Weighing in literally in VS .NET

Generating Code39 in VS .NET Weighing in literally

All too soon, an official calls away the driver and takes him through a special garage, where he is weighed so that scrutineers can work out whether his car was of legal weight during the race After being weighed, a team member takes the driver s helmet away and hands him a special cap, designed to show off his and the team s sponsors Then the driver climbs up to the podium

There was a time when drivers would turn up for the podium only if they wanted to, but in modern Formula One, this special post-race ceremony is organised with military precision Of course, it has to be with several million people tuned in around the world and wanting to share the joy with the winning drivers The podium is usually set-up high above the pits and in front of a main grandstand, so that as many fans as possible can see the top three drivers At most tracks, after the cars have returned to the pits, the fans are allowed to run onto the track so they too can get close to the action

On the podium are three steps, one each for the top three finishers of the race The middle step is the highest, and this is designed for the winner To the right of the winner is a slightly shorter step that the second place finisher stands on To the left of the winner is the shortest step for the third place finisher When the ceremony is ready to kick off, the three drivers step out onto the podium followed by a representative of the winning team Out on the podium as well will be between one and three VIPs, whose job it will be to hand out the trophies

The first national anthem to be played is that of the winning driver, followed by the national anthem of the winning team After this, the race winner and team representative are presented with their trophies, followed by the second and third placed driver

Finally comes the moment that everyone has waited for: the champagne, which gets sprayed everywhere not a surprise with a bottle for each of the top three finishers Usually the focus is on the race winner who will find his rivals pouring champagne over his head, over his overalls, and down the back of his neck It is a small price to pay for winning the race!

Although the race winner may be very tired and soaked in champagne, he is still not allowed to return to his garage and get changed because it is time to meet the world s media And like everything else in Formula One, this takes place to a rigid timetable

Winning a Formula One race would not be the same if the drivers did not get to spray the champagne on the podium, and it s hard to believe that the tradition only started after a spur of the moment decision back in the 1960s But don t think this was some elegant French race winner keen to show off the fine French drink because it was an American who started it all Dan Gurney, a successful Formula One driver, had just won the Le Mans 24 Hours for Ford in 1967, when he was handed a bottle of champagne for a celebratory drink His emotions got the better of him, and he thought he would spray it over other team members and fans not knowing at the time that he was about to change the face of the sport

As soon as the drivers have finished on the podium and perhaps dropped their trophies and bottles of champagne down to their team members below, they are rushed off to a special television interview room This is the first chance the world will have to hear just what went on in the race from the drivers perspective and that s why so many people tune into this interview This is the one interview that is always broadcast straight after the podium ceremony on every single television channel The drivers are always asked two questions each in English about their race before the winner is handed his final moment of glory by being asked about either his championship prospects or the next race Afterwards those drivers whose first language is not English are asked to speak a few words in their own languages, specifically for their fans back home