My México City Adventure!
- georgemattock
- Jan 30, 2019
- 11 min read
Updated: May 8, 2019
Just a few days ago, I landed back in the cold, wet and miserable British climate. Quite a comedown from melting in México just a matter of hours earlier. Read about my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and why I will be returning to CDMX!
Over the Christmas break, I felt somewhat disjointed from what I was doing work wise. I had completed the 'RACER' documentary series, I'd had some disappointment in some of the sim racing competitions I had done; and generally felt downhearted. 2018 was an amazing year but drew to a disappointing close. Little did I know, that in two weeks time - my life was about to change.
With just over a week before the Race Of Champions (ROC) kicked off, I was given the option to attend the annual event in México City by G2 esports & Sebastian Job - the star of my documentary series 'RACER'. After frantically checking flights, securing media accreditation and brushing up on my - poor at best - Spanish, I had my ticket to México.
Having never been outside of Europe - and not even on a flight before - this was unchartered territory for me. But oh man, was I excited. How often do you get the chance to fly out to the other side of the world, with one of your good friends & get to rub shoulders with the biggest names in motorsport? Sebastian Vettel, David Coulthard, Mick Schumacher - I could go on. It was ridiculous. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I grabbed it with both hands!
Before I knew it (literally), I was sat in Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday morning, watching Seb tuck into a 'spoons Full English breakfast. I mean, everyone loves a Full English - but moments before my first ever flight? I wasn't going to take any chances! If I said I was nervous I wouldn't be lying, but I was just excited about the 12 hour flight more than anything. Ignorance is bliss!
And before you know it, you're 35,000ft in the air, squished up in the corner of a jam-packed, economy class Boeing 787 Dreamliner. I genuinely enjoyed taking off - the acceleration was awesome! Although i'm not sure the Mexican lady on our row would agree, as she gripped the seat in front of her with both hands like her life depended on it. I think my inner racer may have showed a little here.
Will Buxton, the F1 presenter - was on our flight, just a few seats away from us. I've always admired his work and especially last year and his involvement in F1's rebrand project. Little did I know that I would end up having a real good chat to him in a couple of days time at the track! The flight itself, was long. Very long. After watching a couple of movies and walked about for a bit, there's little else you can do but wait. What better way to pass the time by looking out of the window, I hear you say ...
Eventually, we landed in Mexico City at what felt like 1:30am. In fact, it was only 7:30pm local time. Ugh, jet lag. However, we were very kindly escorted through the airport by security and fast tracked through the queue for baggage and customs. After picking up our cases (one of which was pink, as I couldn't find the small blue suitcase - thanks, Mum), we hopped into a taxi to the hotel, which was the other side of the city. We were sharing flights & the taxi with Enzo Bonito, the Italian McLaren Shadow driver & last years eROC winner. Now, before I mention the chaotic road system (if there is one) in CDMX, I must say it is the polar opposite of the U.K. Yes, there are some terrible drivers here but wow, you haven't seen anything until you try to cross México City at 8pm! We made it to the Four Seasons hotel (absolutely amazing, might I add) and it wasn't long before I got into bed for some much needed rest. A frantic few days lied ahead.
Unsurprisingly, I woke up at 4:30 am. It felt like 10:30 am but the day hadn't even began yet! Shortly after, Seb & I went for an early breakfast and met up with Danny (G2 esports sim racing manager); and Nils Naujoks - the experienced German sim racer who was selected as the wildcard for the eROC (eRace Of Champions) his impressive comeback performances in recent months. Seb & Nils were part of a four man group that were invited to compete at the eROC in México City. Seb, won the eROC world final qualifiers online; beating Nils in the knockout stages and hundreds of other drivers who had entered the competition. Alongside Brendon Leigh (two-time F1 esports champion) & James Baldwin (Veloce esports driver & eROC invitational winner), the four of them would be going head to head in direct competition to impress the judges and win a place on "Team Sim Racing" with Enzo Bonito for the Nations Cup on Saturday & the actual Race Of Champions on Sunday, racing on the real life track against the worlds best drivers in identical cars.
Once we got used to the timezone, we headed to the Foro Sol stadium section of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the track used to host the Formula One Grand Prix. Interestingly, the Foro Sol used to be a baseball stadium, hence why the grandstands still remain and you can pick out where the field used to be. We were introduced to our guides and the organisers for the weekend, and were escorted to a briefing for what lied ahead. Soon after, the four drivers headed over to the "skills challenge" where they were taken around a lap of a makeshift circuit in one of the open spaces of the paddock by Mexican Porsche driver Victor Medina. They were taught about the Ariel Atom and taken on a lap with Medina in the passengers seat before they posted their own time to the leaderboards. This was essentially just a bit of fun and an ice breaker for the guys, which seemed to work well.
Several used tyres later, the guys had posted their times and had a lot of fun. They were now introduced to the real life track, on the actual circuit the ROC would be held on in the centre of the Foro Sol stadium. To say they enjoyed it was an understatement - even I would've loved to have a go! Whilst there was some free time in the afternoon, I got chatting to the talented Will Buxton - who was on our flight out to CDMX on Wednesday. Having been a crucial part of F1's total rebrand for 2018, he gave me some really good advice that I will hold in good stead; and I even managed to get a terrible Haas pun (a running joke in his post-race F1 paddock pass videos) in the mix. We also then teamed up with Red Bull México to do an Instagram live video to their followers with Mexican prototype driver Memo Rojas speaking with Seb! The day ended with some filming and we headed back to the hotel for a (much needed) shower and then to the restaurant for some dinner and a catch up of how the first full day went.
Friday arrived and another early wake up was upon us. 5:30 am this time! We had a much earlier time to be at the track so we got straight to it and arrived at the track around 8:45am. It was already 20 degrees by this time - something which, as I type this - desperately miss. Damn you, winter.
On the schedule for Friday was plenty for the drivers to get their teeth into. Starting off with a briefing, then some track time in the rapid KTM X-Bow. Trips to the studio for some headshots with the French videographers & photographers were frequent and often interrupted by many a visit to the canteen, manned round the clock by the Mexican chefs. Then, some time to practice on the simulators (as the eROC competition winner would be decided by a combination of real life on track driving & driving in the virtual world). And then, one of my personal highlights of the entire trip. The press conference.
The press conference for me was special because the room was literally packed with both those who knew just how hard each one of those finalists had practised and worked for this opportunity - and also those who hadn't a clue about what they were doing here. The press asked a lot of questions about what they were up to and it wasn't your ordinary presser. I, along with many others involved; got goosebumps as we entered the room. So happy for these guys for getting the attention they deserve!
Next up was the first official assessment of the drivers. Watched from above by the eagle-eyed, expert judge panel; the drivers had to impress as they were being assessed on one lap - and one lap only of the official ROC track. The pressure was on, as this one lap counted towards 50% of their assessment; and could be the tipping point as to whether they make it to the final two (who go head-to-head on Saturday morning). Once complete, there was just about enough time for some simulator prep for tomorrow's simulator races (the other 50% of the eROC assessment) & then it was time to head back to the hotel. Oh yeah, and we casually filmed a video for Red Bull with Pierre Gasly - Max Verstappen's team mate for the 2019 F1 season. Once that was completed, food and drink was heavily consumed at the official ROC welcome cocktail party with all the drivers and famous faces.
Officially the first day of the ROC, Saturday was sweltering. And yes, by that time - both my neck & Seb's face were properly sunburnt. To be fair my neck wasn't that bad, but I'm sure Seb will agree - we looked like those two British tourists who forgot to buy the factor 40 in Terminal 5 back at Heathrow. Actually, that's not too far from the truth.
Apart from the sunburn, Saturday was a painless day. For me anyways. Seb - as usual - was as cool as a cucumber under the pressure he was under. Today was a big day for him, as the races on the simulators would determine whether he would be one of the two going head-to-head for a place in the real life Race Of Champions. We arrived at the track on Saturday morning, sharing a lift on the shuttle from the hotel with none other than F1 commentator David Croft - an instantly recognisable voice. He truly is a legend both when he is in commentary and in person. Although, he promised me that at the big party on Saturday night; that he'd be getting the tequilas in and sending my Mum (a big F1 fan) a personal video message. Still waiting for that drink & video, Crofty!
There was some time set aside for simulator prep, just to make sure things run smoothly - and also some VT work, ready for the live broadcast, which would air to potentially millions around the world. For the competition itself, all the drivers raced against each other and were scored in different areas, like car positioning and outright pace. Seb scored highly initially, and took the early lead ahead of 2 time F1 esports champion Brendon Leigh. It was a positive start for Seb. However, as the competition neared its conclusion; Seb & James Baldwin went head to head in a crucial final race to decide which one of them would be taking on Leigh in the final, after the latter defeated Nils Naujoks in the previous race. Baldwin fired himself to the first race victory, meaning Seb needed to win to take it to a tiebreak (which would be decided by the times from the skills challenge on Thursday/Friday.
After a spin from Seb, the final two spots were confirmed. Leigh and Baldwin would go head to head on the track and then finally on the sim to decide which one of them would be racing for real. Ultimately, James prevailed and won the crown. What an amazing achievement and I for one couldn't be happier for him. It was genuinely amazing to be a part of something that made history in more than one way. I'm sure our paths will cross again in the future.
For Seb, that was the end of the road. The Méxican dream had drawn to a close. But, there were still two days of the worlds best drivers racing against each other to enjoy before we head home. Plus, as Seb admits himself - at least he can let his hair down at the huge annual ROC party back at the Four Seasons later on. Every cloud, as they say!
We watched the Nations Cup event (where the teams are based on nationality, two drivers for each country) from the VIP box with the other drivers. The Schumacher family were in attendance and it was a great experience to meet Mick Schumacher and have a chat with him. I did ask if he was having a few drinks at the party later on, but he said "I gotta drive tomorrow!". It was totally surreal to be mixing in these circles, given just a few months ago I felt so disconnected and miles away from this group of people.
One person I did genuinely feel sorry for was Sebastian Vettel. No, I didn't get the chance to speak to him - and i'm not surprised. Everywhere he went - whether that was when having lunch, walking to the assembly area - he was swamped by fans and people wanting to chat or take a picture. I guess that comes with being a 4 time F1 world champion, but his privacy was basically nil at the track. I could have spoken to him in the VIP box but I felt he would've appreciated a few moments to himself before heading back out again.
Watching James get out on track, and beating NASCAR regular & home favourite Ruben Garcia Jr was breathtaking. That, and Enzo's stunning victories against Formula E world champion Lucas Di Grassi, (I won't mention *those* tweets from his account after losing to Enzo, don't worry) and IndyCar champ Ryan Hunter Reay. It just goes to show you, sim racing is the real deal. It is the future, and something myself I aim to do a lot more of this year.
All in all, Saturday was bittersweet. I really would've loved to see Seb make it to the final, but ultimately it was a pleasure just to be there and witness it all in real life. It didn't seem real, and it still doesn't as I type this. And as for the party, I can confirm three things. 1 - yes, it was the best party CDMX has ever seen. 2, there was an extremely high amount of (good) tequila consumed. And 3, Brendon Leigh is a party animal. There's a great video done by Mickey which shows how good the party was below!
Sunday was another early start. At the track at 9 am, we soaked up more of the Mexican sunshine and watch the actual Race Of Champions, where the drivers individually go head to head. Again we had a free reign of the track & VIP areas, so today was just a chill day. Watched the racing, chatted to the drivers, commentators and big name personalities. And before you know it, I'm grabbing my suitcase and getting into the taxi at 6pm for the flight home. I could go into detail about a certain Cancun holiday hotlap competition, but that's a story for another time! When we got to the airport, we (Enzo, Seb & myself) were escorted by security and joined by none other than F1 legend David Coulthard, who is a fantastic guy and it was fascinating to listen to his stories as we waited to board the British Airways flight home.
So in short, if you haven't been to México - just go. Every single aspect of it was superb, from the lively, bustling centre of México City to the abundance of wonderfully kind-hearted people - it has everything. It gets a lot of bad press, but once you experience it for yourself - you realise just how amazing this place is. Although I will definitely be buying more suncream next time. And tequila. Oh, and tacos. Muchas Gracias, CDMX. I can't wait to come back! Video coming soon - trust me, it's insane.
If only that downhearted dude at Christmas could see me now ...
George Mattock
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