SPA Grand Prix Trip
Discussion
Went to GP on Saturday and Sunday, first time visit. The track itself did not disappoint, this must be on any bucket list. It is simply staggering, the corners and location in a forested valley is simply breathtaking. We walked up to Eau Rouge and watched some of the Porsche GT3 racing there, unless you actually see it in person you cannot believe how steep the incline is.
it was clear to see how difficult this was and it proved to be the case in the F1 race when Magnusson crashed so spectacularly.
There was a great atmosphere ( many Dutch fans)and it proved to be a good F1 race with Hamilton at the back of the grid. We had seats in the Chicane grandstand which had a decent view of the corner and pit entry. Probably not the best location but very close to the action.
A great circuit to visit but an awful spectator experience, I don't think that I would go back.
Firstly access was truly awful, I had booked car parking in yellow zone for Sat/Sun. We drove on the Saturday, Took one hour to do 1km coming off the E42 and then further 30 mins to get to car parking, paid 16 euro to park in deep grass on very steep incline. Fortunately it was dry had it been wet I dread to think how we would have got out of the car park. No signage from car park to circuit, took a further 40 mins to get down to the circuit, having to do the same in evening up steep incline in 35c heat. The next day we decided to go on the train from liege to Verviers and then shuttle bus, only marginally better still took over two hours to get there. As wise move as I understand it took hours to get out of the car parks on Race day.
Very poor and inefficient traffic flow management coupled with inadequate road access for the number of tickets sold.
Circuit very congested with a number of dangerous pinch points and very little stewarding. Pathways very narrow and loose debris on surface. Very slow going to move round the circuit as so many routes only available to VIP,'s the rest of us being crammed into tight fenced paths. Food and drink massively overpriced, we spent very little as there was so much queueing. For food you had to queue to buy tickets to then join another queue for the food. The tickets seem to be designed to further disguise the overpriced food. Drink on cash basis ?
Toilet facilities disgusting and limited, even in gold stand we had to pay 0.70 euro to use the toilets. Great racing circuit but no investment for the spectators, this is an issue that F1 needs to address. A great experience but I won't be going back to this or any F1 race in the future simply too expensive and they don't give a toss about the fans. Makes you think where does all the money go to ?
it was clear to see how difficult this was and it proved to be the case in the F1 race when Magnusson crashed so spectacularly.
There was a great atmosphere ( many Dutch fans)and it proved to be a good F1 race with Hamilton at the back of the grid. We had seats in the Chicane grandstand which had a decent view of the corner and pit entry. Probably not the best location but very close to the action.
A great circuit to visit but an awful spectator experience, I don't think that I would go back.
Firstly access was truly awful, I had booked car parking in yellow zone for Sat/Sun. We drove on the Saturday, Took one hour to do 1km coming off the E42 and then further 30 mins to get to car parking, paid 16 euro to park in deep grass on very steep incline. Fortunately it was dry had it been wet I dread to think how we would have got out of the car park. No signage from car park to circuit, took a further 40 mins to get down to the circuit, having to do the same in evening up steep incline in 35c heat. The next day we decided to go on the train from liege to Verviers and then shuttle bus, only marginally better still took over two hours to get there. As wise move as I understand it took hours to get out of the car parks on Race day.
Very poor and inefficient traffic flow management coupled with inadequate road access for the number of tickets sold.
Circuit very congested with a number of dangerous pinch points and very little stewarding. Pathways very narrow and loose debris on surface. Very slow going to move round the circuit as so many routes only available to VIP,'s the rest of us being crammed into tight fenced paths. Food and drink massively overpriced, we spent very little as there was so much queueing. For food you had to queue to buy tickets to then join another queue for the food. The tickets seem to be designed to further disguise the overpriced food. Drink on cash basis ?
Toilet facilities disgusting and limited, even in gold stand we had to pay 0.70 euro to use the toilets. Great racing circuit but no investment for the spectators, this is an issue that F1 needs to address. A great experience but I won't be going back to this or any F1 race in the future simply too expensive and they don't give a toss about the fans. Makes you think where does all the money go to ?
The Mean Machine said:
Makes you think where does all the money go to ?
I assume that bit was rhetorical.I went there 9 years ago and agree with most of that. I'd consider going back to watch an endurance race as I expect it would be less manic, but not otherwise (unless with some sort of VIP pass to the nice bits).
The new Tilke despotland circuits have very good spectator facilities. And with nobody bothering to turn up, entry and exit is a doddle. Shame they are crap tracks though. Abu Dhabi is little more than a brisk walk from the airport.
What would I prefer...? I think your thoughts on the brilliant track itself answer that. A large, wheeled cool box full of food and piss in a bush (or someone else's pocket at if at Monza
) solves the rest of it a bit until the number 2 calls
Entry and exit issues... Spa is not unique. This has mostly been the case at Brands Hatch / Silverstone for donkeys years, with Silverstone improving its road development and temporary one way systems easing things a bit over recent years. Still a crap mainly flat airfield circuit though compared to Brands IMO, so I can't be arsed to go unless someone else is paying for the little you can see. Last time there we had a pit lane box provided by some nice company and parking in the paddock.
I'd much rather suffer what you describe at a beautiful circuit like Spa rather than at a desolate, viewer hostile windswept flatland like Silverstone personally. I hope it didn't ruin your weekend, Spa is a gem.
What would I prefer...? I think your thoughts on the brilliant track itself answer that. A large, wheeled cool box full of food and piss in a bush (or someone else's pocket at if at Monza
) solves the rest of it a bit until the number 2 calls Entry and exit issues... Spa is not unique. This has mostly been the case at Brands Hatch / Silverstone for donkeys years, with Silverstone improving its road development and temporary one way systems easing things a bit over recent years. Still a crap mainly flat airfield circuit though compared to Brands IMO, so I can't be arsed to go unless someone else is paying for the little you can see. Last time there we had a pit lane box provided by some nice company and parking in the paddock.
I'd much rather suffer what you describe at a beautiful circuit like Spa rather than at a desolate, viewer hostile windswept flatland like Silverstone personally. I hope it didn't ruin your weekend, Spa is a gem.
I'm not surprised to hear your experiences. I've only been to Spa for track days and while the track is utterly fantastic and takes your breath away driving it for the first time, I've always thought that the infrastructure must be a nightmare on big race days. Especially the GP. Considering the size of the circuit, the paddock is tiny. And has humps in lots of places that a low/track/race car will ground out on. Especially if you enter the circuit via the main tunnel or try going into an endurance garage without putting a board down first. It's rammed on a track day so goodness knows what it would be like when taken over for a GP! A classic, beautiful, historic race track but best visited when there's no serious races going on in my experience!
Didn't someone mention before the start that attendance figures at the race are normally 50,000 and it was 100,000 plus this weekend. I've never seen the crowds like it at spa.
There may have been an element of the infrastructure simply not being set up to cope with that number compared to the norm.
Usual traffic management for 50,000 suddenly not adequate for 100,000 etc etc.
There may have been an element of the infrastructure simply not being set up to cope with that number compared to the norm.
Usual traffic management for 50,000 suddenly not adequate for 100,000 etc etc.
Might help for the future travellers.
If you drive directly into Francochamps you will be surprised how easy it is to find parking. Many of the locals will park you up for ten euro. Go right to the track at la source and you will get parked near the track. Waik in from there for gold stands six to nine (best ,opposite grid or seven near la source. Go for seats at half way or above due to overhead shade) if no grandstand I am not sure how far before you can find a good free spot but I saw spectators on both banks on either side of the track.
When leaving I found I drove out on both Saturday and Sunday with no problem but I did keep off the motorway for three junctions.
Hope this helps for next time.
If you drive directly into Francochamps you will be surprised how easy it is to find parking. Many of the locals will park you up for ten euro. Go right to the track at la source and you will get parked near the track. Waik in from there for gold stands six to nine (best ,opposite grid or seven near la source. Go for seats at half way or above due to overhead shade) if no grandstand I am not sure how far before you can find a good free spot but I saw spectators on both banks on either side of the track.
When leaving I found I drove out on both Saturday and Sunday with no problem but I did keep off the motorway for three junctions.
Hope this helps for next time.
We always camped at Spa, so traffic was never an issue. I know a lot of people had problems this year, with one team taking one and a half hours to get in from Malmedy on race day.
As an aside, I wonder if the number of campers was down this year, because Francorchamps was much quieter than normal. I know the ban on roadside shops and the usual Racing Hotel chaos would have affected things, but even the bars that were open were far less busy than usual - despite a huge increase in the overall crowd.
As an aside, I wonder if the number of campers was down this year, because Francorchamps was much quieter than normal. I know the ban on roadside shops and the usual Racing Hotel chaos would have affected things, but even the bars that were open were far less busy than usual - despite a huge increase in the overall crowd.
Ahonen said:
We always camped at Spa, so traffic was never an issue. I know a lot of people had problems this year, with one team taking one and a half hours to get in from Malmedy on race day.
As an aside, I wonder if the number of campers was down this year, because Francorchamps was much quieter than normal. I know the ban on roadside shops and the usual Racing Hotel chaos would have affected things, but even the bars that were open were far less busy than usual - despite a huge increase in the overall crowd.
We were at CampingF1 right at the bottom of the hill from the Les Combes entrance, at 9 o'clock we were sitting in camping chairs having a beer still watching the queue of cars trying to make their way out onto the E42.As an aside, I wonder if the number of campers was down this year, because Francorchamps was much quieter than normal. I know the ban on roadside shops and the usual Racing Hotel chaos would have affected things, but even the bars that were open were far less busy than usual - despite a huge increase in the overall crowd.
Have to say Camping F1 was very good (but a bloody hard trek up to the track, not really that far but the hill was very steep).
The Mean Machine said:
Went to GP on Saturday and Sunday, first time visit. The track itself did not disappoint, this must be on any bucket list. It is simply staggering, the corners and location in a forested valley is simply breathtaking. We walked up to Eau Rouge and watched some of the Porsche GT3 racing there, unless you actually see it in person you cannot believe how steep the incline is.
it was clear to see how difficult this was and it proved to be the case in the F1 race when Magnusson crashed so spectacularly.
There was a great atmosphere ( many Dutch fans)and it proved to be a good F1 race with Hamilton at the back of the grid. We had seats in the Chicane grandstand which had a decent view of the corner and pit entry. Probably not the best location but very close to the action.
A great circuit to visit but an awful spectator experience, I don't think that I would go back.
Firstly access was truly awful, I had booked car parking in yellow zone for Sat/Sun. We drove on the Saturday, Took one hour to do 1km coming off the E42 and then further 30 mins to get to car parking, paid 16 euro to park in deep grass on very steep incline. Fortunately it was dry had it been wet I dread to think how we would have got out of the car park. No signage from car park to circuit, took a further 40 mins to get down to the circuit, having to do the same in evening up steep incline in 35c heat. The next day we decided to go on the train from liege to Verviers and then shuttle bus, only marginally better still took over two hours to get there. As wise move as I understand it took hours to get out of the car parks on Race day.
Very poor and inefficient traffic flow management coupled with inadequate road access for the number of tickets sold.
Circuit very congested with a number of dangerous pinch points and very little stewarding. Pathways very narrow and loose debris on surface. Very slow going to move round the circuit as so many routes only available to VIP,'s the rest of us being crammed into tight fenced paths. Food and drink massively overpriced, we spent very little as there was so much queueing. For food you had to queue to buy tickets to then join another queue for the food. The tickets seem to be designed to further disguise the overpriced food. Drink on cash basis ?
Toilet facilities disgusting and limited, even in gold stand we had to pay 0.70 euro to use the toilets. Great racing circuit but no investment for the spectators, this is an issue that F1 needs to address. A great experience but I won't be going back to this or any F1 race in the future simply too expensive and they don't give a toss about the fans. Makes you think where does all the money go to ?
I would agree with everything you say and add it was a fantastic experience and I'd do it again tomorrow. it was clear to see how difficult this was and it proved to be the case in the F1 race when Magnusson crashed so spectacularly.
There was a great atmosphere ( many Dutch fans)and it proved to be a good F1 race with Hamilton at the back of the grid. We had seats in the Chicane grandstand which had a decent view of the corner and pit entry. Probably not the best location but very close to the action.
A great circuit to visit but an awful spectator experience, I don't think that I would go back.
Firstly access was truly awful, I had booked car parking in yellow zone for Sat/Sun. We drove on the Saturday, Took one hour to do 1km coming off the E42 and then further 30 mins to get to car parking, paid 16 euro to park in deep grass on very steep incline. Fortunately it was dry had it been wet I dread to think how we would have got out of the car park. No signage from car park to circuit, took a further 40 mins to get down to the circuit, having to do the same in evening up steep incline in 35c heat. The next day we decided to go on the train from liege to Verviers and then shuttle bus, only marginally better still took over two hours to get there. As wise move as I understand it took hours to get out of the car parks on Race day.
Very poor and inefficient traffic flow management coupled with inadequate road access for the number of tickets sold.
Circuit very congested with a number of dangerous pinch points and very little stewarding. Pathways very narrow and loose debris on surface. Very slow going to move round the circuit as so many routes only available to VIP,'s the rest of us being crammed into tight fenced paths. Food and drink massively overpriced, we spent very little as there was so much queueing. For food you had to queue to buy tickets to then join another queue for the food. The tickets seem to be designed to further disguise the overpriced food. Drink on cash basis ?
Toilet facilities disgusting and limited, even in gold stand we had to pay 0.70 euro to use the toilets. Great racing circuit but no investment for the spectators, this is an issue that F1 needs to address. A great experience but I won't be going back to this or any F1 race in the future simply too expensive and they don't give a toss about the fans. Makes you think where does all the money go to ?
We were at the entrance (at Les Combes) by about 7.20, 10 minutes before opening time and still took an hour to get in (spoke to some people who used the La Source entrance at the same time and apparently that was much easier).
For race day we were sitting on the large hill overlooking Pouhon and it was rammed by about 9 am but the atmosphere was absolutely fantastic.
By 11 it was getting completely full and a food and toilet run was in order, impossible to get near the toilets because of the queue of people trying to make their way around the circuit, no problem Spa has the odd tree or million knocking about, honestly it was like walking into the worlds largest gay cruising area, thousands of people having a pee, weirdly despite the numbers of people there was no tree sharing, everyone found their own tree no matter how far away.
By 12 it was just about impossible to get in or out, to be honest I would say the hill was at max. capacity and anymore could have made it a bit dicey if anything went wrong.
I think they were completely taken by surprise by the number of people who turned up (shouldn't have been, they knew how many tickets they'd sold).
We returned home Sunday at midnight after having finished the beer and BBQ leftovers while everybody else was queuing up and standing still after the race. There was an alternative route at the camp site exit but signs were handily disguised so the entire road until Aachen was virtually empty.
We were on the Kemmel straight slope at 300 m before the chicane on Saturday and Sunday so there was lots of action to be seen. Video wall was very usefull too.
During driver presentation there was booing for Rosberg, which I find absolutely disgraceful. Apparently the same thing happened during price giving.
We stayed at the green camping but this one was largely orange-coloured. No sight of Abignale and his Ferrari, Norfolkit or others so I had to drink all the Dutch beer myself. Facilities were basic so to speak but I had prepared myself to the max, if you know what I mean.
I noticed from the rewind I watched on Monday that a number of grandstands had empty seats. One more noticeable thing: the speed sensation and noise at the track are so much better than in front of the TV. Safety cars surprisingly make a much tamer sound than on TV.
We were on the Kemmel straight slope at 300 m before the chicane on Saturday and Sunday so there was lots of action to be seen. Video wall was very usefull too.
During driver presentation there was booing for Rosberg, which I find absolutely disgraceful. Apparently the same thing happened during price giving.
We stayed at the green camping but this one was largely orange-coloured. No sight of Abignale and his Ferrari, Norfolkit or others so I had to drink all the Dutch beer myself. Facilities were basic so to speak but I had prepared myself to the max, if you know what I mean.
I noticed from the rewind I watched on Monday that a number of grandstands had empty seats. One more noticeable thing: the speed sensation and noise at the track are so much better than in front of the TV. Safety cars surprisingly make a much tamer sound than on TV.
Edited by allegerita on Wednesday 31st August 15:15
allegerita said:
We stayed at the green camping but this one was largely orange-coloured. No sight of Abignale and his Ferrari, Norfolkit or others so I had to drink all the Dutch beer myself.
We were in CampingF1 at the bottom of the hill, walking up in the morning damn near killed me, twice would have done it for sure. Our facilities were not bad to be honest and we did have Martin Brundle on Saturday night.Edited by allegerita on Wednesday 31st August 15:15
I stayed at CampingF1 too, didn't have very high expectations but definitely would use them again, it was nice to have a pre-erected tent especially as I didn't feel like pitching my own at all after the journey.
The showers were fine and the food wasn't bad at all, if a bit expensive.
Really wouldn't want to do anything else now after getting back to the campsite, settling down with a pint and reading for a bit, then spotting cars I had walked past an hour before only just catching up with me. Sitting in a stationery car for so long in that heat would've killed me.
The showers were fine and the food wasn't bad at all, if a bit expensive.
Really wouldn't want to do anything else now after getting back to the campsite, settling down with a pint and reading for a bit, then spotting cars I had walked past an hour before only just catching up with me. Sitting in a stationery car for so long in that heat would've killed me.
Edited by AXlawrence on Thursday 1st September 10:08
I must have got lucky and timed it right on the way in on Sunday. I went in via Burneville and experienced only minor queuing. Got to admit I was a little knackered (in the heat - felt more like Spain than Belgium) getting from the car park to the circuit but was grateful it was dry. Came into the circuit via Route des Combes and found somewhere decent to watch the GP3 and GP2 race at turn 5 where I also had a fairly good view of the straight and turn 6.
It was mental busy by this time though and I was quite happy with my spot but decided I had to go and see Eau Rouge. I'm so glad I made the effort though as it was really was something else. Obviously I knew it was steep but I wasn't expecting what I saw and there really is something special about fast cars pelting it round this particular section. I was there for the end of the Porsche race and then found a sketchy bit of banking where I got a nice elevated view for the F1 practice starts and the start of the race. I was making my way back up to Les Combes just as Magnussen had his crash and you could really sense the change in atmosphere and then relief that you hadn't just witnessed something awful. Obviously I'd lost my initial spot by then so decided to carry on round and made my way through the tunnel and headed down to Pouhon (by this time the red flags had finished). I then stayed there for the remainder of the race.
Getting out after the race was honestly a nightmare. The tunnel looked like a no go so I ended up in the forest (which was also packed - probably not my best decision) and eventually climbed up out over the top somewhere. Got a bit lucky as I was still able to get out where I came into the circuit. It looked like if I'd opted for the tunnel (and made it out alive) the Police were blocking off access back to Malmedy. Heading back down to the parking I've never been so thankful for the random hosing down and some Dutch fans were still partying and making the most of it but obviously butthurt with Max's result. They had a lifesized cutout of both Red Bull drivers but had wiped the smile off Ricciardo's face by ripping his head off. There is no denying the traffic on the way out was quite bad with everyone leaving the parking and campsites at the same time.
Overall despite the overcrowding I'm glad I went (definitely grandstand though if I go again). I've wanted to go to Spa for ages, made what I could of it, and got it ticked off the list. The circuit itself is impressive but they could make it better for spectators and improve the facilities. Compared to TV F1 is still a spectacle worth seeing for me anyway (I haven't been since the end of the V8s).
Next on the list is Monza (not this weekend unfortunately).
It was mental busy by this time though and I was quite happy with my spot but decided I had to go and see Eau Rouge. I'm so glad I made the effort though as it was really was something else. Obviously I knew it was steep but I wasn't expecting what I saw and there really is something special about fast cars pelting it round this particular section. I was there for the end of the Porsche race and then found a sketchy bit of banking where I got a nice elevated view for the F1 practice starts and the start of the race. I was making my way back up to Les Combes just as Magnussen had his crash and you could really sense the change in atmosphere and then relief that you hadn't just witnessed something awful. Obviously I'd lost my initial spot by then so decided to carry on round and made my way through the tunnel and headed down to Pouhon (by this time the red flags had finished). I then stayed there for the remainder of the race.
Getting out after the race was honestly a nightmare. The tunnel looked like a no go so I ended up in the forest (which was also packed - probably not my best decision) and eventually climbed up out over the top somewhere. Got a bit lucky as I was still able to get out where I came into the circuit. It looked like if I'd opted for the tunnel (and made it out alive) the Police were blocking off access back to Malmedy. Heading back down to the parking I've never been so thankful for the random hosing down and some Dutch fans were still partying and making the most of it but obviously butthurt with Max's result. They had a lifesized cutout of both Red Bull drivers but had wiped the smile off Ricciardo's face by ripping his head off. There is no denying the traffic on the way out was quite bad with everyone leaving the parking and campsites at the same time.
Overall despite the overcrowding I'm glad I went (definitely grandstand though if I go again). I've wanted to go to Spa for ages, made what I could of it, and got it ticked off the list. The circuit itself is impressive but they could make it better for spectators and improve the facilities. Compared to TV F1 is still a spectacle worth seeing for me anyway (I haven't been since the end of the V8s).
Next on the list is Monza (not this weekend unfortunately).
I agree very much with The Mean Machine.
Two instances of major dangerous crowd congestion caused by people with seats on the paths. It appears you can sit wherever you want. As for stewarding.....non existent. Son bought an average burger 13.50 Euros.
An experience but would not want to repeat it.
Two instances of major dangerous crowd congestion caused by people with seats on the paths. It appears you can sit wherever you want. As for stewarding.....non existent. Son bought an average burger 13.50 Euros.
An experience but would not want to repeat it.
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