#299 Getting joy out of your job

As I write this (Sunday afternoon), the Formula One driver Robert Kubica is undergoing an operation on his hand after he crashed his Skoda rally car during the Rionde di Andora rally in Italy.  He had no need to be in that car, he has a secure job racing the Renault team’s F1 car, a sport that, despite the obvious dangers, is as safe as it is possible for motor racing to be.  If Kubica crashed, as he did in Canada in 2007, he would have some of the world’s best doctors on hand, a helecopter ambulance with its motors running all the time.  Add into the fact that a Formula One car is built around his body and designed to divert shocks away from him, and designed not to be punctured by any scenery it hits, you can conclude easily that if you want to go 100mph or more in any form of vehicle, you want to be in a Formula One car.

So why, if Kubica was in the pinnacle of motor sport, was he in a rally car, belting along roads with all sorts of sharp and dangerous things to hit, in a car that is, compared to his F1 car, as strong as a tin can?

Simple.  He loves driving, he loves the speed, the competition and the feeling of being in a car.  He was unlikely to win the rally, he did it simply because he wanted to, and unfortunately he has severely damaged his hand, fractured his arm and leg, and will certainly miss the start of the 2011 F1 season, and, depending on how bad his injuries are, may never race in F1 again.  Fortunately though, his injuries are not life threatening and hopefully he should be able to continue to compete in motor sport assuming he has most of the use of his hand.

Thirty or more years ago, it was the norm for F1 drivers to be found driving other cars when they weren’t racing Grand Prix.  Indeed, it was in a lower Formula race that two time World Champion Jim Clark lost his life, but since the sport became highly commercialized, Formula One drivers have been limited to what extra curricular racing they can partake in. Kubica, because he loves the sport, had managed to get his Renault team, with Lotus and Lada sponsorship, to allow him to drive for rival car company Skoda in a rally simply because he enjoys it.  Sadly, it has resulted in his serious injury, but he was doing what he loved – driving a car on the limit.  He had managed to work a way out of the F1 corporate world that has become too serious for its own good.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that I can get too serious in my trade, and that I am doing it not only because it pays me but because I love it.  I’m often too eager to judge a wine, taste it, give it a score and be critical of it when I should just sit down and drink the wine.  Last night I was having dinner with a few friends and was presented with some old Burgundies, and I had to remind myself not to be too critical.  These are old wines, the oldest was 22 years old, and I made the decision not to score them and just enjoy them for what they were.  Sure, I made tasting notes, but this wasn’t a time for analysis, it was a time for enjoyment and to see which went best with the Venison Wellington we were eating.

1989 Mazis Chambertin Faively

Soft and light berries, some tasty, but muted, bramble notes with sweet flecks throughout.  The palate was sweeter than the nose, with some alcohol creeping in, but then spice and black pudding coming through too.  There was some leathery texture on the finish, with dried fruit and cinnamon.  A lovely wine, probably at the end of its peak, but gorgeous.

1995 Clos de la Roche, Armand Rousseau

Staggeringly good.  Lovely floral elements, sweet berries with cherry and cranberry coming to the fore.  A lovely light honey element, covering raspberries and cherry stone.  Finally there was an elegant softness on the finish, just slowly creeping away. A simply stunning wine that is going to take some beating for my red wine of the year, and we are still only in February!  This wine is certainly one to just drink and savour.

1999 Givry 1er cru Clos des bois Chevaux, Domaine Joblot

Cranberries with a rich, honeyed aroma.  Lots of juicy fruit on the palate, lots of leather, spiced fruit and dusty cinnamon.  Quite a savoury wine, meaty flavours mixing with stalky fruit.  A gutsier wine than the other two, but still very tasty, and probably matched the food the best as it had a bit of youthful power to complement the rich game, mushroom and spinach dish.

Robert Kubica Website