Crash Test buddies when Brett and Sachin went go-karting

Chapter 22 On one of my many promotional visits to India I teamed up with Sachin Tendulkar to be ambassadors for Boost Energy drinks After wersquod finished shooting a television commercial we arranged to have dinner with Liz and Sachinrsquos wife Anjali at Sachinrsquos own Mumbai restaurant Indians eat notoriously late so it was about midnight when we finished our meals and as we prepared to say our goodbyes Sachin asked me in his typically quiet way lsquoWould you like to go gokartingrsquo lsquoYeah that sounds great Let us know what time tomorrow and wersquoll link uprsquo I replied lsquoNo no I mean nowrsquo said Sachin I was surprised but why not Soon afterwards we arrived at a track Irsquom not sure if it was Sachinrsquos own facility but there were certainly a lot of people making sure he had everything he needed as soon as we got there There must have been 30 or more pumping petrol starting karts up checking tyres polishing helmets dusting the track Someone wheeled out Sachinrsquos kart which had 10 his cricket number on it Another one was wheeled out for a friend of Sachinrsquos and I was given one that didnrsquot look as flash as the others Irsquom sure Sachin stitched me up We all got fitted in the proper clothing including gloves but when it came to getting into our machines my fast bowlerrsquos backside was too big for the seat Sachin laughed I had no choice but to accept I was like an elephant driving a Mini About halfadozen workers at the track jumped into other karts to swell the race number and before I knew it I was on pole at the start line swallowing smoke and waiting for the lights to change Before I go any further I must tell you that one of the reasons Sachin has had so much success on the cricket field is because he wants to win in fact he has to win And he was the same behind the steering wheel of a kart Red orange green and racing We floored it and headed into the first bend of a figure eight circuit Straight away Sachin flew up on my inside but I didnrsquot see him in my little putting machine I took a different line and in doing so bumped another driver coming through who in turn crashed into Sachin That triggered a pileup after only 10 seconds of the race I looked over and there was a wheel spinning next to Sachinrsquos head The worldrsquos best batsman got out and cracked up laughing He was just a big kid having fun We ended up having another race which Sachin won By the time wersquod finished mucking about it must have been about two or three orsquoclock in the morning I was exhausted Then Sachin asked me lsquoDo you want to go for a drive tomorrowrsquo lsquoYeah what timersquo lsquoIrsquoll pick you up at half past fiversquo That sounded a good plan to me I didnrsquot know exactly what he meant by going for a drive but since it was Sachin I expected therersquod be some surprise involved I told him Irsquod rest up throughout the day and see him in the evening but he shook his head and said lsquoNo no I meant 530 this morningrsquo Not wanting to disappoint him I went back to my hotel had a couple of hoursrsquo sleep and woke up like a bear out of hibernation At right on 530 a red Ferrari pulled up at my hotel Vrroooom Everywhere else there was quiet But within a minute or two there were 50 or more people crowded around the car saying to each other lsquoSachin and Brett Leersquo Many were ringing their friends and telling them I got in the car and then Sachin spun around and sped off It was dead quiet on the road and it was only then that I realized this was the only possible time Sachin could drive without either traffic jams or the hassles of his own popularity which would cause even bigger traffic jams Extracted with permission from Random House Indiau00a0My Life Brett Lee with James Knight Random House 499 It is slated for an early June release after which it will be available at bookstores The many sides to brett lee Australian bowler Brett Lee L leaps in the air as he celebrates the wicket of England batsman Matt Prior as teammate David Hussey R looks on during their fifth OneDay International ODI cricket match at the Gabba in Brisbane on January 30 2011 PicAFP Lee plays the bass guitar or acoustic guitar for his band Six amp Out Here he is seen strumming a few notes at an eventu00a0in Mumbai Pic Santosh Nagwekar Brett Lee Walks on the ramp to showcase the collection of designers Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla during the Pearls Delhi Couture Week 2010 PicSubhash Barolia