Has anyone been to the Malaysian GP who can help me with seating hints?
I am going this year and have narrowed the choices to F grandstand or K1 grandstand.
K1 is at the end of the main straight, so there's likely to be a bit of over-taking there, but otherwise the view is of a constant corner, so no view of the cars accelerating, and the wrong angle for the braking.
The F grandstand is over the back of the circuit and looks the biz for seeing the cars both accelerating and braking, as well as a distant view of the corner before the main straight.
Given my experiences at Melboure, I figure I need a TV screen, which K1 has (some way off) and the F granstand has in some pictures but not in others.
Anyone been?
Can anyone give me some advice?.
Help with Malaysian GP (2005) seating
Started by
sfem
, Jan 11 2005 04:51
13 replies to this topic
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#2
repcobrabham
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Posted 13 January 2005 - 04:07
sorry to get your hopes up sfem, but i'm asking the same question as you!
was just out to lunch bemoaning the fact that i can't get to melbourne this year (my 30th birthday is on march 5 so i've gotta stay in sydney) and the oz gp will be on a diff date next year because of the bloody commonwealth games - who gives a toss about that anymore? - when a workmate suggested malaysia as an alternative.
as well as seating, i'm also keen to get tips on the best flight / hotel deals, where to have a good time when stuck in the middle of a rainforest in the middle of a muslim country (i know they're quite secular over there, but still) and where else i should check out while i'm over there.
was just out to lunch bemoaning the fact that i can't get to melbourne this year (my 30th birthday is on march 5 so i've gotta stay in sydney) and the oz gp will be on a diff date next year because of the bloody commonwealth games - who gives a toss about that anymore? - when a workmate suggested malaysia as an alternative.
as well as seating, i'm also keen to get tips on the best flight / hotel deals, where to have a good time when stuck in the middle of a rainforest in the middle of a muslim country (i know they're quite secular over there, but still) and where else i should check out while i'm over there.
#3
BruceTC
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Posted 13 January 2005 - 04:43
I was there in 2003 (went as an option to going to Melb). Was a great experience but didn't have the atmosphere, etc of Melbourne.
I was in K at the end of the front straight - the best position. Practice and qualifying days were the best as you could wander anywhere in the stand to watch and there was hardly anyone else around(but you can't get up to the start/finish area). It was great to watch and hear the cars braking form tip speed and accelaerating, listenting to the traction control as they accelerated up the next strainght. There was a large screen there but itwas hard to read. The commentary was in Malay (I think) but if they had any idea they would use a radio like Melbourne.
But you do need to be in a stand - the heat and humidity are quite uncomfortable.
I went with a tour from here in Perth but didin't meet any of the other people. They provided a bus from the hotels in KL to the circuit and back which you need (I think was over an hour each way - can't remember exactly).
ther's some great little restaurants there - local stuff - cheap and the poeple were very friendly. Try chinatown at some stage - all the cheap team gear and loads of cheap DVDs, CD , etc
Hope that helps
Bruce
I was in K at the end of the front straight - the best position. Practice and qualifying days were the best as you could wander anywhere in the stand to watch and there was hardly anyone else around(but you can't get up to the start/finish area). It was great to watch and hear the cars braking form tip speed and accelaerating, listenting to the traction control as they accelerated up the next strainght. There was a large screen there but itwas hard to read. The commentary was in Malay (I think) but if they had any idea they would use a radio like Melbourne.
But you do need to be in a stand - the heat and humidity are quite uncomfortable.
I went with a tour from here in Perth but didin't meet any of the other people. They provided a bus from the hotels in KL to the circuit and back which you need (I think was over an hour each way - can't remember exactly).
ther's some great little restaurants there - local stuff - cheap and the poeple were very friendly. Try chinatown at some stage - all the cheap team gear and loads of cheap DVDs, CD , etc
Hope that helps
Bruce
#4
philhitchings
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Posted 13 January 2005 - 15:17
K1 is the business we were there in 03 too. you'll see the exit of the last hairpin the S-F straight. turn 1,2 exit of 3 run up to 4 the pit stops etc. etc. Stand F I am reliably informed stay fairly empty, it's a long walk from the entrance and it doesn't have any of the above 
definately agree with Bruce on chinatown the food as well as all the gear is great and so cheap. you might even Catch drivers and team members in the Market earlier in the week. (how else do think Eddie can still afford to wear a Rolex these days!)
definately agree with Bruce on chinatown the food as well as all the gear is great and so cheap. you might even Catch drivers and team members in the Market earlier in the week. (how else do think Eddie can still afford to wear a Rolex these days!)
#5
SchuOz
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Posted 18 January 2005 - 08:48
I was at Sepang last year & i was sitting in Citrine on the back straight which was great as you could view about 50% of the circuit, you could see the cars coming out of the turns 6 & 7 (Double right hander), all the way to the last corner hairpin. At $299 AUS, great value for money !
I wouldn't sit at K1 - turn 1.....you will be totally cooked from the sun as it's facing straight at you for most of the day & believe me it's seriously hot at Sepang.
F grandstand would be great, seems like a nice viewing area, only downside is that its hard to get to.
The best viewing in my opinion would be on the last corner hairpin ( TOWER), if you have the dollars that is.
On the friday, the gate attendants are very lenient, i had a chance to get into a few of the stands. Just tell tell them you've come from overseas just to see the F1. There's isnt many people at the circuit on Friday, mostly poeple from foreign countries.
As for Kuala Lumpur, what a great little party town, i absolutely loved it, you will definitely have an awesome time. Unfortunately i can't go to Malaysia this year, but i've decided that from 2006 onwards, i will be giving Melbourne a miss & heading to Malaysia instead.
I wouldn't sit at K1 - turn 1.....you will be totally cooked from the sun as it's facing straight at you for most of the day & believe me it's seriously hot at Sepang.
F grandstand would be great, seems like a nice viewing area, only downside is that its hard to get to.
The best viewing in my opinion would be on the last corner hairpin ( TOWER), if you have the dollars that is.
On the friday, the gate attendants are very lenient, i had a chance to get into a few of the stands. Just tell tell them you've come from overseas just to see the F1. There's isnt many people at the circuit on Friday, mostly poeple from foreign countries.
As for Kuala Lumpur, what a great little party town, i absolutely loved it, you will definitely have an awesome time. Unfortunately i can't go to Malaysia this year, but i've decided that from 2006 onwards, i will be giving Melbourne a miss & heading to Malaysia instead.
#6
philhitchings
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Posted 18 January 2005 - 16:54
K1 row s or higher and you are in shade all day! granted any lower than that and you would indeed be just a grease spot on you seat
#7
bellissima
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Posted 20 January 2005 - 03:21
Hi... thought I could help with some infos. I hightly recommend the K1-Platinum seats for the best view on Turn1 & 2. Tho make sure you get seats higher up. You'll get to see the big screen tho the sound system here is usually crap. What I usually do is bring along my portable TV to listen the commentaries. (coz there's no radio channels for F1 in M'sia like in Melbourne).
If you're an adventurer, (& have more$$$) then invest in the Tower seats. Trust me, you'll get the best seats ever, and the best treatments. You might get a chance to go for Pitwalks, and get easy access to any other grandstands like Diamond, Cyrstal, Citrine and Sapphire. (If you're a foreigner, much better, coz the ppl here just gets intidimated by you
)
I've given up on hillstands seats and F grandstand coz it takes too much time to get there and get back to the mall area. It's hard enough to get the bus/taxi back to KL city. Though I'm a Malaysian, I still can't stand the heat & the humidity in Sepang. (bring along caps, shades & lots of water). Other places to check out in KL (besides Chinatown) would be the Bintang Walk area, Bangsar, Beach club area near KLCC and there are loads of clubs/pubs here in KL.
If you're an adventurer, (& have more$$$) then invest in the Tower seats. Trust me, you'll get the best seats ever, and the best treatments. You might get a chance to go for Pitwalks, and get easy access to any other grandstands like Diamond, Cyrstal, Citrine and Sapphire. (If you're a foreigner, much better, coz the ppl here just gets intidimated by you
)I've given up on hillstands seats and F grandstand coz it takes too much time to get there and get back to the mall area. It's hard enough to get the bus/taxi back to KL city. Though I'm a Malaysian, I still can't stand the heat & the humidity in Sepang. (bring along caps, shades & lots of water). Other places to check out in KL (besides Chinatown) would be the Bintang Walk area, Bangsar, Beach club area near KLCC and there are loads of clubs/pubs here in KL.
#8
philhitchings
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Posted 20 January 2005 - 23:38
you gotta do the towers too! that was so cool even if you end up there during a huge rainstorm! like we did. KL rocks and so does Malaysia and the people 
#10
sfem
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Posted 29 March 2005 - 04:38
Just got back from the Malaysian GP, and thought I'd share my experiences for someone else's benefit.
I chose the F grandstand, which is at the 'back' end of the circuit, as it was the same price as the K1 Platinum and appeared from the season review DVDs to give the best mix of acceleration, braking and high speed. I was not dissapointed.
I've been to the Aussie GP previously and sat in the pit lane grandstand which is good for the pits action, but a bit dull otherwise. The cars just fly past and there's no perspective of speed etc.
The K1 stand at Malaysia appealed 'cos it's close to the Mall area, but that just means the shops and wotnot. You can get in there on the Friday anyway, if you talk fast enough ... and there are loads of shops around the place ready to take your cash.
The F grandstand I thought gave a good alround view, because you got the view of the main and back straights, so a good view of both Webber incidents. It also had a nice sequence coming down hill out of turn 5, turning into 6, a blat along a short straight, then a hard right and gunning away to the even tighter turn 8.
This year we had the 'advantage' of getting a good view of Webber's playing as well as Davidson's engine letting go right in front of us, Kimi spinning off in practice and him taking to the grass when his tyre gave out in the race.
One of the surprising things I hadn't picked up from TV is that the circuit is quite undulating. You can see the dip in turn 2 on TV, which btw is much more pronounced in the flesh, but between turns 5 and 6 there is a bit of a downhill.
In fact on TV turn 5 looks like it switches back immediately into turn 6, but the racing line sees the cars straighten out the bit between and give a burst of acceleration. I'd alredy seen an F1 car in action but it still amazes me just how utterly incredible they appear are in the flesh.
There have been a few improvements in Sepang in the past years, the commentary comes through on radio (FM90.2) and the transport to and fro' the circuit is not too bad, if you're patient and not expecting Melbourne-like efficiency.
There are circuit shuttles that take you around the ring-road, so getting to and fro' is fairly easy.
Only warning, take toilet paper!
The toilets there are mix of 'european' seats and 'asian' squatters, but on Friday there was no paper, just hoses, and on Sunday they had 2 rolls of paper in the morning.
As for the GP, I'd thoroughly recommend it. Unless you're Australian. To a man, the Aussies moaned continually, vocally and had all around muttering that 'no it's not Albert Park, but I wish you were back there ...'.
If you like the Aussie GP for the amount of on-track entertainment, the efficiency of the transport, the closeness to the middle town, the less hot weather, then just go to the Aussie GP. If you choose to go somewhere else, please accept that it's not like home. That's why it's called travelling.
I chose the F grandstand, which is at the 'back' end of the circuit, as it was the same price as the K1 Platinum and appeared from the season review DVDs to give the best mix of acceleration, braking and high speed. I was not dissapointed.
I've been to the Aussie GP previously and sat in the pit lane grandstand which is good for the pits action, but a bit dull otherwise. The cars just fly past and there's no perspective of speed etc.
The K1 stand at Malaysia appealed 'cos it's close to the Mall area, but that just means the shops and wotnot. You can get in there on the Friday anyway, if you talk fast enough ... and there are loads of shops around the place ready to take your cash.
The F grandstand I thought gave a good alround view, because you got the view of the main and back straights, so a good view of both Webber incidents. It also had a nice sequence coming down hill out of turn 5, turning into 6, a blat along a short straight, then a hard right and gunning away to the even tighter turn 8.
This year we had the 'advantage' of getting a good view of Webber's playing as well as Davidson's engine letting go right in front of us, Kimi spinning off in practice and him taking to the grass when his tyre gave out in the race.
One of the surprising things I hadn't picked up from TV is that the circuit is quite undulating. You can see the dip in turn 2 on TV, which btw is much more pronounced in the flesh, but between turns 5 and 6 there is a bit of a downhill.
In fact on TV turn 5 looks like it switches back immediately into turn 6, but the racing line sees the cars straighten out the bit between and give a burst of acceleration. I'd alredy seen an F1 car in action but it still amazes me just how utterly incredible they appear are in the flesh.
There have been a few improvements in Sepang in the past years, the commentary comes through on radio (FM90.2) and the transport to and fro' the circuit is not too bad, if you're patient and not expecting Melbourne-like efficiency.
There are circuit shuttles that take you around the ring-road, so getting to and fro' is fairly easy.
Only warning, take toilet paper!
The toilets there are mix of 'european' seats and 'asian' squatters, but on Friday there was no paper, just hoses, and on Sunday they had 2 rolls of paper in the morning.
As for the GP, I'd thoroughly recommend it. Unless you're Australian. To a man, the Aussies moaned continually, vocally and had all around muttering that 'no it's not Albert Park, but I wish you were back there ...'.
If you like the Aussie GP for the amount of on-track entertainment, the efficiency of the transport, the closeness to the middle town, the less hot weather, then just go to the Aussie GP. If you choose to go somewhere else, please accept that it's not like home. That's why it's called travelling.
#11
MONTOYASPEED
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Posted 01 April 2005 - 03:51
Did you take the bus to KLIA after the race? It took us about 1 and a half hour to get it.
Other than that, it was awesome!
Other than that, it was awesome!
#12
sfem
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Posted 01 April 2005 - 06:37
I did get the bus, and our journey from the track to KLIA was a breeze.
Of course that was helped by the fact that because we were at the back of the circuit, and the shuttle buses filled up at the gates ahead of ours, it took us about 1.5 hours to get a shuttle that came past with empty seats!
I wasn't in any particular hurry so sat under a tree, had another beverage and read my book.
It would have been better to get back to the city more quickly, but hey, I was on holiday and wasn't going to get stressed over it.
Where abouts were you sitting?
Of course that was helped by the fact that because we were at the back of the circuit, and the shuttle buses filled up at the gates ahead of ours, it took us about 1.5 hours to get a shuttle that came past with empty seats!
I wasn't in any particular hurry so sat under a tree, had another beverage and read my book.
It would have been better to get back to the city more quickly, but hey, I was on holiday and wasn't going to get stressed over it.
Where abouts were you sitting?
#13
Sith
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Posted 02 April 2005 - 02:56
I've been to every Malaysian G.P. I had to say that this year was right up there with 99' for HEAT and HUMIDITY! They're postioning screens in better places now, but they still need to put one opposite the "mushroom" stand. (last corner)
As for seating, i've sat in all of them. I still say the best view is in Topaz, section S1.08.
As for seating, i've sat in all of them. I still say the best view is in Topaz, section S1.08.
#14
MONTOYASPEED
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Posted 03 April 2005 - 01:34
Originally posted by Sith
I've been to every Malaysian G.P. I had to say that this year was right up there with 99' for HEAT and HUMIDITY! They're postioning screens in better places now, but they still need to put one opposite the "mushroom" stand. (last corner)
As for seating, i've sat in all of them. I still say the best view is in Topaz, section S1.08.
I really liked K1 Platinum.
