F1 ace meets Lithuania's low flyer.

Although he claimed that off-season promotional work had jaded him in defence of his world title, reigning champion Mika Hakkinen was more than happy to visit Lithuania for an unusual stunt last weekend.

Despite all the tension and preparation facing the Finn as he gets ready for the final four grands prix of the season, Hakkinen journeyed to Kaunas, the second largest city in the country, to witness a deed of daring-do that not even he would attempt.

Although he claimed that off-season promotional work had jaded him in defence of his world title, reigning champion Mika Hakkinen was more than happy to visit Lithuania for an unusual stunt last weekend.

Despite all the tension and preparation facing the Finn as he gets ready for the final four grands prix of the season, Hakkinen journeyed to Kaunas, the second largest city in the country, to witness a deed of daring-do that not even he would attempt.

Kaunas had spent days preparing for the event, cleaning up the streets, replacing street lighting and even opening a dam to raise the level of the river, which would play a key part in the day's events and, when Hakkinen got to the bridge over the river where a Formula Car was perched precariously on display, he was not alone.

In fact a staggering 250,000 people had turned out, packed on the river bank, not just to see one double world champion but two. Lithuania's Jurgis Kairys is an acrobatic flying ace, who has twice won the world title in his discipline and has regularly entertained his fellow countrymen by flying his aircraft under the bridges of the capital city Vilnius.

Hakkinen was already overwhelmed by the warmth of the reception from a crowd far larger than what he is used to at the grands prix. He was about to be stunned by what he saw. Kairys had promised to fly under a bridge in Kaunas, but the catch was he intended doing it upside-down.

He made a couple of passes under the bridge, the right way up. Then he headed for his target and flipped the plane. But at the last minute, he decided to abort the attempt and only just pulled out in time to clear the bridge. Then the big moment arrived. Roared on by the crowd and watched by Hakkinen, who had a perfect view standing in the middle of the bridge, he dived underneath it in the inverted position, his tail plane almost skimming the water.

After Kairys landed in a nearby field, he returned to the scene of his triumph, where Mika, in full race suit, was one of the first to congratulate him. The two men had plenty to talk about, as Hakkinen has tried his hand at a weightless parabolic flight and has also been a passenger in a jet fighter, while Kairys has been for a spin in the two seater West McLaren Formula One car.

''It was well worth it and I'm glad I went,'' said Hakkinen as he prepared to fly home to Monaco, ''but I think I'll stick to racing with four wheels on the ground.''

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