Gerhard Berger

You know, a good race for me was the Macau F3 in 1983, when Senna won, Guerrero was second, and I was third.

In '83 I was racing a Ralt-Alfa, the ex-Mansilla/Dick Bennetts car. Then at the end of the year I was invited by Chuck McCarty to go to Macau with Trivellato; it was Ravaglia's car.

For me it was just a new experience. I didn't expect a lot of success there, because it was a new circuit to me, I still had no experience in F3, and I didn't know the team, I didn't know anything. I just knew I wanted to drive the following year for the team.

I remember when I go round it I was in love from the first moment with the circuit, it was really something that I liked. It didn't compare with another street circuit.

I remember Hong Kong was really quite funny. I had a special radio for the helmet that I got from Chuck in England, which I brought with me. I remember there were some other F3 drivers, and Cathy Muller was asking me, "Ah, where did you get this nice radio?" and I said "I just bought it here. Very cheap", I told her, "It's very cheap".

"Ah", she said, "I want it too". So I said, "It's very easy. You go by taxi." I made a map: "...and then you go right, left, right, left, right, left, left, straight. Ten minutes with the taxi, you will find it, and there you will get it cheap".

So they went off with the taxi, right, left...and come back five hours later, everybody upset, and find out that I was buying the things in England. That was the first good thing! Then I went in the evening with Jean-Louis Schlesser to the massage clubs, and had some fun there...

I remember it was the day before practice. Always I was the last going home, and Tommy Byrne was one of the last ones always too. It was already 3.30am, and I thought, "Shit, if somebody sees me now I can't practice tomorrow!" I was just about to go home, and I look round the corner in the disco, and who was sitting with three girls round him? It was Pirro, having fun there too!

Next day practice was nice. I was going round, but I didn't find the line, I wasn't quick, but suddenly an orange car passed me. I'd never seen a car like this before, it was a Japanese car, the Hayashi. It was so quick round the corners, it was just going sideways two millimetres from the wall, fantastic.

And I just tried to follow him. I thought this ******* Japanese guy is just pushing! I kept two or three laps behind him, and he pulled away a little bit more. I was really impressed, and afterwards I remember I went and looked on the list which car it is, and it was Eje Elgh. My mechanics were laughing, because I was speaking about a Japanese driver, and he wasn't.

But he really showed me the lines through there, and from this moment on I was quick; I think I was fifth or sixth on the grid. So the starting grid was Senna and Guerrero, Brundle and Martini, and me.

So anyway we start, and there was immediately a crash with Martini and I don't know which others. After the first lap I was third. Senna led, and under his gearbox was Guerrero, and I was under the gearbox of Guerrero. We were pulling away from the rest.

But Senna, at every corner he made some extra two or three metres, and after two or three laps he was already ahead in front. Of course he had super material, but he was driving very good.

The second race was the same; I finished third behind the two. I was not far behind Guerrero, but I preferred to have a sure third place than to risk for second place. So for me I was really happy, because it was a great race, and from this moment on people start to realise who I was. Everything was fine.

In the evening I went to pick up some prize money or some cups, and I remember they give me the quickest lap. I never did this lap, which got some extra money. I checked, and I was sure Senna did the quickest lap, and we told them.

In the evening there was a party, and I spoke for the first time with Senna and with Dick Bennetts, who I knew because I bought a Formula 3 car from him. And then travelling back...

It was just a fantastic trip. I remember on the jumbo with Tommy Byrne; Tommy was completely pissed. He opened up a pillow; he cut it a little bit, and he put the stuff from inside through the jumbo. And it goes round and looks like it's snowing in the plane. People were very upset!

It was much more nice than these days. Less pressure, much more fun...