Sliverstone is anyone going?

irishgeo

Is anyone going this year to sliverstone?

I would love to go but cant afford it really.The tickets are so expensive and then its so hard to figure out where to sit?

I think i keep trying them competitons to win a trip.

has anyone been there before. is it easy to get to.

Would i be better going on one of them tours but i assume they all leave from dublin.

Any got any ideas. I am from mayo.

aidan_dunne

Don't bother going to Silverstone. It's flat, it's boring, it's windy, when it rains there's no shelter so you get soaked to the skin, no matter where you sit/stand you're too far away from the track to see anything, it's massively, massively overpriced and it's just not good value for money. I know a couple of people who have been there over the years and this is their opinion of the place.

If you want much better value for money, better weather, better view of the track, etc. apparantly Hungary is the place to go. The track is built in a natural sort of 'bowl' so no matter where you are you get a good view of the circuit. Okay, it never usually produces the best race of the year but from a spectator and value-for-money point of view most people who've been there say it's great.

After that, the Spanish GP at Catalunya is supposed to be good value for money as well. Again, has a tendancy to produce boring races but, once again, from a spectator and money point of view it's supposed to be good. Lots of tour operators do package trips to the Spanish race (and often they're considerably cheaper overall than going to Silverstone, despite the fact there's more travelling involved) so I think that would be a much better bet than going to Silverstone.

At least, these are things I've been told! It's all down to yourself at the end of the day.

chernobyl

If this is your first GP then ignore the stuff above as it will become irrelevant b$ once you hear the scream of an F1 car.
My first GP was Silverstone and i can still remember the feeling i got when i heard a F1 car (for the first time) blasting down the hangar straight.

It was pissing rain, and we were standing on the exit of club corner so when the car was travelling down the straight you could only see the plume of spray being thrown 50ft in the air (there is an embankment concealing the straight)...but you could certainly hear it.

When the Minardi came around stowe and accelerated towards me, i got all weak in the knees

We ended up in the stands on the hangar straight for the race and to witness 22 cars flying past you @ 190mph is incredible.

Silverstone is essentailly is the middle of several farms and access has improved but it can turn into a muck fest when it pours.

If you can afford it, then stay in a hotel and get a helicopter ride in and out but dont bring your car cus you will end up walking a mile to and from parking to the track.

irishgeo

Not at these prices. anyone got any links phone numbers

02 May 03 Spain 3 Nights 669 [more info]
29 May 03 Monaco 4 Nights 799 [more info]
20 Jul 03 Britain 1 Day 399 [more info]
01 Aug 03 Germany 3 Nights 669 [more info]
22 Aug 03 Hungary 3 Nights 899 [more info]
12 Sep 03 Italy 3 Nights 749 [more info]
25 Sep 03 USA 4 Nights 1399 [more info]

Kali

I really cant believe some ppl pay that much for races, where any of you at Mondello on Monday for two rounds of the BTCC? now there was a very, very entertaining day.

Drive yourselves to Donington for one of the 3 super-weekends: 2 rounds of British F3, 2 rounds of BTCC, F.Renault, F.Ford, Porsche Cup, Legends... guaranteed a great weekend of racing for a fraction of the cost of an F1 weekend plus Donington has some great pubs & b&bs to stay in as well.

Or even cheaper head along to Mondello in early June for the British Superbikes, or Donington again for the MotoGP round in mid-June.. its one of the best spectator circuits for bikes, stand at the first corner and you can see them blasting down from the start, through redgate and down the hill through the cramer curves and then the hairpin and up through the bridge.. again its amazing, you just see so so much of the race (a good 20/30 seconds if you stand at redgate).

Also I tend to agree with aidan on Silverstone itself, it really is a bit distant for spectators (Copse/1st corner is probably the best of the lot) ... Rockingham, Oulton, Croft, Brands & Thruxton are all much better spectator circuits... although more a get to the ground early and camp a spot out on the hill type tracks, but you get to see so much more of the action because they're hilly

ozpass

I completely agree with Chernobyl. Attending a Grand Prix (or even a qualifying session) is all about the spectacle. If you want the best possible view of all parts of the racetrack then watch the race on TV.

Woodcote and Beckets are the definitive sections for viewing at Silverstone.

My Dad used to get free tickets to the race because he was part of the RAC MSA, no longer alas.