Throw down the gauntlet to a Formula 1 world champion, and he’ll always find it hard to resist the challenge.
Fresh from a trademark blast through the field to finish second in Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton arrived in South Africa to take on a head-to-head battle around Johannesburg’s famous Kyalami grand prix circuit.
The challenge was simple: could the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver race around the track and match the speeds of Vodacom Business’s Metro Ethernet Fibre network (Metro E) – a brand-new, super-fast, high-capacity broadband service capable of transporting large amounts of data at extreme speeds.
Lewis was equipped with a 250km/h Mercedes-Benz AMG C63. Metro E was tasked with transporting 5.4GB of data (the equivalent of about five full-length movies) from the suburb of Midrand to the more northerly area of Sandton – about 15km. The data was compiled from images and personal messages from well-wishers who used a dedicated website, www.vodacombusinesslightspeed.co.za, to pass on their data.
“I can never resist a challenge,” said Lewis. “I’m a racer at heart, and that applies to everything in my life. So taking part in the race at Kyalami was a fantastic way to demonstrate the speed of the Vodacom network.
“I knew it was going to be tough to beat the Vodacom Business Metro E before I arrived in South Africa as we had calculated the lap time required. I have never driven at Kyalami before but it is a great circuit, full of undulation and tough, technical corners. I really enjoyed getting to know the track and after a few attempts I was getting close and my best flying lap of 120 seconds. Like Metro E, Formula 1 is all about constantly improving technology and performance so perhaps in my Formula 1 race car there would have been a different result. I had a fantastic day and thank you to Vodacom Business for inviting me to Kyalami circuit.”