Grandstand (Tribune) recommendations - T4 or T5?

[giger]

As above

We've just pre-booked for 2015 and fancy trying a Grandstand next year. We like the look of T4 or T5. T5 is the newer one closer to Dunlop bridge (with a pitched roof) and seems to offer a wider view. Question is can you see start/finish line from T4, or is it better for another reason?

I believe both are the same price.

[DS240]

I thought T5 was dunlop (old style grandstand) and panorama was T4.

Anyway, you can't see start finish line from either.

I was in dunlop this year and enjoyed its position. Good view as they come around from start finish and into the chicane. View of TV also.

[Bantha Fodder]

I think you will find that Tribune 5 is the older Dunlop stand. Tribune 4 is the newer stand called Panorama and is nearest to the Dunlop Bridge.

[hyper jay]

The aco tribune is a good place to be. view over the pits start finish line.shower/bar/food/ view of a big screen

[Red Firecracker]

hyper jay said:

The aco tribune is a good place to be. view over the pits start finish line.shower/bar/food/ view of a big screen

I was very close to finding the showers just a mite too hot this year. Was terrible

[hyper jay]

Oh plus free timing sheets every hour and phone changing .

Edited by hyper jay on Monday 18th August 21:16

[Great Dane]

hyper jay said:

Oh and free timing sheets every hour and phone changing ..

and showers

[Davwlk]

hyper jay said:

Oh plus free timing sheets every hour and phone changing .

Edited by hyper jay on Monday 18th August 21:16

I must remember to take my old Nokia - see if I can change it for something better :-)

[giger]

...and back OT.

T4 or T5? New or old - any real difference?

(Oh, and I've got my own hot showers back in the airtrack village )

[OvalOwl]

Dunlop has a back wall whereas Panorama is open. There was a mass migration down towards the front of Panorama when the heavens opened this year.

I was slightly disappointed that there didn't seem to be many incidents at the Dunlop chicane but seeing the wheel fall off the Rebellion made up for the lack of spins, though looking back at my pictures somebody must had an off because there was gravel on the track in some of them. Must have happened when we were taking a break.

Also it was nice to see the cars come round again after the finish since they did a full lap of honour before they were turned off into park ferme.

[purple haze]

Definitely T5 (Dunlop) and I've been in both over the years. If the weather is windy or rainy you are a lot more exposed in T4 & it's much more of a temporary structure - the back is not enclosed for instance. Dunlop has the best view of the chicane before the bridge and also has the bonus of being directly opposite a giant TV screen. Seats are in rows going up from A (bottom) to M at the top and across seats are numbered left to right 1 to 115. To get above the fence which partially obscures the track you need to be in row J or above. Similarly seats from 36 to 80 are in the middle and best protected from the elements.

[giger]

purple haze said:

Definitely T5 (Dunlop) and I've been in both over the years. If the weather is windy or rainy you are a lot more exposed in T4 & it's much more of a temporary structure - the back is not enclosed for instance. Dunlop has the best view of the chicane before the bridge and also has the bonus of being directly opposite a giant TV screen. Seats are in rows going up from A (bottom) to M at the top and across seats are numbered left to right 1 to 115. To get above the fence which partially obscures the track you need to be in row J or above. Similarly seats from 36 to 80 are in the middle and best protected from the elements.

Many thanks, that's exactly what I wanted to know - T5 it is. Bonus points for the seat numbers - I'm taking my new DSLR next year so photos of cars and not fences are high on the list

[OvalOwl]

This is what it looks like in Panorama, notice the big area of sky visible behind!



this is the screen you can see from Panorama and Dunlop



and this is the view of the chicane from Panorama.

[purple haze]

And at the back of Oval Owl's first pic you can see the yellow outline of Dunlop! Well done that man - 2 grandstands in 1!

[giger]

Well I heard back from Thomas cook today and I can't request specific seat numbers for the grandstands.

What does everyone else do - do you book grandstands separately and pick your seats? if so can someone suggest companies/websites

Thanks

[Red Firecracker]

Normally it's a case of order grandstand tickets and then see which actual seats within the grandstand you have when the tickets arrive.


In the ACO Tribune, you can normally shift seats through the event at the quieter times, but obviously back to your own allocated ones at start/finish etc.

[OvalOwl]

Yes you can move about within the stands at quiet times. I took my pics of the cars going through the chicane from the very top of the stand, from my allocated seat a couple of rows down (which I selected myself from the ACO site) the top of the fence cut through the second part. The stands are only full for the start and finish of the race. For qualifying it is a first come first seated free for all.

[Great Dane]

I don't take grandstands but use my ACO membership to get better viewing points during the race at their experience centres. I have also sneaked into the main ACO grandstand during the evening and early morning sessions (aka Happy Hour).
During quali I have been at the Ford chicane grandstand a couple of times and I really liked that.