Formula E, London, real news

[aland]

great weekend, good squad on post 10. racing was alright, banter on campsite 1st class. aye bring on next year

[Tal Aras]

I've got to echo the comments, it was a great weekend, although I think all of us on Post 9 have lost any credability when asked about overtaking. We don't think we would see any but in the end got a couple in each race. Obviously the track must be too wide .

One of the nicest parts of the weekend was walking round the track on Friday evening and seeing the locals using it. Lots of kids on bikes. Maybe next year the organisers shoudl arrange a mass cycle round the track for the locals.

Roll on next year.

[Paul Newns]

Originally Posted by Greem

Indeed it was - was good to be part of a small team with you, being part of a bigger team making a little bit of history

We seemed to make fairly close friends with Messrs Trulli, Piquet and Yamamoto over the weekend although I think their impression of turn 3 might be a little different!

Big thanks and a very big well done to all the guys from turns 2 & 3 who got out to clear debris in a *very* short window of opportunity during yesterday's race. One of the park employee's teenage children went home very happy, carrying a trashed front wing endplate off one of the Amlin cars.

I think we were particularly lucky in our location in that we didn't have many spectators (was a 'red zone' for the public) and we had some very helpful Wandsworth Park Police controlling the park gate (meaning we could nip to the shop).

Thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. Onwards, to the Big Clubbie!

I can only echo Graeme and Andy's comments. It was a really good weekend and the team were a pleasure to work with. I couldn't have been closer to the cars if I'd tried! A few incidents, the first red flag of the weekend, and some close racing.

[numbersix]

The track looked very narrow when I viewed the race on TV. As the people on the spot, did it look too narrow to you?

[Mike Kelly 1]

Originally Posted by numbersix

The track looked very narrow when I viewed the race on TV. As the people on the spot, did it look too narrow to you?

In places it did, however you could get two cars alongside each other. Interesting with the quite pronounced crown of the road though!

[Gas bag]

Track was narrow and bumpy but produced good racing, don't think the TV did it justice.
Not sure all incidents were captured by the TV?
On post 0 at the start line (but not the finish line) which was hilarious when the media asked and suddenly realised the finish line was 250metres up the track just after post 17 and the unseemly scrambled to get the magic chequered flag photo began........
Had one flaggy (Mike from Brands) and no other personnel on post.
Did the countdown for the race director on the startline and just ogled the startline ladies and guests (with the exception of over dressed male Italian VIPS) drinking champagne and demanding to go anywhere they wanted.
Good craic on the campsite although the showers and toilets did have problems but were soon sorted by our lovely lady from FIA who visited us everyday.
Where else can you be inches (and I do mean inches away!!) from cars travelling at over 120mph...........
As I won't be doing Formula E and BGP next year, if it's the same weekend next year, the week before the BGP I know I will chose Formula E over the BGP any day.

[Bodysnatcher]

Originally Posted by Gas bag

Where else can you be inches (and I do mean inches away!!) from cars travelling at over 120mph...........
.

Pau, Monaco, Long Beach, Montreal to name but a few, but admittedly 120mph would be considered slow at those places. [this is not a criticism BTW, it's nice to see so many of you caught the street circuit bug at Battersea]

[Gas bag]

Originally Posted by Bodysnatcher

Pau, Monaco, Long Beach, Montreal to name but a few, but admittedly 120mph would be considered slow at those places. [this is not a criticism BTW, it's nice to see so many of you caught the street circuit bug at Battersea]

Thanks for the street circuit lesson Bodysnatcher, no offence taken, I did mean British race circuits though..................

Caught my street racing bug in good old Birmingham in the late eighties.

The 120mph was my conservative guestimate down the start/finish straight

[rotation]

Originally Posted by Gas bag

Where else can you be inches (and I do mean inches away!!) from cars travelling at over 120mph

Hillclimb?

[Silver Flag]

Gas Bag Mike, Thanks for a great weekend on Post 0.
The racing was good too as was our addition to the family .

[Gas bag]

Originally Posted by Silver Flag

Gas Bag Mike, Thanks for a great weekend on Post 0.
The racing was good too as was our addition to the family .

You're welcome Mike, nice working with you and congratulations on becoming a grandfather for the first time on Saturday.

Street racing and becoming a grandad, how can it get any better, now everyone on here knows about your great news..........

[Richard Duvall]

Originally Posted by Gas bag

The 120mph was my conservative guestimate down the start/finish straight

Commentators were saying 140mph!

[numbersix]

Guys, what advice/instructions were you given when dealing with the recovery of these cars? Did incident marshals have to wear special gloves? I'm interested to know if AFFF bottles were available and/or the restrictions on their use, that sort of thing.

[deadsquirrel]

Originally Posted by numbersix

Guys, what advice/instructions were you given when dealing with the recovery of these cars? Did incident marshals have to wear special gloves? I'm interested to know if AFFF bottles were available and/or the restrictions on their use, that sort of thing.

The cars have a brilliant green lamp on top of the chassis, in front of the driver. If this is on, marshals can deal with car/driver. If not, then no-one to touch car or driver. There's a white lamp in the roll hoop, which if on indicates car in gear (and has source of torque). If flashing (rear rain light will also flash) indicates car in neutral and can be pushed away. The kill button near the green light will also select neutral.

CO2 extinguishers supplied - but risk of fire is much less (but never to be ignored).

[Gas bag]

Originally Posted by deadsquirrel

The cars have a brilliant green lamp on top of the chassis, in front of the driver. If this is on, marshals can deal with car/driver. If not, then no-one to touch car or driver. There's a white lamp in the roll hoop, which if on indicates car in gear (and has source of torque). If flashing (rear rain light will also flash) indicates car in neutral and can be pushed away. The kill button near the green light will also select neutral.

CO2 extinguishers supplied - but risk of fire is much less (but never to be ignored).

As per above, if the green light is not on or there are 'no lights' illuminated on the nose cone the car had to be treated as a 'red light' car or if indeed the red light was illuminated on the nose cone (red=do not touch)
In this instance no marshal was to touch the car even if the incident was very serious with the driver unconscious still in the car until a specialist extraction team had arrived on the scene.
They did mention in the briefing that even the Nick Heidfeld crash at Beijing did not cause a 'red light' on the car.
If an incident produced a 'red light' car and then if the driver was conscious and mobile the drivers had been instructed to extricate themselves in a certain manner so as not to 'ground' the car and our normal style of holding out a helping hand was a definite 'no no'

[Da chief]

I've got to agree with previous comments by Gas Bag. The racing was very good and the company equally so. the organisers have a few niggles to sort, but apart from that. . . . If it came down to a choice of which to do ( BGP or Formula e), I would chose Formula e over the BGP.

[Terrible-Tones]

I loved this meeting, apart from the cars and racing, which were excellent, I loved the "can do" attitude that pervaded throughout the whole team.

Where do we sign up for next year?

[Woolley]

Originally Posted by Terrible-Tones

Where do we sign up for next year?

I think there will be a plug-in for your Android device.

OK, I'll stop now!

Well done everyone, great work as usual showing British marshalling at it's best and I'm genuinely pleased that everyone who attended seems to have had a good time.

[Slipstick]

Originally Posted by Terrible-Tones

I loved this meeting, apart from the cars and racing

That's just what I thought.

Sorry, couldn't resist it .

Steve

[numbersix]

Originally Posted by Woolley

... Well done everyone, great work as usual showing British marshalling at it's best and I'm genuinely pleased that everyone who attended seems to have had a good time.

Seconded. Well done.