World Endurance Championship - Silverstone

[twocolours]

I'm going to be in Oxford next Saturday night so thought it might be worth stopping off for the race on Sunday. I've not been to an endurance race before (except British GT) so not sure what to expect - has anyone been before that could let me know if it's a good day out and worth the (what I thought to be quite steep) £40 price on the day?

Thanks in advance!

[joema]

I really enjoyed it when I last went to it but that was in September. April could be hit and miss weather wise and silverstone feels like the arctic so best play it by ear.

If you've never seen lmps before it's worth going

[SpeedMattersNot]

I will try to keep this brief...perhaps bullet points.

- Wrap up VERY warm. Silverstone at this time of year is unfortunately, deceptively cold. We could be lucky but, probably won't be.
- The racing is long. Invest in a means of following the race (a good in-ear radio is perfect for this!)
- Keep up to date on all the class battles. Even if the competition dies down, it will pick up again.
- Try to view the track from as many different areas. They're not as breathtaking in speed as F1 but seeing the LMP1's pass a beautifully crafted piece of GT Porsche, Aston and Ferrari as if it's going backwards is incredible.

[clarki]

I went last year - weather was horrible - and there wasn't much beyond the racing. Again, don't think the weather helped.

£40 is quite steep, but the WEC cars are an impressive sight tbh, and so quick!!

Nice day and i'll probably go next weekend, crap and i won't bother.

[eastlmark]

take hiking boots and a bottle of water and walk all around the outside of the circuit, great close up viewing point just before Becketts which is probably the closest you can get to a racing Le mans car short of a night time trek through the woods at Mulsanne.
At some point take the free bus to the inside of the wing and look in awe at the teams trucks, usually a fan area there as well and a big screen to keep up with the action.

[hdrflow]

The weather is meant to be OK. 14C for Sunday and no rain. The problem at Silverstone is the wind but if it doesn't rain is not too bad. Some of the grandstands will be open so you'll be fine when you're tired roaming around.

Can't wait now but I'm doing the whole weekend .

The fan zone is usually quite cool with lots of nice metal on display and the usual food stuff.

[twocolours]

Thanks for all your input folks, sounds like its worth the visit - having always been a GT/Le Mans fan I'm looking forward to seeing the LMP cars, plus my trip to Oulton today for the British GT has whet my appetite! I'll make sure I'm prepared for the worst weather wise and make sure to make the most of it!

Thanks Everyone!

[anonymous-user]

Should be decent weather if the forecast holds up

[marshall100]

Really looking forward to it. Kids won't last six hours and we have to get back to Cornwall. Wonder of the LMP1#s can take copse at full chat?

[Mikey G]

clarki said:

£40 is quite steep,

I suggest you dont price up tickets for the F1 then... I think for a weekend of top class racing its a bargain.
I wanted to do the weekend but no one would commit, so we have settled for the Saturday only to watch the other races and qualifying so i can watch the 6 hrs in the comfort of my sofa at home...

[eastlmark]

Mikey G said:

I suggest you dont price up tickets for the F1 then... I think for a weekend of top class racing its a bargain.
I wanted to do the weekend but no one would commit, so we have settled for the Saturday only to watch the other races and qualifying so i can watch the 6 hrs in the comfort of my sofa at home...

Saturday is ELMS race, 4 hours this year and despite the top team going WEC its still a fantastic entry and the added interest of the LMP3 class as well, top event in itself.

[Great Dane]

If any of you would like a free spectators guide for the WEC race (I send out free Dropbox links for the three pdf files) send me a PM and I will post them to you. It contains drives, cars , helmets , time table and a circuit layout.

At the moment my mailing list is around the 100 mark and I don't mind more... The feedback I have received has been positive

This is a screen grab of page one

Edited by Great Dane on Tuesday 7th April 19:31

[TheHoof]

Been for the last 2 years and going again this year - great day out and much more 'accessible' than Bernie's Travelling Circus.

Some bits to keep in mind:

- If the weather is bad, the Paddock Cafe near the national paddock is useful to shelter for a while, procure tea & get warm again. It doesn't seem to get overly busy either.

- 6 hours gives you sufficient time to walk the circumference of the circuit and stick at your chosen vantage points for a long while. I believe this year they're opening more of the grandstands up which is a welcome development.

- Make sure you get over to the outside of Beckets / Maggots, the speed the P1 cars carry through there is staggering.

- Getting between the perimeter and the infield, particularly the Wing, is a pain in the proverbial so plan your route/itinerary accordingly.

- If it's sunny, don't forget the sunblock - there is precious little shade. I learnt this lesson the hard way.

Roll on Sunday!

[entropy]

I've been going since the LMS/Donny races.

Weather is usually fine for this time of year with the odd shower of rain so pack a coat/layers.

I missed last year because of family do.

There is a bus service to get to the Wing paddock/fan zone.

Commentary/RLM is available on FM frequency 90s something or other.

[Hard-Drive]

Guys

As a local car club, we've organised a small Porsche meet near the circuit on the Sunday, not knowing it was on. I take it the traffic chaos is nowhere near F1 GP levels and there's no "one way" A43 system?

Our meet is basically when the race starts on Sunday, so I guess most people will be in by then anyway? Just trying to avoid our "meet" being gridlocked on the A43.

Thanks

[twocolours]

TheHoof said:

- If it's sunny, don't forget the sunblock - there is precious little shade. I learnt this lesson the hard way.

Me too! British GP 2005 was particularly painful!

[outnumbered]

Hard-Drive said:

Guys

As a local car club, we've organised a small Porsche meet near the circuit on the Sunday, not knowing it was on. I take it the traffic chaos is nowhere near F1 GP levels and there's no "one way" A43 system?

Our meet is basically when the race starts on Sunday, so I guess most people will be in by then anyway? Just trying to avoid our "meet" being gridlocked on the A43.

Thanks

It'll be fine I think. Most people will have arrived well before the start, and even then, the attendance is probably 5-10% of the GP...

Edited by outnumbered on Tuesday 7th April 21:55

[outnumbered]

twocolours said:

I'm going to be in Oxford next Saturday night so thought it might be worth stopping off for the race on Sunday. I've not been to an endurance race before (except British GT) so not sure what to expect - has anyone been before that could let me know if it's a good day out and worth the (what I thought to be quite steep) £40 price on the day?

Thanks in advance!

Definitely worth going to see if you like motor racing... I've been going to the WEC and it's predecessors right back to the late 70s and wouldn't miss the UK round for anything.

[Great Dane]

outnumbered said:

Definitely worth going to see if you like motor racing... I've been going to the WEC and it's predecessors right back to the late 70s and wouldn't miss the UK round for anything.

send me pm and i will send you the links for the race... mouth watering

[anonymous-user]

I thought £40 + my nephew for free is a bargain! First race for both of us so should be a good day out...so long as he doesnt get bored! How many spectators usually go to WEC races?