A great race is the sum of all its parts. That includes the location, the atmosphere, the glamour, the history. "Monaco" is arguably the most glamorous place in the world. Beautiful people roam the streets, which themselves twist and turn, climb and fall on the semi-mountainous principality. Almost everywhere you look a dramatic vista awaits. The Casino, the Sporting Club with its famed disco, dozens of friendly bistros and fine restaurants, beckon the visitor. If you buy a seat on the circuit's fastest section, you'll be facing the sterns of magnificent yachts whose owners have purchased the right to back onto the race course. Just prior to that, following the left turn at Casino Square and a downhill plunge past the Hotel Mirabeau, the cars race through a curving tunnel at over 140 mph, going from bright sun to deep shadow and out into the sun again, reaching 180 mph before the tight right-hander around the swimming pool.

I've attended the Monaco grand prix twice, on the second occasion as guest of a wealthy oil man. We stayed in a rented villa some forty miles away and traveled to the circuit by train. How many tracks offer that opportunity, as opposed to hours of sweaty vehicle lineups? Our seats faced those fabled yachts and no prudish gate attendant would dare have prevented us from enjoying the fine French wine we brought to go with our exotic lunch; everyone else had done the same. When the "58th Monaco Grand Prix" is run this Sunday I won't be there. I won't even watch the telecast live, because 5:00 AM PDT is a bit early for one of my advancing years. I'll record it on DVD and replay the race in the morning, coffee mug at hand. But when the cameras pan over the harbour I will recall the beauty of the setting; when they zoom in on the yachts I might even be envious. And when the race begins, even knowing that he who enters the first turn first has the best chance, I'll be on the edge of my seat, living every moment. The long, drawn-out hours of the Indy 500 can't begin to compare. Monaco is truly the crême de la crême of motor racing. Photo: http://www.f1-tickets.co.uk