2018 Blancpain GT Series

[S griffin]

I guess there’ll always be those type of fans somewhere.

Personally I think Blancplain is such a good series, it could have the whole weekend to itself

[geordiecriag101]

Bert has hit it spot on, i was standing up at Druids when the Hypercar session was taking place and more people were paying attention to them and trying to get snaps and vids on their phone to put on snapchat or instgram than when the the main races were on. I'll also agree with the fact they looked slow and not very impressive, the only one pushing was the camo covered 911 turbo.

Anyhow here's my short vid from the day if anyone interested:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whPBJ3wXtOg

[S griffin]

So what is this hypercar session that only the youth seemed interested in? It’s weird to go all that way just for a support series, that ain’t that good

Btw, thanks for the video, the series is as good as can be IMHO

[chunder]

I recall going to Goodwood years ago and the crowds around the road going supercars were immense, probably why they came up with the Thursday car industry thing. A lot of youth take more interest in roadcars and hypercars than they ever will with motorsport.

So the tracks are just listening to what people want.

Brands GP loop is ruined as a fan, pure and simple.

What I am waiting for is the response from bike racing fans, who will likely not know that this has happened, they are going to be really annoyed as this was nothing to do with their sport.

[Badlands99]

Now had time to reflect a bit on what we saw on Sat & Sun.

Knew that there were going to be significant changes to the GP loop but was not prepared for the wholesale erection of so much fencing.

For me, as a keen photographer with sufficiently decent equipment to allow me to take images through fencing, it was a huge disappointment as the spectator fencing is too far from the debris fencing to allow me to get even my longest, fastest lens close enough to the debris fencing so as to 'lose' it in the image - just a little more thought and this wouldn't have been quite so bad.

I get the safety issue and am the first to admit there were a couple of places that always made me think that they were a bit marginal, but from what I understand, these changes were at the behest of DTM - a series that is in it's last year and with very few cars in the championship! Do we really need them here?

I walked the whole loop on Saturday morning whilst the GT4 free practice session was on and the only place where I could get any images without fencing in the way was on the exit of Hawthorns where there is about 50 meters of banking without any fence. Shame ..... just means I won't need to walk out there again.
What it did do however, was made me explore the rest of the circuit and get a bit creative with different angles and light. Haven't had chance to process any of my shots yet but hopefully I will have come away with something worthwhile.

As for the racing, GT3 was excellent as always - shame that the SRO haven't forced the manufacturers to enter at least one car in Sprint as they did last year - another 10 cars would have been good. Brands is almost too tight for these cars but even so it is still a pretty good spectacle - and you can still get a damn sight closer to them than you will at Silverstone in two weeks.

Really surprised by GT4 - what a big jump up from the boring racing from last year - battles all the way through the field and some fairly spectacular cars - the Camero sounded awesome for a GT4 car and some of the BMW M4's power sliding out of Druids was pretty spectacular.

So some disappointment but overall a great weekend and at least the weather gods were on our side for a change.

[Martin Bull]

On reflection - yes, it ( the fencing ) really was that bad - but admittedly, for me.

I accept safety measures (up to a point - racing cars will always be dangerous ) but these don't just affect photographers. Standing on the Minter Straight, and then from Westfield to Stirlings, the thickness of the fencing/cabling was such that it wasn't possible to actually see the cars coming - or going. Only a blur as they passed directly in front. The other views at an angle simply became a solid silver wall. Basically, forget spectating between Westfield and Clearways. And I guess that's the point - if you've never had it, you won't miss it.

But hey - I've had nearly 50 years of enjoyment there ; future generations, I admit, won't know anything different and I guess will be happy and safe.

[rubberduck]

Wow, this is so much like the feelings any Nordschleife fan had just some ten years ago.
Quantum of solace: They're still racing.

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by Badlands99

What it did do however, was made me explore the rest of the circuit and get a bit creative with different angles and light. Haven't had chance to process any of my shots yet but hopefully I will have come away with something worthwhile.

I did much the same - try new angles, try and get creative. Looking through my results - not great. I think some meetings that used to be 2 days for me will now only be 1.

[S griffin]

I'm sure you will find a good spot in time. But hey, these things are hard to solve.

[Badlands99]

Originally Posted by BertMk2

I did much the same - try new angles, try and get creative. Looking through my results - not great. I think some meetings that used to be 2 days for me will now only be 1.

Was even more disappointed as I had rented a Nikon 200-500 for the event to give it a try out.

For the Sat Afternoon qualifying, I moved to clearways and then walked further down the pit straight - not somewhere that I had really bothered with before but the longer lens removing the issue of the fence and late afternoon lighting made for some interesting images as the cars accelerated out of clearways - not all in focus and because of the awkward angles not always in the middle of the frame - but just wanted something a bit different! Also managed a few on the Sunday morning just as they crest the first rise onto the GP loop - there is about 10 meters where the fence is just low enough to just about get above it (shhhh - don't tell anybody as they will only say 'it's too dangerous!')

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by Badlands99

Also managed a few on the Sunday morning just as they crest the first rise onto the GP loop - there is about 10 meters where the fence is just low enough to just about get above it (shhhh - don't tell anybody as they will only say 'it's too dangerous!')

I have used that spot a few times in the past. Given that it already has a high fence I assume it will be spared from further fencing!

I am yet to sift through my pictures but I don't have particularly high expectations, as the vast majority of my favourite spots were unusable and I didn't have much luck finding fence-free replacements.

[S griffin]

At least the circuit is still in one piece

[chunder]

I think Palmer has probably been tied with this, probably not a lot he could do, or at least I hope so.

If this has simply been done with little consultation of history and what's happened before then it is a suicidal move.

But I doubt it.

Motorsport becomes more and more for the participants, and less and less of a spectator sport.

Sad but true with circuit racing. Thank God for other forms of racing that are not as petrified about lawsuits. I was converted many years ago, this sort of thing means I simply don't bother with track stuff anymore.

[S griffin]

Palmer has done a good job maintaining his circuits to the right standard. At the end of the day Brands Hatch is still a great race track. Motorsport has always been for the participants and the spectators come to events. I still love watching racing. There are many great race series out there, all for different people.

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by S griffin

At least the circuit is still in one piece

Originally Posted by S griffin

At the end of the day Brands Hatch is still a great race track.

Oh yeah, I still think Brands is a great track...

Originally Posted by S griffin

I still love watching racing. There are many great race series out there, all for different people.

...and, like you, I still love watching racing. The GP loop of Brands was the best all-tarmac circuit I have been to in the UK for getting an unrestricted view of the racing. It's a real shame that they couldn't come up with some compromise to at least retain some of that feel.

[tbtstt]

Forgive the double post, but a few pictures from Brands...









...and a handful more here if anyone is interested:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/229616...57694949141801

[gregc]

Originally Posted by tbtstt

Oh yeah, I still think Brands is a great track...

...and, like you, I still love watching racing. The GP loop of Brands was the best all-tarmac circuit I have been to in the UK for getting an unrestricted view of the racing. It's a real shame that they couldn't come up with some compromise to at least retain some of that feel.

It is a massive shame, and I mourn the loss of several great photogrpahy spots just to accommodate one series (that might not even be around in a couple of years unless they get their act together).

That said, as others have pointed out, the track is still there and in one piece. And, for me at least, it's not a complete loss - the inside of Hawthorns is still mercifully fence free (at least for now...), and there's also the run into Pilgrim's Drop after the vehicle bridge, plus the usual spots on the Indy part of the circuit.

The photography holes they've put into the new fencing, however, are a bad joke (ok, so they have tried, but most of them are too high to be usable for someone of average height and they are useless for any attempt at panning).

Hawthorns:



Pilgrims:

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by gregc

It is a massive shame, and I mourn the loss of several great photogrpahy spots just to accommodate one series (that might not even be around in a couple of years unless they get their act together).

Aside from the photography aspect, it's sad they have ruined it for those who just want an unobstructed view.

The GP circuit is largely free of tannoy noise and on Westfield you could see and hear the cars coming towards, past and away from you. The fencing has completed killed the atmosphere.

Originally Posted by gregc

That said, as others have pointed out, the track is still there and in one piece. And, for me at least, it's not a complete loss - the inside of Hawthorns is still mercifully fence free (at least for now...)

Yeah, fully agreed. Frustratingly Hawthorn was the first corner I looked at when getting to the circuit, so I was hoping they'd taken a similar approach around the rest of the GP circuit and just fenced the entry of each corner and left the exit clear: alas that wasn't the case.

Originally Posted by gregc

The photography holes they've put into the new fencing, however, are a bad joke (ok, so they have tried, but most of them are too high to be usable for someone of average height and they are useless for any attempt at panning).

There is a comment earlier in this discussion suggesting that the holes are for the media, not the general public. As you say, even if you could get your camera right through them it's still going to be very tricky to pan.

Really like your Hawthorn photo!

[GregUK]

https://www.facebook.com/BlancpainGT...9895180028272/

There's always YouTube

[gregc]

Originally Posted by tbtstt

Aside from the photography aspect, it's sad they have ruined it for those who just want an unobstructed view.

The GP circuit is largely free of tannoy noise and on Westfield you could see and hear the cars coming towards, past and away from you. The fencing has completed killed the atmosphere.

Yep, completely agree from the general spectating viewpoint. For me the only other circuits left that give viewing comparable to what we used to have on the Brands GP loop are Oulton and Knockhill. Snetterton is ok too, but we're slowly running out...

Originally Posted by tbtstt

Yeah, fully agreed. Frustratingly Hawthorn was the first corner I looked at when getting to the circuit, so I was hoping they'd taken a similar approach around the rest of the GP circuit and just fenced the entry of each corner and left the exit clear: alas that wasn't the case.

I went backwards around the loop from Clearways - by the time I got to Hawthorns I was expecting the worst, so having some space there was at least some consolation by then!

Originally Posted by tbtstt

There is a comment earlier in this discussion suggesting that the holes are for the media, not the general public. As you say, even if you could get your camera right through them it's still going to be very tricky to pan.

Really like your Hawthorn photo!

Thanks There's a bunch more from the weekend here if anyone's interested.

[db9spotter]

I try to list all the Aston Martin Vantage V12 GT3 by their chassis number and races made

For Silverstone Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, is it possible for those who have the chance to approach the cars, to collect for me the chassis number of the 2 R-Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage V12 GT3

-#62 blue
-#76 yellow

Chassis number is visible on the bottom left of the windshield.
It is found in this format : AMRVANTAGEGT3-XXX

http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=143190

https://www.facebook.com/Aston-Marti...3838931179807/

Many thanks for your help

[S griffin]

I’m surprised there aren’t more Vantages. Certainly they’ve gone really well so far. Well done to those who drive them, they certainly are driving a well run car

[db9spotter]

Originally Posted by S griffin

I’m surprised there aren’t more Vantages. Certainly they’ve gone really well so far. Well done to those who drive them, they certainly are driving a well run car

There's also an another V12 Vantage GT3 the #97 Oman Racing with TF Sport.
3 V12 Vantage GT3 on the GT Endurance Cup entry list

[S griffin]

That’s good to know, the cars are a good one

[chernaudi]

Not quite sure where to put this, but Guy Smith after this weekend will semi-retire from racing. He'll no longer be a full time Bentley factory driver, but will still do testing and development, and will now mainly lead factory support programs for customer teams.

Story on SC365 and DSC.