Hidemi's Rambling No.194

It’s the weekend for GP of Canada. One time, when I was in Montreal, I got the information for a pit stop competition as one of the race week events. It was a free event in which the team crew competed for the fastest time of their pit work. I went to the circuit but nobody was there except for a few staff members who were preparing for the GP. At a couple of the gates, the staff stopped me saying that there was no event today. But because I was adamant about the pit stop competition, they let me through with suspicious looks. At the last entrance gate to the circuit, though, I was decisively denied to go through. I repeated about the event and they called the security staff. They discussed the matter together by talking over their walkie-talkies. They couldn’t confirm the event and told me to leave. It was a long walk from the subway station and I didn’t want to make this an unnecessary trip. Enclosed by the circuit, there stands a casino. I played there not to waste my trip. I lost a lot of money instead. The next day, I found out that the pit stop competition was held at a closed section of the street downtown Montreal. In Japan, the similar event is usually held at a circuit during the GP week and I was certain it was the case in Canada, too. I felt so embarrassed about my blindly assured manner to the circuit staff, based on a false assumption. Above all, what a costly event it turned to, thinking of the money I lost at the casino…