| When I'm not rebuilding VTC sprockets or adapting TH400 transmissions to Z cars, I work for a manufacturer that supplies exotic titanium and super-steel springs to the majority of the F1 teams that are currently competing in the series. I have been fortunate enough to head up our Motorsports design department and be directly involved with the suspension engineers with the F1 teams which we service. This was primarily a "meet-and-greet" trip which finally allowed me to place faces with names of individuals that I've been working with for the past five years. I don't imagine too many people get an opportunity such as this and I just wanted to share some of it with anyone here that follows F1 and can truly appreciate it. I will be honest that until now I have not been an F1 enthusiast, but I can say that after this trip I will be paying more attention to the series in the future. I wish I could share all the F1 sights with everyone, but as you can surmise cameras were strictly "not allowed" when inside their premises. So, we will have to settle for external shots of their facilities and some random comments. Other various shots of the U.K. follow after the F1 pics. First up, McLaren F1. This is one of five entrances to their facility, winding down a spiral staircase which lead to a "Get Smart" esque hallway about 300 feel long ending at an elevator that carries you back up to a floor which deliberately allows visitors to walk past about 30 former McLaren F1 cars as well as various Mercedes super-cars being assembled behind glass walls. Everything was spotless and uber-impressive. From landscaping and pretty receptionists to the facility's architecture, no expense has been spared here, cubic dollars abound... or should I say, "cubic pounds"?
 Next up, Red Bull F1. Personally, I enjoy working with this team the best. While not the same external visual impact as McLaren, my meeting took place in a room which allowed viewing the disassembly of their car that was raced just two days prior in the "Europe Telefonica" race. They seem to have a slight parking problem; the 350Z to the left was one of a handfull that I saw in five days, and it was surprisingly a left-hand drive version (Z32 count = 0 for the entire trip).
 Off to Honda F1. This team is rather new but they have the budget to become a huge force to contend with in the near future. Every team visited echoed the vacuum being created by Honda as their salary offers are literally peeling veteran engineers away from all of the other teams.
 Renault F1 - with a country-side location in the middle of farm lands, if you blinked at their road entrance, you would drive by never knowing what lurked just beyond. Unlike all the other teams, I was allowed almost full access to the entire manufacturing and car assembly areas. This was my favorite facility insofar as feeling welcome and not being treated as a potential industrial saboteur.
 
Lastly, Williams F1 - with the majority of their successes behind them, this team is hungry to get back to winning. Their building was entirely "institutional" feeling and had the look of being a former hospital or sanitarium and in fact turned out to previously be a pharmaceutical company's headquarters. All in all, a nice meeting but Zero presentation points from me.
 The rest of the U.K. was impressive and eye-opening, also obviously loaded with history beyond belief. If travelling there, I recommend staying in small village hotels and most definitely experience the local pubs. My last hotel was a Holiday Inn close to Stonehenge and despite the nearby history of the site, had absolutely no feel of the warmness and culture that the local village hotels had to offer, instead it was ultra-modern and simply didn't belong within the surroundings. Don't blink!! the Renault F1 turn off is a sharp left located about 300 yards down this road. My thanks to TOMTOM for warning of this, I thought it was broke when it said we would reach our destination in 100 yards.
 Village of Oxfordshire
 Stonehenge - as with tourist attractions around the world, finding a local person = impossible. Surprisingly several of the stones have recently been uprighted and/or straightened which kind of takes away from the genuine aspect of it, but I guess they have to preserve it for future generations.
 Ancient entrance to Salisbury Cathedral grounds, circa 1258 AD
 Salisbury Cathedral, currently undergoing renovations
 Salisbury Cathedral, my estimated height of the spire is 300 to 400 feet, and they did this in 1258 without CAD or spreadsheets!!! True engineering and craftsmanship.
 Thanks for looking, I hope you enjoyed... I certainly did!
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NZR: recent trip to U.K. to meet with F1 teams... - 
