German Efficiency Brands DTM timetable 4 weeks in advance

[Bodysnatcher]

http://dtm.com/rennen.php?rennen=200...owinf=zeitplan

or if you're just too lazy to click

Friday 29.08.2008
09.00 – 09.15 hrs DTM roll out
09.30 – 10.30 hrs Formula 3 Euro Series free practice
10.45 – 12.15 hrs DTM test 1
12.15 – 13.15 hrs lunch break
13.15 – 13.35 hrs Pickup Truck Racing qualifying
13.50 – 15.20 hrs DTM test 2
15.20 – 15.25 hrs DTM practice starts
15.40 – 16.10 hrs Formula 3 Euro Series qualifying for race 1
16.25 – 17.05 hrs Formula Palmer Audi free practice

Saturday 30.08.2008
09.00 – 09.20 hrs Formula Palmer Audi qualifying for race 1
09.30 – 10.30 hrs DTM free practice
10.50 – 11.30 hrs Formula 3 Euro Series start race 1
11.45 – 12.15 hrs ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup free practice
12.28 – 13.15 hrs DTM qualifying
13.30 – 13.55 hrs DTM international press conference
<(live on www.dtm.tv)
13.30 – 14.10 hrs Event programme pit walk/lunch break
14.15 – 14.35 hrs Formula Palmer Audi qualifying for race 2
14.50 – 15.20 hrs ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup qualifying
15.35 – 15.55 hrs Pickup Truck Racing start race 1
16.15 – 16.45 hrs Formula Palmer Audi start race 1
17.00 – 18.00 hrs DTM taxi drives

Sunday 31.08.2008
09.00 – 09.40 hrs Event programme pitwalk
10.00 – 10.30 hrs Formula Palmer Audi start race 2
10.40 – 11.00 hrs DTM warm up
11.20 – 12.00 hrs Formula 3 Euro Series start race 2
12.10 – 12.20 hrs Event programme F1 demo laps
12.25 – 12.35 hrs DTM information laps
12.35 – 12.45 hrs DTM start grid presentation
13.02 hrs DTM start race
approx. 14.13 hrs DTM podium ceremony
14.30 – 14.55 hrs DTM international press conference
<(live on www.dtm.tv)
14.30 – 14.45 hrs Event programme Mercedes classic cars
15.00 – 15.30 hrs ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup start race
15.40 – 16.10 hrs Event programme taxi drives
16.25 – 16.55 hrs Formula Palmer Audi start race 3
17.10 – 17.30 hrs Pickup Truck Racing start race 2

immediate thoughts
Decent finishing times all 3 days.
Taxi rides last hour on Saturday and only 1/2 hour late afternoon Sunday. Better! Just pray that big Sven allows us time off for good behaviour last year.
Decent lunch breaks (at lunch time!) Friday and Saturday, but late Sunday, maybe 2.15 till 3 (again like the WTCC because we're playing to European broadcast timings).
Polos!
FPA!
Pickups

[Nighthawk]

After the treatment we got last year count me out.....

[Bodysnatcher]

Was that just the taxi crap or other things?

Anyway, as the powers that be know, volunteers will not turn up if they feel unappreciated. How many of us doing VdV Saturday on the GP circuit I wonder?

The taxis do look like they're less this year. DS promises better treatment too.

Personally I'm getting a little hacked off with FIA/A1GP/DTM clerks of the course that feel they have to tell everyone at Brands how to do the jobs they manage to do the rest of the year.
Leave it to our own clerks to **** us off (thats a joke for DS when he reads this)

[haystacks]

It would be nice to know what this [U]better treatment is[U]before we commit to taxi rides.I am a race marshal, not corperate marshal, who in my honest opinion should be paid.
But for all that i,m down to do all 3 days but maybe late on the Friday.

[White flag man]

Originally Posted by Bodysnatcher

Personally I'm getting a little hacked off with FIA/A1GP/DTM clerks of the course that feel they have to tell everyone at Brands how to do the jobs they manage to do the rest of the year.
Leave it to our own clerks to **** us off (thats a joke for DS when he reads this)

[thepits!]

Originally Posted by Bodysnatcher

FPA!

It's JP's Premier Circuit - what else do you expect?

[Metro6r4]

Last year the German security really bugged me, bloody arrogant with no common sense. Regarding taxi rides, why did the German snatch crews and Doctors disappear when it started?

[haystacks]

Because the taxi,s were not being drven flat out, so it was a waste of their time. Just like it was ours!!

[deadsquirrel]

Originally Posted by haystacks

Because the taxi,s were not being drven flat out, so it was a waste of their time. Just like it was ours!!

did each post have to stay fulled crewed? Or was it like we had at WTCC last year when a 'minimum' could remain? Personally, I have no problem staying on - we're camping so it makes little odds to get back to campsite an hour earlier. It would be NICE to get a breakfast voucher for this

Crewing the circuit with such volunteers surely helps everyone who needs to to get away, and I'm sure we only need to have phone contact with R/C and a red/yellow flag to stop the session if the need arises?

or is that too much like common sense to be done?

[Piglet]

Right, reminder time...as was discussed last year, the original plan was to operate a WTCC type set up so that those who wanted to go could go and posts could be run with minimum levels, this had been agreed by MSVR with the DTM officials.

BUT...on the day, for reasons best know to the DTM officials, which may or may not have been related to a sacking, a new appointment and some lack of communication and goodwill within their organisation...they insisted on keeping all posts fully manned. There were some very heated discussions in race control regarding this and to say Dave Scott was unhappy about it is an understatement. Many posts were overmanned anyway and to require everyone to stay was barking but the DTM officials could not be budged on it.

Unfortunately running big international meetings with lots of differing organisations does mean that there will sometimes be these situations where the local organisers are not happy about what is going on and this was one of those situations. It is though a bit like a GP, if you don't like that type of environment then stick with clubbies where you can at least go and whinge at the person making the decision!

[Bodysnatcher]

Totally agree Piglet, it was Sven's first DTM meeting as the CoC (but lets not forget, there are very powerful people behind him, running a business) after Roland B got the sack far a "mistake" with the safety car deployment (& how often have we seen that).

I've marshalled with Sven in the past (so he does understand how it can be), but when I spoke to him last year on the Friday, the only day I was there, he was quite apprehensive about being at the top for the first time - no surprise really.
I guess he decided better to be safe than sorry, but lets hope for a bit more commonsense and trust this year.

I could say more, but it would just reinforces peoples' stereotypes about 10ths.

[Piglet]

TBH Bodysnatcher, I was trying to avoid going into the details of their internal politics, I only know them second hand so I'm not really in a position to comment.

I'm just trying to explain why things were changed from needing "adequate manning" to needing to keep the hoards of marshals that were on posts place - I think Post 8 have something like 8 or 9 marshals on it which is clearly way more than is needed to run any event safely.

[Elio]

How many of us doing VdV Saturday on the GP circuit I wonder?

I`ll be the token spectator.

[danccooke]

I have heard nightmare stories from Marshals and Spectators about the last DTM visits. This is going to be the first time for me as each time before there has been something to stop me.

I don't care I am going to enjoy the spectacle. If I don't enjoy it then I won't do it next year. We can see what the time table is well in advance. I will have my copy of autosport,MSN,Sporting Gun etc etc in my bag and when the gaps appear I will either be flat on my back on the grass or in my chair reading. My fist F1GP bored me as I wasn't prepared for it. Now I love it and the gaps appear to feel shorter each year.

[Bodysnatcher]

TBH Piglet, I don't think I've commented on the DTM's internal politics.

I've said nothing here that was'nt in the public domain at the time, other than someone I know and can sympathise with was facing a hard first day.

Lessons appear to have been learned. We know well in advance what the timetable is, so like Dan, I am looking forward to it, especially since others are saying it may be the last.

But I'm well aware it's their game and we have to play to their rules, however it would be nicer if we were not treated like we were previously.

I live in hope.

[danccooke]

I fear we have agreed together too many times recently people will start talking

[thepits!]

Originally Posted by Piglet

Unfortunately running big international meetings with lots of differing organisations does mean that there will sometimes be these situations where the local organisers are not happy about what is going on and this was one of those situations. It is though a bit like a GP, if you don't like that type of environment then stick with clubbies where you can at least go and whinge at the person making the decision!

Yeh, what she said. It's a fact of life that when differing organisations come together to run <whatever> they don't always gell to everyones liking.

Tough! That's life, get Real.


Because of the 'politics' I swore (at least 5 years ago) I'd never do another GP - I'm still there - because in a strange masochistic way I still enjoy it - don't ask me why, I can't explain


If your feeling is so strong that you don't want to do a meeting because you 'know' you won't enjoy it, then don't.


Don't spoil it for everyone else - especially the newbies.