Are our facilities good enough ?

[Super Tourer]

Bearing in mind the Silverstone farce are our F1 facilities up to scratch ?

The trend in F1 now is for 'new build' state of the art circuits with all the facilties. i.e. Malaysia. As the debate is rumbling on currently about where the British GP is to be held in the future, would we be better to go the same route and design a purpose built venue with good overtaking places, a rail link for easy access and a 'proper' road link.

I have no doubt the heritage mongers will not like this but as M Schumacher said you can't over take at Silverstone, why don't we lead the way in building a circuit cars can actually race on, people can get to and enjoy rather than battle with very poor spectator facilties.

Anyone within 20 miles of Silverstone will tell you that the infrastrucre currently there cannot cope with 150,000 people and subsequent traffic......

[Crash Test]

I don't get how people can sit there and say "oh dear god, they made us park in a field and it was terrible."

I don't know about you, but not many race tracks around the world have multy storey concrete car parks for the patrons. Every race track i have been to (apart from street circuits) make you park in a field (if you are a joe bloggs without the million dollar passes). Ok, some of them have some crushed stones or dirt tracks to seperate parking from driving areas.

"M Schumacher said you can't over take at
Silverstone, why don't we lead the way in building a circuit cars can actually race on, people can get to and enjoyrather than battle with very poor spectator facilties."
- In an F1 car. Isn't there overtaking in just about every other class out there? Maybe the problem is with F1??

[yorkie]

Silverstone as a circuit is one of the old school, it has very fast corners and many challenges (eg the Becketts complex). It does have it's faults. The lack of access to the circuit can hardly be blamed on the BRDC as the proposed new bypass and link road was put on hold to pacify the Swampy types.

At the moment newly designed circuits are becoming more and more sterile. Their designs are more for safety rather than racing (certanly in a current F1 car) and overtaking opportunities are few and far between. A good example is Malaysia. Apart from one brave move by Coulthard, the only overtaking was when Irvine was allowed to pass TGF.

Crash test, you are absolutely right and as I have said in the past the problem in F1 lies with the reliance on the aerodynamics rather than mechanical grip. Rule changes in the 90s have force this reliance.

As for TGF's comments that you can't overtake at Silverstone, he must have forgotten that he himself was overtaken by TGF junior and Villeneuve.

I personally would hate to see F1 move to Brands Hatch as the location makes it a much longer journey to see the GP. It would be better being moved to Donnington.

Incidentally Silverstone will get its new bypass in 2002, the year after the GP moves to Brands Hatch!

[fatbloke]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>
I don't know about you, but not many race tracks around the world have multy storey concrete car parks for the patrons.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

And, at the time of the birth of the motor car, some poor chap had to walk in front of it with a flag. Doesn't mean it was a good idea then, or now.

Seriously, we're not asking for concrete carparks for miles around Silverstone but, if they're gonna charge people the equivalent of a weeks wages, I think we have the right to remind them of their duty to prepare for the event. Whether this means laying shale as required or whatever, then it should have been done. They should also have had contingency plans in place in case of this eventuality - rain is not unusual in England at this time of the year...

I hear that they have advertised the job of the guy responsible for 'organising' this event. Not a moment too soon, I say. Maybe they should consider someone from the armed forces - they are used to planning for every eventuality...

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>
M Schumacher said you can't over take at Silverstone
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Erm, I think he's trying to make to ridiculous unge at Irvine last year a little less stupid...

[Jay]

Ok, so I live across the pond in Canada and may not know exactly what the situation is for the British Grand Prix.

My understanding is that while the majority of people come by car, some come by train and take shuttle buses to the circuit, while the wealthy fly in on their helicopters.

My question is, why don't they build a rail link to the circuit and have special trains running to Silverstone just for the events. Make it so almost everyone comes by train.

In Montreal, at the Canadian Grand Prix, THERE ARE NO CAR PARKS. Most people take the subway to a nearby Island, and walk across one of two bridges to the track itself. A few wealthy folks come in by helicopter, and almost everyone else leaves the car at home. Sure, there is as much as a 2km walk between the subway station and your grandstand, but, a 20 min walk will do you a lot more good than sitting in a car not moving for 20 min.

Just some thoughts.

[fatbloke]

BTW, just found this:
http://tentenths.com/poll/

I vote for the french!

[Peter Mallett]

There are many ways to solve the problem in the "car parks", one of which was deveoloped from military airfields. There is a company which rents out temporary track. Its called Trakway and whilst expensive, would have been substantially less than the cost of the refunds for Saturday. They would only need it up the running tracks as it was the constant movement of the cars which churned the mud up.

There is also a means of laying gravel tracks whilst etill protecting the land underneath. Again cheaper then the refunds.

Its funny though. I bet the tickets for next year are higher because of the "special measures" which Silverstone will have to take to ensure the spectator's comfort and pleasure.

[fatbloke]

Peter, I know a guy who works for a company which I cannot remember the name of (but they drive round in bloody great big green waghons if that's any help...?!) who says they were called in but, on arrival at Silverstone, the temporary roadway that they were laying actually started sinking too! Don't know how much truth there is to this though, as he is known as a bit of a bull****ter.

Maybe i'm missing something anyway. Is there some definite requirement that means that the cars must come to the circuit ? Why not copy what Knockhill do on major racedays and park the cars away from the circuit (maybe hire a local airfield or three) and run the spectators into the circuit on buses ? Maybe they could ruin buses direct to the railway stations at Milton Keynes, Northampton, etc. too ?

[Carrie]

They did actually put in that Trakway stuff in places because it formed the path we were walking on on from Wittlebury. Yes, it did sink.

[Jay]

I knew it was the French all along!!!

It's always them.