GT World Challenge Europe 2021

[dwh43scale]

I guess the idea is that a quality product costs. You can have a draughty airfield with no facilities and pay nowt or ...
On the season ticket - agree if you can get the use they are tremendous value and their credit for 2020 was very generous.
However, we may well be parking outside rather than South Bank tomorrow - fuel, Dartford Crossing, ticket ...

[hoffman66]

Catering was pathetic today, 7 bloody quid for a burger is daylight robbery I am sorry, and none of the MSV outlets were open, only the indoor restaurants. Place was empty too.

Ages since I have been to Brands, not as routine as it was once since it was ruined by catch fencing and the stupid walkways between the health and safety police areas.

But being able to walk the paddock was nice. Spoke to the lad in the yellow E21 who was brilliant in his qualifying, anyone who can hold a slide that well needs to have his hand shaken, fair play lad. Came into Paddock a few times like he was starting a drift competition, worthy a tenner on its own.

Otherwise, fairly meh, lots of very rich men driving very averagely in staggeringly expensive cars, the Mk1 Escorts in particular must have been 300K's worth there and hardly saw them on track lol, how silly, each to their own, GT cars are on rails, grids for other stuff far too full meaning traffic was relentless. But am sure races will be good.

[bella]

Originally Posted by Anyopenroad

MSV have always been expensive. The upside is that the circuits are well run, lots of loos, catering etc. The season passes also work out to very good value (my pass for all 4-wheel meetings at all 4 circuits was £180). But yeah, it can feel like you’re being nickel & dimed.

compared to europe and the cost and value of spectating there it very much feels that way yeah. disagree with the loos comment though, that’s always an issue when you’re working in the paddock and you need a quick trip to the ladies on sunday. no such thing as a “quick trip”.

i can’t justify the cost unfortunately. booo.

[AndrewCherry]

It's not cheap, but compared with many other "full days out" for a small family it doesn't feel too painful. Under 12s being free is something most other promoters wouldn't dream of. Try a day at Peppa Pig Land instead... sigh.

There are a lot of annoying things about MSV, but remembering what Brands was like before they took it over (even more expensive, relatively speaking, very little investment, poor organisation, creaking facilities, etc.) I'm careful what I wish for these days. It certainly wasn't somewhere I would have taken my family for a day back then.

I remember turning up for a meeting with my dad once, when I was probably 9 or 10, and finding the whole place locked and deserted. Pre internet, obviously, all the comms they had were a notice fixed to the gates saying they had to stay closed that day for legal reasons to prevent the establishment of a legal right of way. Imagine being so badly organised you end up having to do that on a race day...

[tux]

Jota Mclaren has ended up in the trees. Oliver Wilkinson out of the car, looks ok. Just mental, scary.

[J Jay]

Good to see Wilkinson walk out of the car unscathed.

Honestly neither Marciello or Wilkinson had any choice once both committed to their moves.

[Anyopenroad]

Another one hour barrier-repair relay caused by a GTWC shunt, to add to the one yesterday. And yet by the demolition-derby standards of previous years it has been relatively tame this weekend

The packed timetable was probably always over-ambitious, though they got through everything yesterday (albeit with no lunchbreak) so hopefully can catch up today too.

[Anyopenroad]

Seems we are losing the first planned Modsports race to make up some time. That’s really annoying tbh.

[TWRv12]

More racing incident?

The #88 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG has been handed a stop/go penalty, converted to a 40-second post-race penalty, for its part in the accident during today's opening Sprint Cup race at Brands Hatch.

Raffaele Marciello was judged to have been predominantly responsible for the multi-car collision. This drops the #88 Mercedes-AMG outside the points positions and hands victory to the #32 Team WRT Audi of Charles Weerts and Dries Vanthoor.

What's more, the #14 Emil Frey Racing Lamborghini has lost its Silver Cup win and fourth-place overall finish after being punished for pit stop infringement. A wheel was not controlled properly during the car's mid-race stop, resulting in a drive-through penalty, converted to a 30-second post-race penalty. Team WRT is also the beneficiary here as the #31 Audi takes class honours for race 1.

https://www.gt-world-challenge-europ...er_team_news=0

I just hope my penalty ( even if I think I don’t deserve it as it wasn’t my fault for me ) showed a big problem in gt racing. No one is respect blue flag and this is a huge problem with big consequences as we saw today.

https://twitter.com/Team_RMarciello/...69824557748224

[TWRv12]

Green soon

[JimboCycling]

Why don't we see more Mclarens in GTWC?

[Anyopenroad]

Originally Posted by JimboCycling

Why don't we see more Mclarens in GTWC?

Expensive and hard for non-pros to drive. Caveat: I’m obviously no expert, just recounting what I’ve heard.

[JimboCycling]

Originally Posted by Anyopenroad

Expensive and hard for non-pros to drive. Caveat: I’m obviously no expert, just recounting what I’ve heard.

Thanks

[hoffman66]

Would have been scary had the car gone the other way, could see that happening and then you would be unable to walk anywhere near the GP track, it's bad enough now sadly, I was stood there yesterday. Right opposite the crash area.

[dwh43scale]

A curate's egg of an event - here's an initial set of photos - https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWvB5iT

[AndrewCherry]

Well, that was a fairly dramatic day. Two GT races, both won by drivers who pretty much inherited victory (not to say they didn't drive very well, but the deserving would-be-winners in both cases missing out). Some good racing, and some really intriguing battles (Marciello hunting down Wilkinson in R1, followed by Wilkinson defending superbly a particular highlight).

In the other races - some more interesting results/situations - particularly with races being pretty much decided by people making the right calls on safety cars. I couldn't believe in the Mag 7s that any of the lead pack stayed out - and indeed, the ones who didn't suffered for it. Such obvious calls from the outside, but perhaps not so obvious from in car (assuming they don't have someone pit-side on the radio).

A real shame to lose one of the two Modsport and Special Saloon races to the timetable re-jigging. It seemed it would have been fairer to have shortened more of the races somehow, especially as the M&SS races were single driver races, so those teams with two drivers racing really missed out. Fitting to see the Morris Peugeot 309 on the podium of the one race they did get - RIP RPM.

[Anyopenroad]

Originally Posted by AndrewCherry

A real shame to lose one of the two Modsport and Special Saloon races to the timetable re-jigging. It seemed it would have been fairer to have shortened more of the races somehow, especially as the M&SS races were single driver races, so those teams with two drivers racing really missed out.

I agree with this. I personally would have made all the CSCC races 30mins anyway to allow a bit more leeway in a very tight schedule. Losing a race of that wonderful Modsport grid was a real frustration.

It doesn't bother me personally, but I imagine the loss of the supercar parade was also an irritation to many spectators. I know I am a defender of MSV in this thread, but had I paid £30 plus programme plus food plus grandstand today I would have been quite grumpy. Half the catering had run out by 3!

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by Anyopenroad

Expensive and hard for non-pros to drive. Caveat: I’m obviously no expert, just recounting what I’ve heard.

I remember hearing something like that for the previous car, thought that had been addressed to an extent with the new one? Seemed like to be fast it was very twitchy and unstable, but that makes a bit of sense.

[Aysedasi]

Well, for me, it was a very enjoyable 'day at the races'. My first day at the races since August 2019. Bentley03 and I played the 'L24' twins up on the South Bank, had a good walk around, took out second mortgages for cheeseburgers and chips and enjoyed ourselves. Shame that both of the GTWC races ended in the way they did after shaping up for really good finishes. The culling of the first Modsports race was a real shame as I had to leave before the second one, and I personally could have done without the Turbo Tin Tops instead. But we had a good time. I was surprisingly knackered by the time I got home after a fair bit of walking up hill and down dale and a two hour drive each way. Overall very enjoyable even if the entry ticket price was too high for what it was.

Originally Posted by Anyopenroad

It doesn't bother me personally, but I imagine the loss of the supercar parade was also an irritation to many spectators. I know I am a defender of MSV in this thread, but had I paid £30 plus programme plus food plus grandstand today I would have been quite grumpy. Half the catering had run out by 3!

It didn't bother me at all either.

I paid £25 for the ticket and £10 for the South Bank Parking. I didn't bother with a programme and certainly not a grandstand seat. £10 for the South Bank was OTT but I would never have parked anywhere else. It is the place to be. All in all, including petrol, the day cost me around £80.

[hoffman66]

I thought compared to the other BIG event this weekend MotoGp at Silverstone this was a bargain. Very good cars and drivers, though the GT3 cars now are pretty much on rails unless you stand in certain places.

Shocked by food prices at vans, 7 quid for a burger is astonishing and disgusting tbh, I would expect that at Wembley maybe or Twickenham, not at Brands were there were maybe a few thousand people.

Parking is no issue, I refuse to pay extra to park, but can see why for some it is necessary, but a tenner is dear, but not when Silverstone were charging 12 quid for cars at a bike event at a venue with tens of acres of parking space, and then pushing escalating park and ride charges dearer every day from fri to Sun.

So for me this was cheap, 20 quid to get in Sat, 20 quid gas, took my own food, bought a cup of tea, that was it.

[Badlands99]

Overall I thought that it was a pretty good event.
Only really went to see the GTWC practice and races and other than the shunt at the end of Race 1, I thought the standard of driving was significantly better than in previous years. was a shame that the Mod saloon race was canned as really wanted to see 'Baby Bertha' race again - took me back many years with the late, great Gerry Marshall driving! I also had to leave before the 'second' race
Ben Barnicote in race one was outstanding, great move to take the lead and then just waved good buy to everybody else - it would have been interesting to see him up against Marcello though - two of the outstanding drivers in GT at the moment.
Good to see Ollie Wilkinson walk away from the big one - can imagine that he was a tad annoyed with Marcello after that.
With regards to costs, yes, it was a bit excessive for just the GTWC and what amounted to a club meeting - would have been good to see the Euro GT4 on the bill again - but, having said that, the facilities at Brands have improved no end over the years under MSV - toilets still clean at the end of Sunday etc - and overall the food at the official outlets (Kentagon & Paddock at the bottom of the hill) whilst not cheap were of good quality.
However, they got a bit caught out with the number of additional mobile outlets as there were huge queues forming at the units behind the grandstands - really could have done with a few more.

Overall, enjoyable day out, frustrated still by the placing and design of the 'new' debis fencing around the GP loop but just good to get out, take some images of the latest GT3s and hear the thunder of the Bentley probably for the last time.

[justracing]

[QUOTE
A real shame to lose one of the two Modsport and Special Saloon races to the timetable re-jigging. It seemed it would have been fairer to have shortened more of the races somehow, especially as the M&SS races were
single driver races, so those teams with two drivers racing really missed out. Fitting to see the Morris Peugeot 309 on the podium of the one race they did get - RIP RPM./QUOTE]
Given the amount of time and effort the modsports guys had put into making this a really special event, to cut one of their races out completely was an absolute insult. As a regular at Brands I was more than a bit annoyed when as others have said, other solutions would have been quite possible and under the circumstances wholly acceptable to all.
The GT's were spectacular as usual but as many observed, with their exceptional handling nowadays the races were predictably processional, the wide track and long wheelbase of current sportscars make the Brands circuit appear so narrow and as personal observation, were there no track limits in operation ? I'm convinced that a number of competitors regularly over ran kerbs particularly on the exit of Graham Hill bend.

[AndrewCherry]

I didn't see much of the GTs at Graham Hill Bend, but I do know that the CSCC races were run to "local" track limits regs, while the GTs were under FIA regs, which from memory are probably a bit more lenient - the contrast might have made it stand out even more!

As an aside, having been going to Brands for 35 years or so, and having some definite proponents on here - what's the plus of being on South Bank? Back when I used to go with my father as a boy, we'd always be at Clearways-ish (admittedly it was rather more bank then, closer to the track, and pre-Foulston Centre, or whatever it's currently called). When I started to go myself, and then with my family, I moved to Paddock Hill Bend, because I feel like you can see most track from there. Start straight, Paddock Hill, Druids, most of Graham Hill [Bend] and then often along to Surtees (used to be more so, with less buildings in the way). Plus a good chunk of Clearways, etc. South Bank seems to have rather less visible, but maybe I'm missing something? I do always do at least one lap walking round anyway, but I'm not sure what I'm missing about South Bank - especially as my wife has suggested we park there next time!

[Anyopenroad]

Originally Posted by AndrewCherry

As an aside, having been going to Brands for 35 years or so, and having some definite proponents on here - what's the plus of being on South Bank?

It's Southbank "and infield" parking and it's the latter that appeals to me. During the day I move between several areas as I take pictures around the place. Having infield parking enables me to have spare clothes, food/drink and extra camera equipment easily to hand without having to lug it all about. It's also a place to shelter if it rains! I don't think I have ever actually parked on Southbank itself.

[AndrewCherry]

Ah I see, that's interesting. I traditionally travel pretty light once inside (slightly less so with a 3 year old now) but I'm not a photographer, etc. I did realise from walking around that people had parked in more places than I remembered, out towards Stirlings, etc. Might have to give it a go next time and see how it works out! If nothing else, a bit of a different wander from car to Paddock Hill