Grand Prix Rejects

PLAYLIFE wrote:

dr-baker wrote:Wow! The second review of Monza based upon this year's GP! It was indeed hot but the passion and enthusiasm made up for it, as it also would have done in the downpour in 2008. And Australia must have been expensive - we paid (well, my dad paid) €14 for two roast pork rolls... And drinks' prices were typical of captive markets, ie. not cheap. But definitely worth a visit.

The prices at Monza for me were cheap relatively speaking.
Going back 3 years ago, in Oz they were selling souvlakis for $18 AU each (€14)! Absolutely nuts. The ticket prices though are cheaper, for the best grandstand are $500 AU (~€360). I paid €350 for my grandstand at Monza at the first chicane, and it was partly obstructed by a photographers stand. The most expensive grandstand seat at Monza was from memory around €500-600.

So I guess the Aussie promoters make their money back on perishables rather than outright ticket prices.

Is this the photographers' stand you were referring to? You can estimate roughly where I was in the grandstand by the angle of this photo.



And do you remember seeing this guy?!

aand the legal drinking age in italy iisss???

nome66 wrote:aand the legal drinking age in italy iisss???

18 is typical through most of Western Europe...

well it's 21 here in the states for.....well....many, many reasons. a usual tradition here is on your 21st birthday you update your Driver's license and hang it 'round your neck then go out for your first(most of the time) drink.
to be honest, i am not 21 yet, but i'm inching closer and closer to 18 so i might hit europe for that.

I thought it was 16 on the continent

dr-baker wrote:

nome66 wrote:aand the legal drinking age in italy iisss???

18 is typical through most of Western Europe...

18 seems to be more of a suggestion in England. Almost all under 18 year olds drink, I did before I turned 18, so it can't be that strict.

It's usually 18 for beer, wine and cider and 21 for spirits.

Here, 16 is the age from which you are legally allowed to buy cigarettes.

redbulljack14 wrote:18 seems to be more of a suggestion in England. Almost all under 18 year olds drink, I did before I turned 18, so it can't be that strict.

You say that, but it looks very different from where I stand now than it did when I was 18. Back then, it genuinely was possible to turn up with a fake ID at a local supermarket or a Thresher's or similar, and buy beer at, say, 16. Sometimes it failed, sometimes it was successful. These days, the whole "Challenge 21" was not thought to be enough of a deterrent, so there are places that have switched to "Challenge 25" and can be really quite unreasonable about it. Early last year, having already cracked 30, I was buying a bottle of rum and the woman at the counter (more than middle aged, I'd say she was between 50 and 60) tried to ask me for ID. Telling her I was 30 made her relent - as it should, but this should never have been an issue anyway, because it's not so much a case of "do I look under 25?" as "am I 17?" and the answer should be an obvious no on both counts. That I've had a beard the size of Brian Blessed since I was 22 should have hammered the point home even further. Meanwhile, at a recent gig (a couple of weeks ago), at the age of 32, I was mistaken for local musical hero, Rod Boston. Rod will be 40 before the year is out. So, you could say that, in the eyes of various people, in the last 19 months, I've aged 22 years (i.e. from 17 to 39). And yet, I don't look any different to how I did 19 months ago, bar the huge scar on my left elbow where it was rebuilt a few days after that incident with the bottle of rum, and the two are entirely unrelated.

Where was this topic going again? That's right... circuit visits. Silverstone, 1991, and some banger racing circuits in Essex in the mid-to-late 1990s... I'll write something if I can remember it!

tommykl wrote:It's usually 18 for beer, wine and cider and 21 for spirits.
Here, 16 is the age from which you are legally allowed to buy cigarettes.

16 for soft alcohol and 18 for hard alcohol here. (then i don't know what percentage is the border)
but then again, at most places there is absolutely no control, because drinking is in our heritage
basically we feed our babies with Duvel

Oh on topic you say, sorry.
Does a circuit review from Rock Am Ring count as usefull for this forum?

yes.....slightly

Well i can say the kerbstones in the mercedes-benz area are amazingly comfortable to sleep on!
And that the paddock is way too small for the main stage.

dr-baker wrote:Is this the photographers' stand you were referring to? You can estimate roughly where I was in the grandstand by the angle of this photo.

Yep that's the stand that was directly in my vision of the big screen! Looks like we weren't too far way from each other

Don't remember seeing that guy! There were a few clowns about though!

This wrote:Does a circuit review from Rock Am Ring count as usefull for this forum?

nome66 wrote:yes.....slightly

In that case, I've been to Donington a couple of times... for the old Monsters Of Rock festival in 1995 and 1996. I've got some far-off photos of Metallica somewhere...

PLAYLIFE wrote:

dr-baker wrote:Is this the photographers' stand you were referring to? You can estimate roughly where I was in the grandstand by the angle of this photo.

Yep that's the stand that was directly in my vision of the big screen! Looks like we weren't too far way from each other

Don't remember seeing that guy! There were a few clowns about though!

I was in row N, seat 101... And definitely some clowns! And I was disappointed in not being allowed one of the icecreams from the icecream sellers walking around the grandstand - I'm diabetic. On such a hot day, an ice cream would have been nice...

dr-baker wrote:
I was in row N, seat 101... And definitely some clowns! And I was disappointed in not being allowed one of the icecreams from the icecream sellers walking around the grandstand - I'm diabetic. On such a hot day, an ice cream would have been nice...

I was row K seat 206 from memory. We only sat there during the race itself, and only after the people's seats we were keeping warm came back

I saw a guy wanting a beer during the race, and the beer seller was asking 9EU for it lol

PLAYLIFE wrote:

dr-baker wrote:
I was in row N, seat 101... And definitely some clowns! And I was disappointed in not being allowed one of the icecreams from the icecream sellers walking around the grandstand - I'm diabetic. On such a hot day, an ice cream would have been nice...

I was row K seat 206 from memory. We only sat there during the race itself, and only after the people's seats we were keeping warm came back

I saw a guy wanting a beer during the race, and the beer seller was asking 9EU for it lol

€9 is a bit steep, isn't it?

Five Flags Speedway: A very high banked half-mile oval, located in my hometown of Pensacola, Florida. Every year, there is a very popular racing event called the "Snowball Derby", which is held every December, and is for lower class stock cars. I've only been to one race around 1996, or 1997. I was about 10, or 11 years old at the time, so my memory on the experience is a little faded. But from what I recalled, the seating was great, and you get a great view of the whole track. Weekend passes are very reasonable, and there are also events where you can bring you're own road car for a drive on the track. Not much else I can remember from it, other than there is a nice fireworks show at the end of the race.

Track Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Flags_Speedway

Pensacola Civic Center: Not a race track, but a medium sized indoor stadium that is also located in Pensacola, Florida. It is mainly used for ice hockey events. Every year, the USHRA would hold a non-championship monster truck race called the Thunder Nationals. I've seen several notable monster trucks there. (Like Bear Foot, Black Stallion, Monster Patrol, Bulldozer, Grave Digger, and local truck Reptoid) The highs are that there are plenty of seating for everyone. The exits, and parking are very well organized. The event also has other good racing events to fill in as well. Such as lawnmower, motocross, rc car, and (staged) ATV racing as well. Lows are that the tickets, and food are way overpriced ($2 for a hot dog? Come on!), and you can't bring you're own food in. There also isn't very much room for the monster trucks to get to their full power. But overall, it's a great place to see something casual, and there's nothing like the sound of a monster truck inside a stadium.

Stadium Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pensacola_Civic_Center

Barber Motorsports Park: My first "real" race track. Located in Leeds, Alabama. I came to this track in 2009 to see a Grand-Am race. I think Alex Gurney won the race. I had a nice view of the hairpin on turns 12-14. They also have a very nice motorcycle museum right near the track, which sadly I didn't get to see due to time constraints. Highs were that the ticket prices were very reasonable, and you could camp anywhere on the track if you went for the basic pass. You could also bring you're own food, and seats as well, which helps a lot when you are in an outdoors race. Parking is also very plentiful, and well organized. The only lows that I could think of the track is that you couldn't see much of the race due to trees that obscure the view at times. But it's a roadcourse, so what do you expect? The loudspeakers were not very loud, so I had no idea who won the race until I saw the local news report later that night. I loved the track, and the race there, and I would definately go ther again if I had the chance.

Track Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barber_Motorsports_Park

Queensland Raceway
Quite a dull track to watch races on TV, however it is great as a spectator as you can see the whole track from most spectator points. I went to both the 2004 and 2005 rounds of the V8 Supercars here, and the main thing I remember was Jason Richards' roll coming out of turn 3. It was on the other side of the track, yet I could still clearly see it and got to see the replay on the big screen right in front of where I was sitting. The racing wasn't particularly memorable, though.

Speed on Tweed Street Circuit
A short sprint circuit made for the Speed on Tweed historic racing festival. From some spots you can see a fair bit of the circuit, such as on the soccer field or at the Taylors Corner service station. It's always an enjoyable event to go to, mainly because of the amount of great historic racing cars, but also for the many legendary Australian racing personalities that show up. Also, in 2009 it played host to a super-special stage for Rally Australia. The added chicane was the best spectator point for this, as you'd see just how quick the cars could accelerate down the hill and see the drivers amazing car control skills.

Couple of questions for my fellow Britons:

1) I now live in Putney, SW London - how hard is it to get to Brands Hatch from London and how long would it take on public transport?

2) Is Brooklands worth a visit?

JeanDenisAlcatraz wrote:Couple of questions for my fellow Britons:

1) I now live in Putney, SW London - how hard is it to get to Brands Hatch from London and how long would it take on public transport?

2) Is Brooklands worth a visit?

Although I don't live in London, I can tell you now, you can forget public transport. Brands isn't really that accessible by public transport as it's a bit tucked away really.

Having said that, with the mess that is the road network in South London, driving there from where you are isn't ideal really either. Fighting your way across the South Circular (A205) and then hooking up the A20 would be the best bet, but it might even pay off taking a route south to the M25 and going that way, depending on the day you go.

Can't say anything about Brooklands I'm afraid, I've never been there!

AndreaModa wrote:

JeanDenisAlcatraz wrote:Couple of questions for my fellow Britons:

1) I now live in Putney, SW London - how hard is it to get to Brands Hatch from London and how long would it take on public transport?

2) Is Brooklands worth a visit?

Although I don't live in London, I can tell you now, you can forget public transport. Brands isn't really that accessible by public transport as it's a bit tucked away really.

Having said that, with the mess that is the road network in South London, driving there from where you are isn't ideal really either. Fighting your way across the South Circular (A205) and then hooking up the A20 would be the best bet, but it might even pay off taking a route south to the M25 and going that way, depending on the day you go.

Can't say anything about Brooklands I'm afraid, I've never been there!

AndreaModa is sadly correct - Brands Hatch is in quite a rural location (which makes the noise complaints from the resident of the local village of West Kingsdown all the more galling).

And I too would like to visit Brooklands for the first time sometime soon (while I am still this side of London...).

I live in Kent myself, so the best way to get to Brands Hatch is hooking up with the A20 and following the signs, which there are plenty so you shouldn't get lost.

As for Brooklands, I'm afraid there isn't a lot left to see. Industrial and housing estates take a lot of the track away. There's also a river that runs through it and two main roads. There is however, nearly one complete banked turn and about 300 yards of straight to visit. It's all been fenced off and is badly overgrown with weeds, grass, tress etc. Also a small museum and plenty of shops still selling historical stuff. If your interested in the historical side of it, it's worth a visit just to see the little bit of track still accessable.

...but these trifling problems never stopped James May and the legendary Sim Oakley from "rebuilding" Brooklands in Scalextric.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9mWPXH_nvY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6TberaBFO8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY4I8qua_Ic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY5ZmkR7O7M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OPeosWveYc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYezyMHfhcQ

Pond? Main road? Housing estate? Business park? Pah! Easily surmountable, we say!

AdrianSutil wrote:As for Brooklands, I'm afraid there isn't a lot left to see. Industrial and housing estates take a lot of the track away. There's also a river that runs through it and two main roads. There is however, nearly one complete banked turn and about 300 yards of straight to visit. It's all been fenced off and is badly overgrown with weeds, grass, tress etc. Also a small museum and plenty of shops still selling historical stuff. If your interested in the historical side of it, it's worth a visit just to see the little bit of track still accessable.

I went to Brooklands Museum for the first time last week. Not much to add above, but definitely worth visiting as it is still possible to use your imagination to imagine what it must have been like to charge around it in a racing car. It really is a travesty that so much of it was demolished and not preserved, especially considering its heritage as the first purpose-built auto race track in the world ever. English Heritage, National Trust, somebody could have preserved it... If I ever get into a position of influence with a sizable budget...

I feel like a moron. I was in Milan earlier this year and simply forgot to visit Monza. FORGOT. It's only 20 minutes and 2,10€ away by train from the city centre as well.

Please, someone, take me outside and beat me for this heinous crime I have committed. I feel empty inside.

Biscione wrote:I feel like a moron. I was in Milan earlier this year and simply forgot to visit Monza. FORGOT. It's only 20 minutes and 2,10€ away by train from the city centre as well.

Please, someone, take me outside and beat me for this heinous crime I have committed. I feel empty inside.

*aims heat-seeking papaya launcher at Biscione, both for that and violating "giving up series creation rights" stuff*

I unwittingly stumbled upon parts of the old F1 layout in Porto when I was there at the start of the month. I was at a festival at the Parque da Cicade and the start/finish lines and grid hatchings are there (they still use it for WTCC). There were also plaques in the ground commemorating various drivers who had raced at the GP, including Maria Teresa de Fillipis.

Have only been to two circuits myself: Knockhill and Silverstone.

Knockhill - Marshalled at a few club races a few years ago. It's basically a field in the middle of nowhere. Track has loads of elevations. Facilities are minimal. There's a nice little kart track next to it. Nothing much more to say really! If the BTCC didn't go there once a year it probably would have been long abandoned!

Silverstone - Won a pair of grandstand tickets for the GP in 2012. Parked at Towcester Racecourse and bussed it the rest of the way. Over an hour from there to the circuit. Once inside I realised that the horror stories of years gone by are for the most part gone. Loads of souvenier stands, food wasn't the cheapest but wasn't too expensive, although seven quid for a packet 10 fags is ripping it a bit! Only one entrance to the circuit, near Luffield. The "F1 Village" is near the old Bridge corner and plenty to see and do there. My seats were at Stowe and it didn't really take too long to walk there from Bridge.

Stowe's a good vantage point if you're in one of the grandstands there, looking right down Hangar Straight and towards Vale and Club. Just be warned that there's a helipad right behind you so you will be blown about a bit! There's also a screen opposite Stowe A (where I was) but the sun was out in force that day so couldn't see anything due to glare. Luckily the goodie bag I had received had a small FM radio so I could listen to the circuit commentary

A few gates opened after the race for spectators to make their way onto the start/finish straight. This was the first GP they did the podium interviews, but I sadly didn't see it! I did see Vettel though, he came out with a crate of Red Bulls for the fans!, and the back of Jackie Stewart's head!

A selection of pics I took are here

So, in case some of you don't know, I got to spend the Friday in Shell hospitality at Spa-Francorchamps, where a couple of really awesome things happened. Here's all the pictures I took.

http://imgur.com/bxmskWE - The 2010 (2011?) Ferrari
http://imgur.com/i7WQ6J9 - At Eau Rouge
http://imgur.com/HmwjXIv - In the GP3 paddock
http://imgur.com/I592yAs
http://imgur.com/VPoFhAb
http://imgur.com/MI2BlN9
http://imgur.com/cuGfwYA
http://imgur.com/RHJaz4J
http://imgur.com/su5b89g - Into the Porsche Supercup paddock
http://imgur.com/gbyPIoD
http://imgur.com/wApOO9r
http://imgur.com/9EUqSYF
http://imgur.com/5kymhr5 - Pirelli's station

More to come later...

Went to the third American Speedfest at Brands Hatch at the weekend. Saw Jeffery Earnhardt compete (son of Dale and nephew of Dale Jnr.) as well as Michela Cerruti. I wanted to have my photo taken with her when I did a pit walk at the Formula E testing at Donnington last summer, but had a second chance when I had the chance to do a grid walk before the Elite 1 race on Sunday. She appeared happier in the photo than I did! Good support race in F5000 (Historics obviously, and a rare chance for them to run unsilenced - spectacular!). Sad that the pick-up truck series was not racing this time, but they had recently just raced on the same Indy configuration at a truck-racing meeting just 7 weeks or so earlier.

Oh, and towards the end of the day, they recreated a scene from Back To The Future, with a yellow VW camper van chasing a DeLorean round the track, and as they crossed the line, pyrotechnics went off and there was a lot of smoke. I wonder what happened there?!


The Back To The Future re-enactment at Brands Hatch


Me and Michela Cerruti!!!


Jeffery Earnhardt at Brands Hatch in his first visit to the UK.

And finally:

Here, you can see just how much camber there is to the track along the grid. And in the distance, you can see the entry to Paddock Hill bend on the crest of the hill...

Looks like it was a nice day Baker, but you didn't quite make it onto ITV4...

AndreaModa wrote:Looks like it was a nice day Baker, but you didn't quite make it onto ITV4...

Wearing a Marussia shirt I see. Nice one. You make this man proud

So I'm about to book up my FE tickets for Battersea Park this week. I know a few others are due to go. Do you think we can get a group of GP Reject forumites together on ITV4?

Went to Silverstone last year with a friend and got Village A tickets, which were excellently located, and high enough to see most of the rest of the track as well (man, that place is FLAT). We brought all our own alcohol and food, and I'd recommend others do the same if you have the luggage space. The weather kept changing and the race was exciting, and I managed to show off all my SniffPetrol t-shirts and defunct Super Aguri clothing.

In what was a fantastic weekend, my only two complaints were of the hour-long break they took to fix a random piece of wall that was away from any spectators, and there was pretty much no communication to us in the crowd about what was going on. All we got were messages on the big screen saying "race to resume in 15 minutes". But 15 minutes later we'd get a new sign saying "race to resume in 20 minutes". Good job, guys

But my major issue was that my friend and I (students) couldn't afford for one of us to get both tickets in one purchase, so when we bought them separately - the two purchases were done within the space of a minute or so - we were given seats in completely separate areas of the grandstand! That did kind of p**s me off, especially as we'd sat together before the race began, and the person whose seat we were taking only came to take it about 5 minutes before the race began. It shouldn't have been a big deal, but at the time it was.

Would I go again? Yes, definitely, definitely yes. But I'll be at Spa this year probably instead.

Rob Dylan wrote:But my major issue was that my friend and I (students) couldn't afford for one of us to get both tickets in one purchase, so when we bought them separately - the two purchases were done within the space of a minute or so - we were given seats in completely separate areas of the grandstand! That did kind of p**s me off, especially as we'd sat together before the race began, and the person whose seat we were taking only came to take it about 5 minutes before the race began. It shouldn't have been a big deal, but at the time it was.

Should have phoned them up instead. Or pay less, get General Admission tickets, queue up through the night and do it that way. Much more fun in my mind!