20 replies to this topic

[hodgsonc]

Me, my wife and my son (age 9) went to Silverstone. I've been twice before but this was their first time. I thought I'd share the experience with you.

We left home at 4am and arrived near Towcester at 7.30am. With all the talk of better access roads and new car parks I expected to drive straight into the circuit and into a lovely new tarmac car park - not a chance!

7.30am pulled off the motorway and straight into a queue of traffic, very slow moving and at sometimes completely stationary. Eventually got into the car park at 9ish. 90 minutes to do about 5 miles!

I had been allocated a parking space on the Sunday and displayed by permit with pride. Did we have a space in a tarmac car park - not a chance. In a big field behind the main grandstands (thank god it was dry on the Sunday)

Got into Silverstone circuit at 9ish and walked up to club corner. I'd never viewed from club before but had heard it was a good place.

We decided to watch from the top of a bank, the bank was full of people in deckchairs so thought it was a good spot as they'll probably watch sitting down so we would have a good view.

10.15 drivers parade, wife waving frantically at DC, my son nearly fainted when he saw Schumi!

11.00 Porsche support race, 40 mad men trying to kill each other, very entertaining. But makes you appreciate how much better a race is when you know the drivers!

12.15 Red Arrows started their display, absolutely amazing sight, crowd in complete silence as they watched in awe. According to the commentator they fly just 6 feet apart for some manoeuvres. I was praying they didn't crash as they may cancel the GP!

12.30 GP cars take to track to drive round to grid (suddenly everyone has lost interest in the Red Arrows).

1.00 race starts and the noise was unbelievable, after 20 cars flew past your ears were buzzing. After an hour the cars were spread out so the noise was constant and you had to wait for a gap in the cars to be able to talk to each other!

We heard that the first safety car was because of debris but didn't know what it was. Then we noticed DC had gone in the pits and we thought it was for a sudden change of strategy, but he was 2nd last and our hearts sank as we thought he'd be lucky to get any points now.

2nd saftey car came out and didn't know what was wrong - heard from a guy with a radio that it was because of some plonka on the track.

Everyone dives in the pits and DC comes around in 3rd place behind both Toyotas! Surely the Toyotas will break down by half distance and DC will take the flag - magic, crowd going wild (apart from the guys in the red gear!)

Because we couldn't see a big screen from our place we had to work out what position others were in and as they pitted and lapped other cars we got completely lost for about 10 minutes as cars flew past and you didn't know who was leading. Then the guy with the radio said Kimi was 2nd so we worked out from that the other positions and got excited about the fact Barrichello was leading and Schumi was battling with the BAR cars.

Luckily the guy with the radio kept us informed about how many laps were left so we could cheer on the last lap. Everybody stood up on the slow down lap and was blowing their air horns like crazy. Barrichello was a worthy winners as everyone at club gave him plenty of appreciation!

The time just wizzed passed, the race was over so quick it was unbelieveable.

We thought it would take ages to get out of the car park so we decided to have a look round the merchandise stalls and the promotional stands. We walked back towards the main grand stands and noticed that the marshals were allowing anybody into the grand stands over the start/finish line. So we decide to go take a look to see what it was like. We got seats just overlooking the start/finish line and luckily there was a support race about to start. It was historic cars - they looked like small cobras. We only watched a few laps - but at least we had a feel for what it was like to watch the race from the pit straight.

Latter we heard that one of the drivers was killed from the historic car race, lost control at Becketts and hit the tyres.

Leaving the cark park wasn't too bad but there was a bad accident on the north bound carridge way of the M1 so everyone was having to use B roads to get further north to join at a different junction. We got back about 8.30pm, decided to watch the race on TV and see if we could see ourselves but we were too knackered and were ready for bed just after 10.

Overall a brilliant day - thank god it was sunny and dry, it would have been a very different day if it had rained!

So lessons learnt:

Take a radio incase you can't see any of the big screens.
Take some beer in a cooler box.
Aim to arrive at the circuit for 6am at the latest.
Let your children take their gameboy to help pass the time while waiting for the race.

I went to buy some Fosters just before the race started but they were charging £2.80 per can, I fancied a drink but me name ain't Best.

Hope you all found it worth reading.

[MichaelJP]

> We left home at 4am and arrived near Towcester at 7.30am

If I suggested to my wife she should leave at 4.00am for a motor race I'd get a very short expletive-filled reply!

> Aim to arrive at the circuit for 6am at the latest

That means you're going to have to leave at 2.00am next year!

Seriously though, it is a bit ridiculous to have to arrive at a venue 7 hours before the actual event, can you imagine anyone doing that to watch a football match? And they're real fanatics!

- MichaelJP

[Fortymark]

The time just wizzed passed, the race was over so quick it was unbelieveable

The race should be another 1hour if you are there to see it live imo.

[lukywill]

good writing

[Ghostrider]

Thanx for sharing!

Sounds like you had a great time!

[Suzy]

Glad you had a good time. I would like to fill you in on one thing though: David Heynes wasn't killed in the crash at Becketts as far as I know. I understand that he suffered a heart attack behind the wheel which caused him to lose control. Whatever the circumstances, it was a sad end to a great day.

You're right about taking a radio in future. I use a walkman with headphones that go over my head. A coolbox is a good idea too - can also be used to sit on/stand children on so it is multi-purpose.

I hope you liked Club for spectating - I find Club and the Vale excellent spots.

Suzy's Scandal will follow this evening - I've finally finished it.

[Bumper]

We went to Silverstone by public transport from London which is always a grind, left home at 5.45, arrived in Northampton by train at 8.25 and could have made it to the track by 9.00 if the promised shuttle buses had been at Northampton station After 1/2 hour waiting in vain, we decided to share a taxi with a couple of other fans. The taxi whisked us from Northampton station to Silverstone in 20 mins via all kind of country lanes, no traffic jams whatsoever! Had he gone for the "official" motorway route we would probably have been stuck in traffic like you Hodgsonc. We intend to hire a car next year and follow the taxis from Northampton station!

[VAR1016]

Well, my friend and I left London at about 5.30.

We meandered around the back roads of Buckinghamshire, arriving at the circuit at about 7:15.

Within five minutes we were parked and finding our way to our seats on the Farm straight.

Leaving was the same; we were on the road within 10 minutes of starting the car.

We enjoyed all the races, but thought it a bit mean of the organisers not to provide TV coverage of the historic race.

PdeRL

[philhitchings]

My now 6 year old daughter (it was her birthday on Monday) and I left the house at midnight Saturday, to get our coach. which departed at 00:45. We arrived at the circuit by 3:15!!. As a veteran of several BGP's I was amazed at how quiet everywhere was. Zero traffic, whereas in previous years the queues started sometime on a Friday night and continued until Monday lunch time! they have even put in overhead footbridges from the Litchlake camp site which is much better than playing chicken with frustrated car drivers

My daughter (and I) was so excited that she didn't go back to sleep so after half an hour or so of her asking to get out of the coach, we wandered down to one of the gates, with all our gear. Got in as soon as the gates opened and went down to Club.

The place seemed really quiet from previous years and didn't really "fill up" until much later in the morning (probably because there is no longer any F1 warm up). settled ourselves right at the front so that Hannah (my daughter wouldn't get an obstructed view!).

Her day was made when, during the drivers parade, she was asked by the spectator marshal near us whether she would like to go onto the track to wave her flag at the drivers. The course marshalls had erected a teddy bear in a deckchair trackside and were obviously doing their best to make the childrens' day even more special. She returned from trackside after the F1 truck had passed, saying that Michael Schumacher had waved at her (just her of course ;) never mind the other children who had been there). Thanks to the Club marshalls

She got a little bit bored when she hadn't seen "a real racing car" Apparently 6 year olds don't consider Maseratis real racing cars (though the Porsches were OKish!) A few games of Uno in between races kept her amused though. I got a little worried when she dozed off at about ten to one!! but the parade lap soon got her intersted again.

The race was excellent, seeing the cars from Stowe apex to the Abbey chicane was brilliant, and my daughter is now a fully confirmed F1 fan "when we come back next year can we stay all weekend please!!" . We were both quite hoarse from shouting for "our" teams to spur them on, and the walk back to our coach seemed to take much longer than the walk in the morning had done.
The journey back also took longer but mainly due to M25 road works rather than anything else. Getting out of Silverstone itself was quite surreal no traffic jams apart from a little delay getting onto the M1. Got home about 8 ish.

My only complaint, the merchandise stalls: They were selling their stuff at £ rate rather than Euro rate (which most of the team sites sell in these days) e.g. £55 pounds for a Williams rucksack as opposed to 55 Euros It was such a con, and these were official stalls!!!! She decided it would be better to get our goodies off the net instead. "I can have more that way" (Don't know where she gets it from )

For my daughters' first race she couldn't have had a better time. Watching it partly through her eyes, was incredible really. She did me proud chatting to the other fans, and pointing out the interesting things she'd spotted, such as "wobbling" Minardis (mid corner oversteer I think), and even the odd understeer. I still can't get her to watch the whole race on TV as she quite rightly says "It's not the same, even if you turn it up really loud"


Roll on next year

[hodgsonc]

phil

Well it's a small world. I was at club with my son and he wanted to know why the children could go out on the track and he couldn't - as I mentioned I was right on the top of the hill.

I also have trouble getting my son to watch the race all the way through although he really enjoyed his first Silverstone experience. I couldn't even get him to watch the qualy on the TV to help get him excited - I teased that if he didn't I'd give his ticket to a proper F1 fan!

We are keen campers and I'm tempted to get booked up early for a camping weekend near the track next year. Looks great atmophere, from what I've seen from on TV when they show the odd camping clip from various tracks.

[PEW]

hodgsonc

Camping is a great option. You don't have to book unless you want one of the more up market campsites. I camped for 4 nights at Windmill which is just 150 yards from the North Gate. One of the quieter sites as it is right next to the marshalls' campsite but with some nice fireworks and a good number of children.

Best sound in the world - an V10 turning over on a damp Thursday afternoon.

Unlike you, I was refused admission to Farm for the Historic Sports despite having an enclosure ticket!

[Suzy]

WARNING - LONG POST

Here it is! Suzy's Scandal. The Silverstone experience of a motor-racing fan.


Thursday
I headed up to Silverstone after work. Although I live 29 miles from the circuit, I much prefer to stay up there. I don’t camp though; I save that for club events. Rather than staying in Silverstone village, I opted to spend the weekend with my friend Tim in Dadford.
Things got off to a bad start thanks to a delay on the A43. A lorry had overturned on the central reservation which very kindly blocked 1 lane of the road in each direction. Combine that with the usual volume of traffic and you have what can only be described as a monumental traffic jam! I did wonder how Bernie would try and pin the blame on Silverstone for this but then remembered that he was away. Or so I thought…

Friday
Bit of an early start. Tim was opening the shop at 6.45am each day! This gave me ample time to trundle around the circuit and see what was happening. Even at 7.15am there are a lot of people wandering around. There were also quite a lot of religious slogans pinned up on fences quoting passages from the New Testament. I raised my eyebrows but the significance of those wouldn’t be realised until Sunday afternoon.
It was interesting though. There were lots more facilities for the spectators and there seemed to be a lot more room behind the Woodcote grandstands. I pondered this for a second and then realised that some fences had been moved which meant the merchandise stalls could be shifted back. Very impressive.
The great thing about a Friday is that it is free-for-all as far as grandstands are concerned. This means you can sit wherever you like. In a moment of madness, I decided to walk around the perimeter track and enjoy the 2 hour Friday test session from various vantage points. So off I went. I got as far as Becketts when the rain began to fall. I wondered how Bernie would blame Silverstone for the rain.
I carried on walking and then settled myself at Stowe. What a great view. You can see the cars exiting Becketts, coming down the Hangar Straight, see them all the way though the Vale, Club, Abbey, Farm and right up to Bridge!
As the test session drew to a close, I continued my walk. I stopped at Vale to see the F1 cars out in force – awesome. I love the Vale and Club for pictures – you can get some really good close-up shots. The exit of Beckett’s on the outside is good too. It was interesting to see the different lines drivers took as they exited the Vale – I particularly rated the way the Minardi’s attempted to get airborne on the kerbs on each lap. And it had stopped raining.
Then we came to Friday qualifying. I had completed my lap in a time of 2 hours 45 minutes and decided to get a look in the pit garages. Now that screens have been banned, sitting in the Pit Straight grandstand with a long lens means you can get a good look around. I positioned myself right opposite the McLaren garage so I could look at Kimi. From there I could see inside Ferrari, Williams, McLaren and Renault as well as Sauber beyond the gap.
This took me back to my first ever Grand Prix where I had race seats in the pit straight – ironically right opposite the McLaren garage. But more memories were to come flooding back – as well as what I can only describe as quote of the year.
I found myself sitting next to a young Finnish lad and his mother. Neither had ever seen a Formula One car before (although the young lad – I never did get his name) had seen Rallying in Finland many times. He was a huge Kimi fan with impeccable English and was totally awestruck at seeing cars and drivers for the first time. Those of us who attend races and tests on a regular basis can become blasé about it “it’s just a car”. But for those who have never seen it before, it is a very special feeling – just like it was at my first race. His excitement at seeing drivers and cars was infectious and I found myself scanning the garages and pointing out Nick Heidfeld on the pitwall, Ted Kravitz interviewing Alan McNish, McNish and Montoya having a chat before the session started. And then we saw Kimi. Oh the joy at seeing his favourite driver. During the session, we guessed who was coming out next, marvelled at the speed of the cars, discussed Silverstone’s history and took lots of pictures. At the end of the session he told me that he had “dreamed about seeing a Formula One car one day and his dream had come true”. It was such a pleasure to be part of it. But, then came the quote. He turned to me and said “You know, I was very disappointed that Bernie was so nasty about Silverstone. It is such a lovely circuit. And, you know, I am very sorry for you and the British”. Oh? I asked why. “I am so sorry that you having to share your Nationality with Bernie!!!”. I managed to keep a straight face but it still makes me smile.
Post-Qualifying I caught up with Tim. We had a stroll around and then worked our way over to the centre. The first thing we saw was an Apache helicopter. My goodness me, it’s a fearsome thing. And it started to rain again. So we headed for the Paddock Diner. Fat chance! Diner, Bar and Paddock shop all barricaded off and nowhere to shelter. I was a touch annoyed because it means that there is nowhere on the centre for those punters to shelter should the need arise. And there was more disappointment to follow as nearly all the support race paddocks were cordoned off and being guarded by security. The only one open was the Historic race paddock. So we had a stroll around there instead. After that we retreated to the Luffield A grandstand to watch Porches with no sense of direction and the historic cars practising.
The Grand Prix ball was held at Stowe School that night. Tim and I were treated to a wonderful firework display before the guests boogied on down to the best of early 80’s pop music (Abba, Soft Cell, the Nolans etc.).

Saturday
Not another early start! Getting lost in the Silverstone car park which looking for the perimeter road didn’t help us. My grandstand was the Silverstone Racing Club one and I had a nice seat. I realised early on that perhaps I hadn’t needed my raincoat after all and I was glad I’d put my shorts in my bag. It was going to be a hot day! It was busier than Friday which is normal and I noticed that some of the merchandise stands were putting up their prices. In fact, merchandise at Grand Prix’s is something of an art. It is always cheaper on a Friday. Williams’s seemed to have a bit of confusion with their pricing policy with £5.00 difference between identical items on 2 different stands. Renault were pushing Alonso stuff very heavily. As for Toyota and Mercedes – talk about pricing themselves out of the market! A Toyota baseball cap would set you back £21.50!! These prices did not stop me buying a cuddly McLaren though. It’s a child’s backpack – but I’ve realised it’s the perfect size for my camera! I have a feeling all my friends will disown me when they next see me at a race meeting.
Qualifying saw a gripping battle with Jarno Trulli and Rubens Barrichello emerging as the hero’s of the hour. I derived enormous amusement 10 minutes after the session ended as I watched the Renault merchandise staff hastily swapping all the Alonso stuff for the Trulli stuff. Oh well, if there is a bandwagon then people will go on it.
I now had a choice. Should I watch the F3000 race or should I go people-hunting? As an avid people-watcher I chose the latter. And what a stroke of luck it turned out to be. There was a huge crowd of people around the Williams stand. Juan Pablo Montoya was supposed to be making a public appearance at 4pm. Being small I knew I wouldn’t see a thing so I set off down Woodcote. Upon reaching it, I saw Jim Rosenthal. Being a people-watcher I couldn’t resist taking a couple of pictures. I’m not a big autograph hunter usually, but the hot weather played havoc with my mind and I found myself searching for a bit of paper for him to scribble on. Ditto with Tony Jardine, James Allen and then Louise Goodman who is an absolute gem.
At 3.50pm I was hovering around at the bottom of the bridge into the paddock – closed this weekend to all bar media types. But I realised that Montoya would have to come over the bridge – what better chance to get a picture? So I waited like a groupie. And it was worth it. He appeared on the steps with Connie and made his way to a waiting BMW Estate for the short trip to the Williams stand.
I opted to amble back to the SRC and noticed that the Williams stand were very excited. Doing a bit of squeezing in between people I noticed that Juan and Connie were signing autographs accompanied by the doyen of the F1 world Mr Murray Walker. I squeezed in and took some pictures. JPM and missus left but Murray stayed to do an interview with Five Live. By vaulting onto the stand I managed to get his autograph too.
I didn’t think things could get better. But they did. Michael Schumacher was late for his appearance on the Vodafone stand. So off I went to see if I could glimpse him. I think the whole of Silverstone had the same idea and it didn’t take long for me to get totally squashed. No bruises to report but trampled. This actually turned out to be a treat. Apart from Michael and Rubens racing each other in simulators, there was a question and answer session. Sadly neither microphone was working very well and it was so hard to hear what they were saying. But we all heard when they spontaneously sang “Happy Birthday” to a fan. For the record, Rubens’ singing isn’t too bad but I’d advise Michael to stick to winning world titles.
Heading back to Tim’s was another treat. On the other side of the A43 was a yellow BMW mini with a police escort. Who on earth could this be? I recalled then that a Mr Montoya had requested a yellow BMW Mini Cooper S for use in the UK and, a bit of subtle driving after the police escort had left him, confirmed the occupants of the car as being rather famous Columbians.
And there was another party at Stowe school this evening. Yet another fabulous firework display which was followed by a concert by somebody called Craig David. I gather he’s a teenybopper favourite. They managed to get him off stage at 12.30am before the disco began. I have no idea what time it finished except that it was still going on at 2.30am. Do these people never sleep?

SUNDAY
Race day and yet another early start. It was cloudy and there was a 30% chance of rain predicted. The start may have been early but it was fun too because I managed to win myself a subscription to Motorsport magazine courtesy of Silverstone radio. FANTASTIC! Only one problem though as I had an 80% success rate on the questions: in which year was the first helicopter flight into Silverstone? Quite frankly my dears, I haven’t got a clue and I’d love to know the answer.
It seems odd to not have a Sunday warm-up anymore. I wondered what on earth I was going to do. Walking around would be too difficult because of the sheer volume of people, so I figured I’d be best off in the SRC clubhouse. Thankfully Silverstone had laid on some activity. We had a demonstration of the 2003 Le Mans winning Bentley driven by Mark Blundell. I didn’t realise that it could do donoughts as well! We had the drivers parade – complete with Murray Walker to talk us through it. We had the Red Arrows giving us a superb display. The parade of flags which involved a brass band and lots of models in very short skirts – great approval from many people in our grandstand. And bunnies running around everywhere.
And then it was off! The engine notes rose and there was a roar as 19 cars set off with Frentzen scampering along behind once he’d got going.
It was a surprise when the safety car was deployed for the first time – nobody in the complex could work out why. It transpired that DC’s McLaren was shedding parts which was a shame.
As for the second deployment of the safety car, well it was the last thing on earth Silverstone needed. The cheers of excitement changed to shouts of concern and fear as a crazed lunatic rampaged around the track. Much has been said of the brave marshal who risked his own life and I won’t embarrass him anymore as I know he wishes to let it lie now. The top 14 cars immediately pitted. Now, I assumed that this was a different sort of reaction to the nutter. I wondered if, after Hockenheim, there was an understanding that, in the event of a lunatic on the track, all cars would head into the pitlane and wait there for safety reasons. But the Toyota’s kept on going. Suddenly the car in front was a Toyota. In fact, there were 2 Toyota’s. How I wished Olivier could overtake da Matta – I rate our Champcar friend highly but I am a Panis fan.
The removal of the lunatic was soon forgotten though as we were treated to one of the best races for many years. There was a disease called overtaking. Rubens Barrichello started it and then it became contagious as Antonio Pizzonia, David Coulthard, Juan Pablo Montoya were also affected by it. And it didn’t rain!
There was no doubt that Rubens was a very popular winner this weekend. I think the fans ended the race believing that Silverstone HAS got what it takes to be on the race calendar in spite of what the evil Bernie might think. Sadly Bernie had bothered to turn up. There was some consternation after the race when Bernie, whilst being interviewed by Silverstone TV, announced “I have never complained about Silverstone”. His statement was greeted in the SRC by cries of “You lying Bastard”! I
And the party still wasn’t over. Tim and I made our way over to Becketts for a free concert (compered by Tony Jardine) which was opened by Damon Hill and his band; followed by Eddie Jordan and his band V10. Eddie has some… well, “interesting” lyrics to say the least and I sincerely hope the youngsters present weren’t listening too closely. We were also treated to appearances by Louise Goodman, Professor Sid Watkins who received a cheque for £10,000 for his brain and spine foundation. And F1 drivers Ralph Firman and Justin Wilson also appeared – the latter denying that he was moving to Jaguar! Ahem!!!
Topping the bill were antique rockers Status Quo. Oh boy do they know how to get a crowd going. Over the next hour and a half we were treated to their best-known hits as well as a couple of tracks from their new album. I watched with amusement as the BAR mechanics bopped and sang, senior officials from several sponsors danced around, fans used their flagpoles and flags as air guitars, the Fosters lorry was dancing in time with the music. Damon Hill and Eddie Jordan joined them on stage for the encores with their guitars – oh boy can EJ move!
Sadly tragedy marred the end of the weekend with the death of David Heynes during the last race of the day. We understand that his death was attributed to a heart attack rather than the crash but it was still very sad.

[VAR1016]

Thank you very much Suzy; most enjoyable, especially:

But, then came the quote. He turned to me and said “You know, I was very disappointed that Bernie was so nasty about Silverstone. It is such a lovely circuit. And, you know, I am very sorry for you and the British”. Oh? I asked why. “I am so sorry that you having to share your Nationality with Bernie!!!”



PdeRL

[molive]

thanks hodgsonc and suzy! great stuff!

some pics would be nice too!

[Suzy]

Pictures... there are 360 waiting to be developed at the moment:blush:. No prizes for guessing what I'll be dealing with this weekend.

I don't have a website so I'm afraid I can't post pictures. All I can do is scan the best ones in and email them to people.

[Sir Frank]

Originally posted by philhitchings
"when we come back next year can we stay all weekend please!!"

That made tears is my eyes

she'd spotted, such as "wobbling" Minardis (mid corner oversteer I think), and even the odd understeer.

Shes a natural You must be the proudest dad!


Great to hear that all of you had such a great day, thanks for sharing the experience!

[Rene]

Thanks for sharing!! Great stories all!!

[Ghostrider]

Originally posted by Rene
Thanks for sharing!! Great stories all!!

I'll second that!

[philhitchings]

Thanks sir Frank yes she is a real Gem

Great Story Suzy.

I reckon there should be an OT my race weekend for each race. I'm sure that amongst us all we probably attend all the races, Don't we?

[Sir Frank]

Originally posted by philhitchings
Thanks sir Frank yes she is a real Gem

I reckon there should be an OT my race weekend for each race. I'm sure that amongst us all we probably attend all the races, Don't we?

Well, I definitely hope so, Im planning to attend next weekends German GP and also the Hungarian GP Theres only 3 left after that!

[mach4]

Great stories all, thanks for sharing. They reminded me of going to Silverstone with my dad some 15 years ago when I was a kid. It's an unforgettable experience that hopefully I'll have a chance to pass it on as well.