By Jonathan Wong

WHAT was all the fuss about?

That was my first thought as I sat in the Caparo T1, otherwise known as the Johnnie Walker Join the Pact Supercar, yesterday.

Sure, it had a top speed of 329kmh on a low downforce set-up, and could exert more than 3G of pressure when braking or cornering.

A member of the Johnnie Walker staff even warned me before I was strapped into the passenger seat: "Don't hold your breath, and remember to breathe." Now, how difficult could that be to follow?

Then the man behind the wheel, former Formula One world champion Mika Hakkinen, 40, began to accelerate, shifting through the six gears as we blitzed past the photographers at about 130kmh.

Suddenly, it felt like I had left my heart and other vital organs some 200 metres behind.

Within seconds, we were almost at the end of the strip of tarmac at the Changi Exhibition Centre. I considered yelling to the Finn to point this out.

As if reading my mind, Hakkinen slammed the breaks as we swerved around the cones - we were so close I could have picked one up but, alas, the signals between my brain and my hands were malfunctioning.

I gingerly touched my six-point harness and silently cursed the engineers: Why hadn't they given me a seven-point one instead?

By then, it was apparent to me what the fuss was about. Thankfully, I had decided to skip breakfast, choosing prudence over a full stomach.

As I craned my helmet-protected head to see the flashing data on the steering wheel - more out of curiosity than for knowledge - the signal for the second lap came, a thumbs-up from the Finn's gloved hand.

This time, I told myself, I would be ready. But, before that thought could be repeated and memorised, my heart had again abandoned my body.

Cars that accelerate 0-100kmh in under 2.5 seconds will do that to your digestive organs.

To catch a glimpse of the supercar, go down today to the Johnnie Walker Black Lounge at Clarke Quay.

The Flying Finn, as Hakkinen is known, showed why he is the perfect "designated driver" of the brand's responsible drinking campaign. He handled the searing heat and the supercar with ease.

His fingers and hands moved perfectly as he shifted the gears and gripped the wheel and steered.

The lap over, he manoeuvred the car back to the start line as I caught my breath, finally remembering how to inhale and exhale. It may have been only two laps but the adrenalin was still pumping inside me.

Reluctantly, like a child whose trip to the candy store had ended abruptly, I got out of the car. As I paused to shake hands with Hakkinen, another passenger was being readied for a drive.

Having picked up his fifth fare of the morning and donning his blue and white helmet, the Flying Finn was off.

Again with minimal fuss.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.

For more The Straits Times stories, click here.