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Italian GP 2013


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#51 masa90

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Posted 10 September 2014 - 10:11

Thanks for all the help on this topic !

 

Made it back home now, had an amazing race experience !

 

Thanks guys !



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#52 Exb

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Posted 11 September 2014 - 04:08

Yes, thanks for all the advice - it was incredibly useful:up:
I didn't bother with the shuttle buses in the end as the normal service (z221) dropped off a lot closer to the entrance (I ended up walking back to town on race day as I hadn't done much walking round the track that day choosing just to stay in my seat and I thought it would give the crowds at the station some time to die down a bit - took exactly an hour at a steady (well exhausted after 4 days) pace using the route KjetilS suggested (very simple, didn't get lost once, unlike trying to find my hotel in Bergamo). If you get the chance I would definitely recommend going on Thursday to the pit-lane walk (although avoid the top teams if you don't like crowds, it gets crazy - I watched on with a mix of horror and amusement as the drivers came out, how the little kids at the front didn't get crushed I have no idea as the people at the back all push forwards and several security blokes shove the railings back, I kept well away (mainly) up by the scrutineering bays which is a great spot to see all the different cars as they come up for checking. Also trying to walk past the main gate to the paddock is a bit of a nightmare as hundreds of fans gather there to wait for drivers and you have to fight your way through if you want to get to the other side of the track and then there are cars trying to get through as well into the car parks - its an area best to avoid (unless you want to get crushed/run over, or see the drivers). The security guys are pretty ruthless as well and have no problem physically moving the crowds back using the barriers which would be no fun if your stood at the front with the rest of the crowd pressing you forwards and the security men pushing the barriers back. These are the same security men that rugby tackled Peter Sauber one morning as he was trying to get into the paddock just as Fernando's dad (apparently according to the bloke I was speaking too) had just turned up and they obviously thought he was trying to sneak in - only once the photographers there intervened did they let the poor man go :(
Apart from the overzealous security guys and risk of death if you want to try and see the drivers there are no other negatives - the crowd was wonderful and the atmosphere great and all the fans of different teams got on really well. I loved wandering the track on Friday and trying out as many of the grandstands as possible - my favourite would have to be 8A, followed by 6C at the 1st chicane and then probably 19 at the exit of Ascari and Saturday I tried a few of the general admission areas at Lesmo (P3) and Parabolica (quali) although I wouldn't have swopped my race seats on the pit straight for anything - not the best view in the world as the cars came flying past so quickly but being able to see the grid form in the half an hour before the start and then actually watch the start live instead of on the screens was great, and of course seeing the podium at the end was fantastic.
Bergamo was a great place to stay - the trains ran from plenty early enough until late and weren't crowded at all - even on race day and was very convenient to get back to the airport first thing Monday morning as its only approx. 10 min bus ride on the airport bus which runs every 20mins.

(oh and a little tip if you do want to see the drivers and not get crushed by the gates - walk up and down the access road on the way into the circuit, whilst meandering my way out on both Fri and Sat (about an hour after the action had finished in an attempt to let the main crowds die down) I came across several without even looking, first Lewis rode past on his motorbike, followed by Kimi in a Ferrari, Daniel Ricciardo and finally Jenson who was out jogging round the park), if only I had bothered to keep my camera out of my bag :p Although I've already got hundreds of photos of the cars which will take me weeks to sort through - I don't need to add anymore in.



#53 Ide

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Posted 14 September 2014 - 10:43

I was again in Monza after 6 years. Grand stands weren't as full as last time but still there were much people around. When we drove close to Milan towards Lecco, there were pertty big traffic jams and also in Monza. But from there it was nice to drive to our hotel in Calolziocorte. We're thinking to go by train to Monza but tried by car. And what a surprise. There weren't big jams from north. So we could arrive to Lesmo by car whole the weekend. Probably most of the F1 tourists from from Milan where the jams are.

 

Here's my photo gallery about the Monza 2014 weekend.