a good idea. Held on Changklan Road every evening, the bazaar has an extraordinary quantity of hilltribe products, such as hand woven jackets, as well as many of the handicrafts available in the Sankampaeng District.

Initially one may be a little disappointed, as much that is for sale looks similar to what is on offer in Pattaya. However, a closer look reveals a much broader range of handicrafts from which to choose. If one selects carefully and bargains skillfully, there are excellent purchases to be made.

There is more to Chiang Mai than handicrafts at Sankampaeng. Founded in 1296, the city has more than 300 Buddhist temples, including the famous Doi Suthep. There are five golf courses nearby and a zoo, orchid and butterfly farms and elephant training camps.

This is Amazing Thailand Year. There is no better way to be amazed than by observing the artisans of the Sankampaeng area in Chiang Mai demonstrating their skill and artistry.

Now, how many shopping days are left before Christmas?

Sexual consent age

by Premprecha Dibbayawan, Attorney at Law

This article is to answer questions on what the sexual consent age is in Thailand, as well as to look into a study case and the reaction to it from the Child Protective Foundation.

The differing ages of consent can be found in the Criminal Code and in the Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act.

The Criminal Code mentions the age of 15 in regard to either boys or girls. Thus: "Whoever commits an indecent act on a child not yet over fifteen years of age, whether such child shall consent or not, shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding ten years."

However, in case of sexual intercourse with a girl not over fifteen years of age and not being his own wife, whether such girl shall consent or not, shall be punished with imprisonment of four to twenty years and fine of eight thousand to forty thousand Baht. (If the girl is not yet over thirteen years of age, the punishment is seven to twenty years or life imprisonment) If the act involves the soliciting of a woman for sexual purposes of another person, it is a crime regardless of the age of the woman. If the woman is under eighteen years of age, the punishment will be severe.

The Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act prohibits soliciting of others (of any age and sex) for sexual purposes of another person and if the act involves a minor under 18 years of age, the penalty will be more severe. A person will commit a crime of sexual activity if he has sex with a person under 18 years of age in a place of prostitution.

However, the *seduction, if not interpreted as such under the sexual offence act, can be dealt with as an offence against liberty. Section 319 of the Criminal Code states that: "Whoever takes away a minor over fifteen years of age but not yet over eighteen years of age from their parent, guardian or person looking after such minor, for a lewd or indecent purpose with the consent of such minor, shall be punished with imprisonment of two to ten years." If the minor is under 15 years, the penalty will be imprisonment of three to fifteen years.

Now let us come to a case study. This is a Supreme Court ruling in Judgment No. 2591/2540 between the Public Prosecutor as the Plaintiff and Mr. Karlheinz Brand Nirenz as the Defendant.

The Plaintiff filed charges that from October 3rd, 1994 to December 2nd 1994, the Defendant seduced and took 4 male children aged from 11 to 13 years without just cause from their mother and father, their legal guardians, for the purpose of sexual congress and monetary profit from the children. The children were molested with their consent. The Defendant also took pornographic photographs of the children engaged in sexual acts with each other with the purpose of selling said photographs for profit. The Plaintiff requested the maximum punishment according to the law on sexual offences and offences against liberty. The Plaintiff also requested that the penalties be consecutive as the Defendant engaged in the same offence in the past.

The Defendant denied the charges but did admit to having engaged in such activity in the past.

The lower court found the defendant guilty on several counts of the charges and imposed punishment to all counts, being: four counts of seduction of children under 15 for the purpose of molestation and financial gain - imprisonment of 5 years to each count; four counts of committing indecent acts with minors under 15 years of age - imprisonment of 3 years to each count; one count of having obscene or pornographic materials in his possession for sale - imprisonment of 6 months; one count of soliciting and persuasion of minors to engage in inappropriate act - a fine of 1,000 Baht. The total prison sentence was 32 years, 6 months and a fine of 1,000 Baht. The penalty was increased to imprisonment of 43 years, 4 months and a fine of 1,000 Baht because the Defendant committed the same crime in the past.

The Defendant appealed the Court’s decision.

The Court of Appeals found the Defendant guilty of committing indecent acts with minors under 15 years of age and imposed imprisonment of 1 year to each count for a total of 4 years. Imprisonment of 2 months for the offence of having obscene or pornographic materials in his possession for sale. A fine of 1,000 Baht as penalty for soliciting and persuasion of minors to engage in appropriate acts. The charge of seduction of children under 15 for the purpose of molestation and financial gain was dismissed. The increment of penalty was imposed according to the law.

The parties appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court upheld the ruling of the Appeals Court. (The penalty for engaging in the same crime in the past was not imposed because, prior to the time of judgment, there was a Decree to pardon crimes committed prior to June 1996 on the occasion of King’s 50th anniversary to the throne).

The reasons for which the Supreme Court concurred with the judgment of the Appeals Court were based on the issue of whether the children were taken from their parents or guardians for the purpose of molestation and financial gain. The Supreme Court found that the children had left their home and become ‘runaways’ and beggars in front of the Pata shopping mall and refused to return home. Taking this into consideration, those children were deemed not under the care of their parents in any manner whatsoever at the time of the incident. Even though the prosecutor had proven that two of the children’s parents were searching for them, that does not constitute being "under the care of the parents". The action of the Defendant did not encompass seduction of children under 15 years of age away from their parents or guardians.

The ruling of the Supreme Court caused the Child Protective Foundation to submit a dissent opinion to the Ministry of Justice, which contains the following: The Court’s decision on this matter, that the children had no legal guardians, causes great problems in the protection of children and exposes them to increased danger and exploitation. The fact that the court divides children into those ‘represented’ and ‘underrepresented’ violates their rights. This is contrary to the provision of the United Nation’s protocol on the rights of children, which stipulates that it is the duty of the State to protect the rights of the children and not of the parents. This means children taken from a suitable environment have the right to receive all succor which will ensure their safety from all adverse conditions which may affect their mental and physical health. The law stipulates that the parents or the legal guardians are the ones to administer such care. If there is no person doing this, the state must be the one to accept responsibility. The protocol mentions as follows:

A child who is taken from its family, whether permanently or temporarily or may not be in that environment for the best interest of the child, will receive full care from the state.

The state has full responsibility for the care of such children according to its internal laws.

The foundation requests that the Ministry rapidly find a solution to this problem to comply with the commitment in the convention. If necessary, it was requested that additional clauses be added to the Criminal Code in the matter of seduction of children. If the fathers, mothers or guardians are not available the state must intervene immediately. This will help Thailand protect her children from exploitation.

Coming back to the streets of Pattaya, where child sex abuse is still a factor, we believe that the Supreme Court Ruling cited above will not help child molesters, as there is now strong movement from the Child Protective Organization on the issue.

* A law dictionary defines "seduction" as - "inducing a chaste, unmarried woman, by means of temptation, deception, acts, flattery, or a promise of marriage, to engage in sexual intercourse... Force is not an element of ‘seduction’."

Care 4 Kids Charity Night

Jester "Woody" and a charming little girl.

If you care for kids, Delaney’s Irish Pub will be on your agenda for tomorrow night (Sat. Sept. 19). The Charity night is a fund raising venture by the Jesters Motorcycle Club, in conjunction with Delaney’s, to raise money to help the needy children at the Fountain of Life, Center 1 at Srinakorn.

Over 100 poor children attend the school run by Sister Michelle, and the Jesters have been helping out for some time. They have already built another classroom, replaced the roof over the kitchen area and donated ten standard fans to the center.

However, the Jesters knew that this was not enough. These children need more, so with the help of Kim Fletcher from Delaney’s they have organized the best "fun evening" for the people of Pattaya. Tomorrow night, Saturday the 19th, you can have the time of your life, knowing that the people who will benefit from your "wild time" will be the needy children.

Come to Delaney’s for the B250 "All You Can Eat" Irish Buffet. Eat well because from every B250, B150 goes to the center! 15% of all the drinks goes to the Fountain of Life Charity as well. If that is not enough, there is the top Bangkok DJ Andy Francis, two bands, raffles and auctions, and all to help the underprivileged.

The target is B1,000,000 and that should not be impossible. That sum would help run the center and feed the children for some time. Think of it this way, by feeding your face, you are feeding another little face at the same time.

The Pattaya Mail photographers will be there, so put on your best gear and smile for the camera. You’ll be putting a smile on some child’s face as well. See you there!

Doubtful records and treasonable practises

by Barrie Kenyon

Could you kiss ten thousand people in eight hours? Are you able to leapfrog a thousand miles without rupturing yourself? There is no doubting the success of the Guinness Book of World Records (Bantam paperback). A publishing record breaker in its own right, the 1998 edition is issued in 38 different languages. Most of the past records still stand. No contemporary world leader, it seems, can match General de Gaulle’s survival of thirty one assassination attempts. No individual mass murderer of our time can even begin to equal the nineteenth century Indian thug Behram who strangled nearly a thousand victims in the early nineteenth century. Even the biggest explosions, the worst human tragedies and the most gruesome atrocities generally belong to the 1940s. It is a function of Guinness to remind us that record breaking misfortune goes back a very long way. For instance, medieval plagues killed far more people than AIDS is ever likely to do.

Guinness’ beauty is that hardly any item is more than forty words in length, which is roughly the literary equivalent of a sound byte. Whether you want to know the circumference of our planet, the location of the oldest working clock or the name of the fastest man alive, it won’t take you longer than a minute. And that’s important. If you wanna make money in the popular media, better to be brief.

Pattaya residents will be relieved to learn that the city does not appear once in the most recent edition. The resort does not yet hold the record for the biggest scams, the most lost fortunes, the largest number of bars per square miles or the most frequent motor bike accidents. But we are certainly working hard on all these.

But what happens if you actually crave to be included i Guinness? You could try cooking the biggest casserole in history, but don’t bother unless you intend to include a whole camel and several thousand eggs. If, on the other hand, you’re a cheapskate you could consider peeling your next apple with due care and attention, although bear in mind that the longest peel to date is 172 feet long. Balancing cigar boxes on your chin offers a bit more scope as you only have to beat 230. Still more promising, you only have to exceed juggling seven flaming torches at the same time to attain immortal fame, which has probably been achieved incognito many times at the Simon cabaret in any case. Everyone has the right to be famous for fifteen minutes.

And now for something entirely different. When Britain abolished the death penalty thirty years ago, treason was kept on the statute book as a capital offence. There is, in fact, one working gallows still in existence at Wandsworth prison. The last man to be executed there for treason in 1946 was William Joyce, known to history as Lord Haw Haw. Penguin books has just reissued F. Selwyn’s 1987 biography Hitler’s Englishman, The Crime of Lord Haw Haw, which contains some interesting details on the renegade who almost got away with it.

The legal case against Joyce was always weak. He was born in 1906 in Boston, USA, of Irish ancestry but became mixed up with fascist politics in Britain in the 1930s. This was where he went wrong by obtaining illegally a British passport (he claimed to have British parents) which he took with him to Germany in August 1939 to begin his patently silly pro nazi radio broadcasts. Had Joyce at this point returned his passport, he could never have been tried for treason. But he kept it to be found on him at his capture near the Danish frontier in May 1945. On a split vote, the House of Lords judges argued that, by holding a British passport, Joyce had sought the protection of the crown, howbeit unwittingly, and must now pay the ultimate price. Joyce was one of only three traitors the British executed after hostilities ceased.

Although at first, the British government tried to censor and scramble Joyce’s Germany Calling news documentaries, it was soon realized that this was counterproductive. Very few Britons took him seriously, particularly in the later stages of the war. Even as the claimed tonnages of sunken British merchantmen rolled lavishly off his tongue, there was always something unbelievable about his claims. His rantings that Britain should join the nazi defenders of civilization against the Bolshevist barbarians ignored the fact that Hitler had attacked the Soviet Union in the first place. His assumed knowledge of where exactly German bombers would strike next against English cities was shown after the war to be pure bombast.

The case for Joyce, in fact, is that he unwittingly provided light relief and ought not to have suffered the supreme penalty. The home secretary of the day received more than a thousand appeals for clemency which was unusual. But that was not possible. Joyce had blatantly offended against British sensitivity and was not to be excused on a legal technicality, understandable enough as his trial at the Old Bailey was conducted in a half bombed out building. Albert Pierrepoint recorded in his memoirs that Joyce actually put on weight in the condemned cell and walked to the gallows a brave man. He had nothing left to live for.

Successfully Yours: Amrik Singh Kalra

by Mirin MacCARTHY

Khun Amrik Singh Kalra, of the majestic appearance and turban, presides over his extended family with benevolence. His persona just calls for the title "Papa".

He is a Director of the Taj Mahal Group, which includes tailor shops and other enterprises, and is head of a family of five brothers and their offspring, four children of his own, and grandchildren. If that were not enough, he is also President of the Sikh community of Pattaya.

The next question was irresistible, "Why is it that being a tailor seems to be an Indian tradition?" The reply was an immediate, "Since my grandfather, everyone has been tailors, we all know each other, and so credit (between ourselves) is easy."

Khun Amrik was elected the President of the Sikh community, it is not an inherited honour. He refutes the title of ‘Head.’ "In my view everyone is the head, you have to have respect for each other," he said. Perhaps the title Patriarch or Elder would have been a better choice. As President of the 200 Sikhs his responsibilities are problem solving, allocating charity where necessary and leading ceremonies in the Sikh temple. He is very respected in the community and has earned that respect. Perhaps a little like the Solomon of the old Christian Testament.

Khun Amrik was born in Surat Thani, studied in India for two and a half years, returning to study English in Bangkok. He has traveled overseas to Germany, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Singapore, "Just to see the world," but has always returned home because, "Thailand is the best. When I was young I was poor, I saw the world and realized nobody was any different."

During the Vietnam War he worked as a translator at the Utapao American Base, at the same time as running his own tailor shop. He attributes his success in business to, "Having a family business with many people helping me. I did not have to hire any man."

From a materialistic viewpoint, success has arrived for Khun Amrik Singh. He has supported his large family with his business enterprises and seen all his brothers and their families set up in business too, but success is not the high life, or envied possessions, for him.

"Success comes as a direct result of your past actions. If you are happy, and you try to help your neighbours, you listen and give advice, then people respect you. No man can say I want to be this or that. You have to earn respect."

The important values for Khun Amrik are, "Harming none, helping when you can and simple living. For a man to live properly, 200 Baht a day is enough. Today the young want to spend too much," he added. The perceived ills of the "western" world have obviously crossed many cultural boundaries!

His advice to those wanting to be a success in business here is, "First of all, invest all your money and live off the interest. Then wait six months while you think and look around to see what business you can do here. Something that you have had experience with before, and rent a house, don’t buy one. The way of dealing and talking here is very different, don’t rush into anything before you understand it." There are many entrepreneurs who have failed here who would have benefited from those sage words.

Khun Amrik has retired now. "I thought to myself, why am I doing this? The more you are involved in business the more headaches you have." He considers his greatest achievement is having all his children and his brothers married and well settled. "All my family respect me, that is all I need." Papa Amrik Singh Kalra is both a fortunate and a happy man.

AutoMania: A Formula 1 Drive

by Dr. Iain Corness

To drive a Formula 1 race car is the ambition of anyone who has ever had any pretensions at driving. How many of you have watched a race on TV while gripping an imaginary steering wheel? I have even seen mates of mine sitting in lounge chairs holding REAL ones and making engine noises. There’s true enthusiasts!

Now I cannot say that I’ve driven one of the latest 800 horsepower McLarens, but I have driven a race car which was a Formula 1 car in its day.

That was a Lola T430, one of only three cars that were ever built in that configuration, commissioned by the European race team owner Count Rudi Van Der Straaten.

Lolas were built by Eric Broadley, who called them that after the song "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets". Anyone who has ever owned a race car will tell you how true that statement really is!

The Lola T430 was one of the last 5 litre V8 (Formula 5000) race cars and raced with the European Formula 1 cars in Australia. The Williams FW07 was the best in the world that year driven by Aussie World Champ Alan Jones, and the Lola raced against that combination, lapping only one second a lap slower than the Williams. Even today, it is as quick as the GP500 race bikes ridden by Mick Doohan, so it certainly was no slouch.

The performance figures were staggering. 0 -160 kph in 4.6 seconds and covered the standing start 400 metres in less than 10 seconds. Let me assure you that sort of acceleration sucks your eye balls back in their sockets!

But let’s get on with the drive ... as I clambered in the owner said pointedly, "Just imagine you are sitting in a coffin, surrounded by petrol, with 500 pounds of engine and gearbox strapped on your back and using your feet as the front bumper." Those were not careless words. Several race drivers’ careers were cut short in spectacular front end shunts with the F5000 cars, leaving them with a peculiar gait known as the "Lola limp".

The cockpit was cramped and your feet and legs disappear down inside a metal tubed tunnel, the only movements possible being those to depress the pedals. The physical term "discomfort" does not really do the feeling justice.

But in those days the cars were built for speed, not for comfort, and they certainly could deliver. With appropriate gearing, the Lola T430 could stop the clocks at 176 miles per hour in 5th gear. That’s a lot faster than the take-off speeds for jet planes! It was no wonder the Lola needed such enormous wings across the nose and behind the engine. They were to hold it down!

There is nothing quite like the howl of a racing engine, and the 550 BHP Chevrolet V8 had quite some bellow. The gear-change lever was a short stubby affair on the right hand side of the cockpit, with the linkage going back to a Hewland DG300 gearbox and differential combined, attached to the rear of the engine. These are straight cut dog-box gears and they clatter and rattle till you pull hard enough and get it into first.

A couple of "blips" on the accelerator and the clutch comes out very quickly and you are away, the huge rear tyres grabbing at the bitumen after an initial smoky start.

It is initially very difficult to get used to the acceleration. As you push the right foot down, an unseen hand pushes you in the back, your head falls backwards and bounces on the head-rest and the road just disappears under the nose of the car like a grey winding ribbon. In no time at all, you have reached the "red line" on the tachometer and you have to change gears again. And the unseen hand pushes once more, and again and again with every change till there are no more gears left in the gear-box. Even in 5th gear you begin to wonder when it will end - this push from the power of the engine.

Lola would top 176 MPH, and together we did it. At that speed, the environment rushes past so fast that you have trouble recording it with your eyes. Your own front wheels disappear from view as you have to concentrate so far ahead down the track. The point you are looking at will be in your face in another split second. It really is that critical!

10 laps in cars like these are fantastically mentally stimulating - 50 laps are mentally exhausting. One lapse of concentration for less than 1/10th of a second and you can be sliding off the circuit. It really is that precise and difficult.

Make no mistake about it, any of those fellows in F1 today are concentrating harder than you could imagine. The "in car" cameras may make it look easy. Believe me, it ain’t! They have all got big, big cojones!

I am certainly glad I’ve "had a go", an experience not many have enjoyed. Now I wonder if Ron Dennis of McLaren might like to bring me more up to date? I’m available, Ron!

Autotrivia Quiz

I seemed to be stuck in a "movie" phase over the past couple of weeks and asked what was the make and model of car the late James Dean used for his final trip? Of course it was a Porsche, and the model was the road-racing Spyder. It would have been an exhilarating last ride.

Let’s stick with sports cars again this week. The small British firm called AC cars rose to prominence with an American V8 slotted in the engine bay in the mid 60’s. This was the powerful AC Cobra 289, or the Shelby Cobra which ended up with a huge 427 cubic inch power plant. AC also made a small engined version. What was the engine used for this car? The usual Automania FREE BEER of the week for the first correct answer. Fax or email the editorial office!

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Created by Andy Gombaz, assisted by Chinnaporn Sungwanlek.