25 August 1991 - Where were YOU?

shinji · Post by **shinji** » 17 Jan 2010, 00:01

It was on 25 August 1991 that Michael Schumacher started his first race in Formula One, at Spa for Jordan. Over the next 15 years he established himself as one of the greatest drivers of all time, before retiring at the end of 2006.

However, as we all know he's back now, and as a result of this I was just pondering how ridiculously long his career has been. To reflect this, here's a thought: when he started his first race, my parents were not yet romantically involved, and I hadn't even been thought of yet. And yet here I am, soon to witness him race as a 15 year old.

So how much has your life changed over Schumacher's career span? Have you been born? Have you progressed from nappies to college?

Just interesting, I thought. And it can go horrifically off topic and still be kind of related to F1.

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 17 Jan 2010, 00:02

In the womb. Now, I'm the average 17-year old guy, really.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 17 Jan 2010, 00:04

shinji wrote:It was on 25 August 1991 that Michael Schumacher started his first race in Formula One, at Spa for Jordan. Over the next 15 years he established himself as one of the greatest drivers of all time, before retiring at the end of 2006.

However, as we all know he's back now, and as a result of this I was just pondering how ridiculously long his career has been. To reflect this, here's a thought: when he started his first race, my parents were not yet romantically involved, and I hadn't even been thought of yet. And yet here I am, soon to witness him race as a 15 year old.

So how much has your life changed over Schumacher's career span? Have you been born? Have you progressed from nappies to college?

Just interesting, I thought. And it can go horrifically off topic and still be kind of related to F1.

You just scarred me for life, as you just made me calculate something I really didn't need to know...
I was born May 1992. You can figure it out.

shinji · Post by **shinji** » 17 Jan 2010, 00:05

kostas22 wrote:
shinji wrote:It was on 25 August 1991 that Michael Schumacher started his first race in Formula One, at Spa for Jordan. Over the next 15 years he established himself as one of the greatest drivers of all time, before retiring at the end of 2006.

However, as we all know he's back now, and as a result of this I was just pondering how ridiculously long his career has been. To reflect this, here's a thought: when he started his first race, my parents were not yet romantically involved, and I hadn't even been thought of yet. And yet here I am, soon to witness him race as a 15 year old.

So how much has your life changed over Schumacher's career span? Have you been born? Have you progressed from nappies to college?

Just interesting, I thought. And it can go horrifically off topic and still be kind of related to F1.

You just scarred me for life, as you just made me calculate something I really didn't need to know...
I was born May 1992. You can figure it out.

Your parents must have been pretty enamored with Schumacher's debut.

Pieman · Post by **Pieman** » 17 Jan 2010, 00:08

I was five, just starting school and absolutely hating it - something which never changed. My favourite motorsport was short-oval hot rod racing, which I'm heavily involved in now as a commentator and scribe.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 17 Jan 2010, 00:11

shinji wrote:
kostas22 wrote:
shinji wrote:It was on 25 August 1991 that Michael Schumacher started his first race in Formula One, at Spa for Jordan. Over the next 15 years he established himself as one of the greatest drivers of all time, before retiring at the end of 2006.

However, as we all know he's back now, and as a result of this I was just pondering how ridiculously long his career has been. To reflect this, here's a thought: when he started his first race, my parents were not yet romantically involved, and I hadn't even been thought of yet. And yet here I am, soon to witness him race as a 15 year old.

So how much has your life changed over Schumacher's career span? Have you been born? Have you progressed from nappies to college?

Just interesting, I thought. And it can go horrifically off topic and still be kind of related to F1.

You just scarred me for life, as you just made me calculate something I really didn't need to know...
I was born May 1992. You can figure it out.

Your parents must have been pretty enamored with Schumacher's debut.

My dad has had an extreme hatred of him as long as I can remember.
This explains rather alot...

ADx_Wales · Post by **ADx_Wales** » 17 Jan 2010, 00:22

This isnt precisely on the date in question, but the entire saga of Gachot getting arrested, I remember being told and confused about why an F1 driver would do such a thing.....
...then onto the hiring of Schumacher, having recognised his face from the "Castrol Bulletin" 4 page magazine that my father used to get for me (godknows where from), for those that dont know, the Castrol Bulletin consisted of what the Jaguar and Mercedes sportscar teams were doing on race weekends, and in 1991 Michael was there in the Sauber driver lineup.

Onto the race weekend and I'm not only trying to find out where Mansell is in qualifying (Ceefax page 362) but also Schumacher....7th, I'm 10 years old, but I know that if someone like Schumacher is driving a Sauber Mercedes C11/12/13 then he's bound to be good in an F1 car such as the Jordan 191.

Spa race day, I remember that it was Senna and Prost on the front row, Patrese had some sort of technical infringement which meant he had his Pre-Race warm up time used to determine his grid position in among the people who did their laps on the saturday, 17th??

So the race started, Schumacher up to 5th.....for 3 corners.....then all of a suddern, out. Good way to make your F1 entrance? Qualify awesomely for an F1 debut, gain 2 places at the start and then consider "ok thats me done for today"? It would have been nice to see how it would have all unravelled, instead we bare witness to Andrea De Cesaris' lapse in concentration, which turned out to be his rise up to 2nd place in the race, and then for him to see sense and slide off the track at the end of the back straight.

Mansell also retired, Gearbox issue, at ten years old all I wanted out of an F1 race was a Mansell win, not a championship, I didnt know one existed, at the time it only seemed applicable to McLaren cars to win championships and not individual races. Later in the year I'd be allowed to get up early to watch the Japanese GP, with its Inevitable anticlimax of Mansell losing the championship, which is something he apparently did a lot of. By this time Michael Schumacher had already switched allegiances to Benetton, Little did I know how much of an influence this German rookie would make in F1 if he didnt already make one in 1991.

TimmyB · Post by **TimmyB** » 17 Jan 2010, 00:26

I was 9 years old and Dad would often tape the races on Sunday evenings after my bed time,

I got to watch Schumachers debut after school. I can still remember Murray Walker saying to watch out for Schumacher and I can even remember being disappointed when I saw him retire with clutch failure.

27 and married now,

eagleash · Post by **eagleash** » 17 Jan 2010, 00:40

This is scary. I can remember where I was when Hawthorn won the championship.

Schumacher? Oh he's that new kid. They say he might not be too bad.

Post by **Nuppiz** » 17 Jan 2010, 00:55

I was one and a half months old when Schumi debuted, so nothing much here either...although my first F1 memories are from as early as 1994 (JJ Lehto driving the Benetton and Verstappen's incident at the German GP), I think I didn't pay attention to Schumi until Jerez 1997 (and even then mainly because of Häkkinen's first victory).

I do remember hating him in the late 90's/2000's though, but that's not the topic here.

Oh well, now I'm just about finished with high school!

Nessafox · Post by **Nessafox** » 17 Jan 2010, 01:22

don't know much about when i was little, but only 5 days later, 30 august 1991, i did remember that no-one less than ac/dc was playing in my village http://www.kiewit-hasselt.be/ http://www.last.fm/event/205299+Monsters+of+Rock , i was four and a half years old then, but i was there 8-)

i don't remember anything from the other bands.

DonTirri · Post by **DonTirri** » 17 Jan 2010, 09:00

eagleash wrote:This is scary. I can remember where I was when Hawthorn won the championship.

Schumacher? Oh he's that new kid. They say he might not be too bad.

How OLD are you Eagleash? O_O

On topic: I was a whisker under 3 years at that point. Don't remember much.
I do remember hating Schumacher right outta day 1 when I started following F1 in 1994

Collieafc · Post by **Collieafc** » 17 Jan 2010, 10:00

I was one month from being 3 years old. I was probably doing, well, whatever (almost) 3 years olds do, back then

mediocre · Post by **mediocre** » 17 Jan 2010, 10:22

Phoenix wrote:In the womb. Now, I'm the average 17-year old guy, really.

/sign

Warren Hughes · Post by **Warren Hughes** » 17 Jan 2010, 10:39

I was two-and-a-half (will be 21 this week). My little sister (now 18 and at university) had just been born.

RaceFace · Post by **RaceFace** » 17 Jan 2010, 10:41

Funny question :-)

Nostalgia turns up... had to go threw my 1991´s F1 yearbook as I read the subject :-)

As Schumi raced in F1 for the first time, I was 13 and that day in entered a kart-slalom event :-D

I remember quiet good because here in germany it was the sensation of the year to have a "hopeful" driver in F1. After the truck-load of german reject´s at the end of the eighteies and early nineties.

Anyways the Schumania in germany during the last 18 years has brought up a couple of good racedrivers and without schumi´s career, and the following karting-boom, we would surely not have 5 (or even soon 7 with Michael coming back )regular german F1 drivers...

Definitely I am no fan of "Schummel-Schumi" but german motorsport owes him a lot...

All the best from Frankfurt
Dave

Mister Fungus · Post by **Mister Fungus** » 17 Jan 2010, 11:20

DonTirri wrote:On topic: I was a whisker under 3 years at that point. Don't remember much.
I do remember hating Schumacher right outta day 1 when I started following F1 in 1994

This, just change 1994 with 1997.

FullMetalJack · Post by **FullMetalJack** » 17 Jan 2010, 12:00

Wasn't even born.

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 17 Jan 2010, 12:01

redbulljack14 wrote:Wasn't even born.

Same here

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 17 Jan 2010, 13:56

Wow, we have a lot of youngsters on this board (barring eagleash, it seems...). I celebrated my 9th birthday in the month in question and didn't care about F1 until about a year or two later, during the Williams domination...

tc3j3r · Post by **tc3j3r** » 17 Jan 2010, 14:03

I wasn't born. I wasn't even conceived. I wasn't born for over 2 years afterwards. The first race after I was born was the 1993 Italian GP, which was won by Damon Hill, featured one of the few highlights in a difficult year for Ferrari (probably their last one which was even worse than 2009, with the possible exception of 2005), and Michael Andretti's only podium! As for Schumacher, he retired from 2nd place, which would have become the lead when Prost retired, with engine failure.

midgrid · Post by **midgrid** » 17 Jan 2010, 14:35

Collieafc wrote:I was one month from being 3 years old. I was probably doing, well, whatever (almost) 3 years olds do, back then

Great, someone already posted my answer.

elho · Post by **elho** » 17 Jan 2010, 15:07

that was the race De Cesaris almost won?

i was seven years old and was cheering for his victory.
but i don't remember schumacher, which is understainable as he got out early.

CarlosFerreira · Post by **CarlosFerreira** » 17 Jan 2010, 15:47

Slumping on the sofa, expectantly, as a 10 year-old. Watched the race. Commentators made a fuss about him in the pre-race commentary, so it was a shame he did a Perry McCarthy off the line. Still remember it, though.

shinji · Post by **shinji** » 17 Jan 2010, 17:01

As I already said, I wasn't to be born for another couple of years - in fact, I was born just a couple of days after Imola '94.

Bit bleak.

watka · Post by **watka** » 17 Jan 2010, 17:10

Would have been 2 and a bit. Knowing me I would have watched it, my parents said that from an early age I used to stare at the television, eyes and mouth wide open whatever was on. They also tell me that I used to get really excited whenever the music video for Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U" came on, which is weird because I don't even think much of that song.

eagleash · Post by **eagleash** » 17 Jan 2010, 17:28

DonTirri wrote:
eagleash wrote:This is scary. I can remember where I was when Hawthorn won the championship.

Schumacher? Oh he's that new kid. They say he might not be too bad.

How OLD are you Eagleash? O_O

On topic: I was a whisker under 3 years at that point. Don't remember much.
I do remember hating Schumacher right outta day 1 when I started following F1 in 1994

In my first ever text I mentioned having followed F1 for 50 yrs...

I'm 55 as it goes.....50 is the new 30. Right guys? Guys? That's funny...... where'd they go?

shinji · Post by **shinji** » 17 Jan 2010, 17:33

eagleash wrote:
DonTirri wrote:
eagleash wrote:This is scary. I can remember where I was when Hawthorn won the championship.

Schumacher? Oh he's that new kid. They say he might not be too bad.

How OLD are you Eagleash? O_O

On topic: I was a whisker under 3 years at that point. Don't remember much.
I do remember hating Schumacher right outta day 1 when I started following F1 in 1994

In my first ever text I mentioned having followed F1 for 50 yrs...

I'm 55 as it goes.....50 is the new 30. Right guys? Guys? That's funny...... where'd they go?

It's just struck I've been having random conversations on the internet with a middle-aged man.

Mommy! Mommy!

eagleash · Post by **eagleash** » 17 Jan 2010, 17:41

shinji wrote:
eagleash wrote:
DonTirri wrote:
How OLD are you Eagleash? O_O

On topic: I was a whisker under 3 years at that point. Don't remember much.
I do remember hating Schumacher right outta day 1 when I started following F1 in 1994

In my first ever text I mentioned having followed F1 for 50 yrs...

I'm 55 as it goes.....50 is the new 30. Right guys? Guys? That's funny...... where'd they go?

It's just struck I've been having random conversations on the internet with a middle-aged man.

Mommy! Mommy!

Not funny!!!

You've just worked that out despite all those random digs about my age then?

shinji · Post by **shinji** » 17 Jan 2010, 17:47

eagleash wrote:
Not funny!!!

You've just worked that out despite all those random digs about my age then?

I just realised it there. Never thought about it really.

You seem fine though. As long as you don't offer me candy.

eagleash · Post by **eagleash** » 17 Jan 2010, 17:52

shinji wrote:
eagleash wrote:
Not funny!!!

You've just worked that out despite all those random digs about my age then?

I just realised it there. Never thought about it really.

You seem fine though. As long as you don't offer me candy.

Thanks (I think). The age difference to most on here has worried me a bit from time to time.

Even deep fried?

the only Candy I know (knew), is well past her best now & way too old for you!!!

CarlosFerreira · Post by **CarlosFerreira** » 17 Jan 2010, 17:58

eagleash wrote:Even deep fried?

You can. But the NHS will be all over you like a rash, for giving shinki cholesterol. :roll:

shinji · Post by **shinji** » 17 Jan 2010, 18:03

CarlosFerreira wrote:
eagleash wrote:Even deep fried?

You can. But the NHS will be all over you like a rash, for giving shinki cholesterol.

shinki

What a word.

danardif1 · Post by **danardif1** » 17 Jan 2010, 18:16

On topic (again)

I was two years old at this time, and probably sat on my dad's knee watching the race on whatever channel was showing it on that day... We were in Germany, so we had a choice of SSVC (now BFBS, the British Forces Broadcasting Service), RTL auf Deutsch, or Eurosport on satellite (if it was working...)

SSVC were rubbish and didn't show many, so once we got Eurosport it was a bit of a godsend, especially in forming the sporting tastes of me as a small child... otherwise I could've become a football fan

eagleash · Post by **eagleash** » 17 Jan 2010, 18:22

danardif1 wrote:... otherwise I could've become a football fan

I'll let you take this one Mr Goblin moderator Sir

danardif1 · Post by **danardif1** » 17 Jan 2010, 18:25

eagleash wrote:
danardif1 wrote:... otherwise I could've become a football fan

I'll let you take this one Mr Goblin moderator Sir

I'm glad I took the F1 side... I do support two teams (Bolton Wanderers and Hannover 96), but I would rather watch old F1 clips than Match of the Day..

CarlosFerreira · Post by **CarlosFerreira** » 17 Jan 2010, 18:31

danardif1 wrote:
eagleash wrote:
danardif1 wrote:... otherwise I could've become a football fan

I'll let you take this one Mr Goblin moderator Sir

I'm glad I took the F1 side... I do support two teams (Bolton Wanderers and Hannover 96), but I would rather watch old F1 clips than Match of the Day..

That's the spirit. Keep away from the dark side of the Force and it all be all right.

eagleash · Post by **eagleash** » 17 Jan 2010, 18:35

F1 or racing in general comes first with me. Then cricket. Haven't actually watched a footy match for about 15 yrs!!

danardif1 · Post by **danardif1** » 17 Jan 2010, 18:36

That's the spirit. Keep away from the dark side of the Force and it all be all right.

Football's ok in moderation, like watching out for your favoured team or cheering your country on in the world cup, or even having a quick multiplayer on me PS3 with mates... But F1 takes over your whole life, and that's why all of us still talk about it, even though there's been no racing whatsoever since November 1st...

eagleash · Post by **eagleash** » 17 Jan 2010, 18:40

danardif1 wrote:

That's the spirit. Keep away from the dark side of the Force and it all be all right.

Football's ok in moderation, like watching out for your favoured team or cheering your country on in the world cup, or even having a quick multiplayer on me PS3 with mates... But F1 takes over your whole life, and that's why all of us still talk about it, even though there's been no racing whatsoever since November 1st...

Cheer up we're now nearer to the new season than the old one. & in the Northern Hemisphere the nights have been drawing out for a month.