Formula One, DTM, and a whole host of other varieties of racing landed in what might as well have been an alien planet for how out of place it was this week – Jerusalem, Israel.
In what was known as the "Peace Road Show," race cars from Ferrari, Audi, and Mercedes plied the streets of one of the holiest places in the world to three religions with the Old City as the backdrop. Israel isn't typically known for its automotive industry, despite the Sabra and Better Place, but the Powers That Be decided that it would make the perfect location to bring Giancarlo Fisichella to the land of milk and honey.
To my own surprise, the whole event went off without a hitch despite being in one of the most volatile locations on Earth, according to the Jerusalem Post:
Shaul Krozer, an Orthodox Jew from Jerusalem, noted the peaceful nature of the gathering as he stood near a group of Arab men and women to take in the event.
“All we have all the time is fighting, fighting and fighting, but everyone is here together and happy – Muslims, Christians and Orthodox Jews,” he said. “There are no fights.”
Indeed, despite the presence of an estimated 100,000 spectators, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that not one incident of violence was reported.
Maybe if we get a few more Peace Road Shows going on, combined with the Speed Sisters, we can finally achieve peace in the Middle East. We can have this whole thing solved in a jiffy.
We can have races in all sorts of places. The Korean DMZ. Kashmir. Congo!
Did Jimmy Carter ever think of that?
Big H/T to Daniel Adams for letting us use his photos!