Looking down to the Old Hairpin from the Craner Curves at Donington Park, the cars go left to right across your field of vision. You get used to a rhythm, a general similarity in the progress of the competing cars. When one machine breaks that rhythm, you get a shock. Did you really just see that?
Such a phenomenon happened back in April 1991, as qualifying for the circuit's British Formula 3 round highlighted the extraordinary cornering speed of the TOM'S 031F driven by Rickard Rydell, looking like it was in a sped-up film.
A beautiful, low-line projectile in sinister black, it had carried the Swede into an early championship lead. Surely it should dominate...