Where can I see old F1 cars in action?
Discussion
Access to the garages and assembly areas make the Silverstone classic perfect imho. If you are sensible, polite and unassuming and respect the guys working, most garages don't mind you getting a closer look, especially on Friday. A few years back, in the old pits, we watched the DFV F1 cars fire up in the assembly area which sounded fantastic. You can get pretty close on hangar straight but the grandstand on the inside of copse is brilliant as its on the (old) pit exit lane so they are at full throttle!
Silverstone Classic- not the best circuit to watch but it never has been. But the access all areas policy is superb - ironic given the value of the cars but you can walk around both sets of pits unimpeded and get very close indeed when the cars are warming up. If you get down to the Wing (ie modern pits ) on the free bus about an hour before F1 practice you can pore over the cars and then stand at the garage edge of the pitlane as they set off.
Brands Hatch for the FIA Masters remains by far the best place to see the historics F1s in action - you can't get closer to a full-chat DFV anywhere else, it's a superb track to watch at anyway but if you stand on the inside of Druids you'll get a view like nowhere else.
You can also stand on the bridge over Pilgrim's Drop and send your body into full fight-or-flight mode - turn this up as loud as it'll go, and you're about halfway there
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJz5yCSqRMw
You can also stand on the bridge over Pilgrim's Drop and send your body into full fight-or-flight mode - turn this up as loud as it'll go, and you're about halfway there
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJz5yCSqRMw
McSam said:
Brands Hatch for the FIA Masters remains by far the best place to see the historics F1s in action - you can't get closer to a full-chat DFV anywhere else, it's a superb track to watch at anyway but if you stand on the inside of Druids you'll get a view like nowhere else.
You can also stand on the bridge over Pilgrim's Drop and send your body into full fight-or-flight mode - turn this up as loud as it'll go, and you're about halfway there
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJz5yCSqRMw
Interesting viewpoint but it also must have coincided with the earthquake we had last week. You can also stand on the bridge over Pilgrim's Drop and send your body into full fight-or-flight mode - turn this up as loud as it'll go, and you're about halfway there
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJz5yCSqRMw
I know of two incidents where cameras fell off racing cars and ended up getting hit - one was when the movie "Grand Prix" was being shot in 1966 when one of the film cameras feel off and got run over by Graham Hill's BRM. In 1995 a TV camera fell off a car during the Italian GP and got smacked by the following car.
So even the professionals have had problems.
So even the professionals have had problems.
Neither of those incidents sound fun at all, but I'm sure I don't need to point out that a camera actually mounted to a car, subject to enormous forces and vibrations for long periods without being checked, is a somewhat different proposition to a device used statically for a minute at a time.
McSam said:
Brands Hatch for the FIA Masters remains by far the best place to see the historics F1s in action - you can't get closer to a full-chat DFV anywhere else, it's a superb track to watch at anyway but if you stand on the inside of Druids you'll get a view like nowhere else.
You can also stand on the bridge over Pilgrim's Drop and send your body into full fight-or-flight mode - turn this up as loud as it'll go, and you're about halfway there
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJz5yCSqRMw
I race prepare and run at the events two of the cars in this race, and I have to say I am not happy about you filming from directly above the cars. I understand your enthusiasm and intent Sam, but I don't want to have to be contacting the family of the drivers in the cars because they were hit in the head at 160MPH by a camera.You can also stand on the bridge over Pilgrim's Drop and send your body into full fight-or-flight mode - turn this up as loud as it'll go, and you're about halfway there
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJz5yCSqRMw
If you would like to see the cars up close and have a tour of them, I'd be more than happy to show you round the cars at Silverstone, but please don't do that again with open top cars, the drivers have zero protection from large foreign objects dropping from above them.
Hi jsf, thanks for your reply and your very kind offer of a look around the cars, it's much appreciated. I fully understand your concerns, especially from the standpoint of working with these cars - for which I very much envy you, by the way!
I took every precaution I could think of, including trying to shake or knock the camera loose to make sure it was secure before recording, and getting it in place and steady before any cars approached. I'd never forgive myself if the camera just dropped at the trackside where someone could clip it, never mind actually falling onto a driver! The two minutes or so in the YouTube video is the sum total of all recording I did like this, and it's not something I plan to do again, no matter how small the risk. Just wanted to capture these special machines properly.
I took every precaution I could think of, including trying to shake or knock the camera loose to make sure it was secure before recording, and getting it in place and steady before any cars approached. I'd never forgive myself if the camera just dropped at the trackside where someone could clip it, never mind actually falling onto a driver! The two minutes or so in the YouTube video is the sum total of all recording I did like this, and it's not something I plan to do again, no matter how small the risk. Just wanted to capture these special machines properly.
Several 80s/90s/00s F1 cars on show at the Bournemouth Wheels Festival today. Pity that the Arrows A18 (the same car in which Damon Hill nearly won the 1997 Hungarian GP) was stuck in 2nd gear and then failed completely. But what a great free event Bournemouth puts on (plenty of PHers in the supercar run too)
Edited by stevesuk on Saturday 30th May 21:17
Longnose said:
The F1 cars you see racing are usually 1980's V8 DFV powered because they're relatively plentiful and much cheaper to run than the V10's from the 90's. I think they have a 10K rpm limit as well to make the engines last longer. If anyone knows where I can find an Ilmor V10 from 1992-1994 please let me know...
The DFVs raced in the Masters Historic are prepped to last the season 
Tipping at 500 brake they are IMO the best sounding kits you will ever hear. A grid of 20ish 60s / 70s / early 80s F1 flying away for a 30 mins stint is worth the experience.
Got this on my Facebook feed this morning:
https://vimeo.com/121470578
That's a real F1 car on a real F1 circuit.
Clutch, manual gearbox, massive engine, awesome sound around a circuit that demonstrates what was great about F1.
https://vimeo.com/121470578
That's a real F1 car on a real F1 circuit.
Clutch, manual gearbox, massive engine, awesome sound around a circuit that demonstrates what was great about F1.
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