Silverstone Classics 2015
Discussion
havoc said:
SEE YA said:
Entry fee for one maybe fine with you, but for a family that has to travel hotel, fuel, food it all adds up.
Some of the shows, are changing kids under 16 free is a big help for a family.
I'm sure it does...and I agree that free/discounted kids tickets is a very good idea...but I thought SSC did cheap tickets anyway for under-16s??? Weren't they much cheaper than adult tickets (can't check now - webpage gone)Some of the shows, are changing kids under 16 free is a big help for a family.
Out of interest, how much would a family day plus hotel/food/fuel cost at one of the following:-
- Legoland Windsor
- Alton Towers
- Chessington
...because it'll probably be more. Not saying it's right...but taking families out in the UK costs a lot of money wherever you go. Look at the joke that is CentreParcs pricing, for example...
(BTW, I've a young child myself)
I made mine. anyway not everyone is local myself it's a six hour drive each way.
Then fuel, hotel due to distance adds up.
I do not miss the show, but any event a weekend away cost comes into it.
I only made the point, about cost for people in general.
Edited by SEE YA on Tuesday 28th July 23:27
havoc said:
there IS a good choice of food at the SSC, certainly compared to most events where it's burger, hot-dog, bacon roll or dry baguette.
Entry prices are pretty damn good
Big screens? If you want to watch racing on TV, stay at home...
Food. Everything you mention was there plus Hog Roast Bap (dry, never again !) Pasties were ok but £6 for 70% pastry ?. Noodles didn't have, Fish and chips looked limp and small portion for £9 so I had the Hog Roast bap and wish I hadn't.. All over-priced. Choice yes, there is choice I suppose.Entry prices are pretty damn good
Big screens? If you want to watch racing on TV, stay at home...
Entry prices. Five of us went to LMS 24hrs as usual this year. Two camping plots for five bods WITH electric £160, 5 x entry for the whole weekend £280 Total £440.
SSC one unmarked camping plot (but we used same m2 area as LMS) £240 if we had electricity its £40 p/p (£200). 5 x entry ticket for Saturday and Sunday only, £420 Total for the same thing £860
Big screens. As a racing fan I love to watch as much as possible. A big screen is fantastic because like LMS, its a big circuit so to see/smell/listen to the cars close up is amazing then to watch the overtakes and daring moves on the screen when they are out of view is thrilling as we wait for them to come round again. As a true fan, I want to see as much action as possible. Ask anyone if they would prefer a few big screens or prefer not to have the screens and virtually all would prefer them.
Many people we spoke to agree on most of these points. Change is needed. We still enjoyed our weekend away but next year it's the Hungarian GP for us.
f1ten said:
car clubs actually having "classics" On display is a valid point.
There was basically nothing "classic" on the Ferrari stand - the oldest thing really being a Dino or 308gtb...
Surely the car club displays reflect their members so how would you propose persuading older cars to be seen ? There was basically nothing "classic" on the Ferrari stand - the oldest thing really being a Dino or 308gtb...
If you had a Daytona (for example) what would persuade you to take it ?
As an aside I suggest very few multi-year car clubs have even enough cars to get to a 10 % older car quota let alone 25 %
The Porsche Club has probably more more members than most all other clubs put together but their display classics had to come from the factory museum
SEE YA said:
Each to their own, loads of choice of events for people.
I made mine. anyway not everyone is local myself it's a six hour drive each way.
Then fuel, hotel due to distance adds up.
I do not miss the show, but any event a weekend away cost comes into it.
I only made the point, about cost for people in general.
Understood. I have similar views about Goodwood...and all the local accommodation there is booked massively in advance...I made mine. anyway not everyone is local myself it's a six hour drive each way.
Then fuel, hotel due to distance adds up.
I do not miss the show, but any event a weekend away cost comes into it.
I only made the point, about cost for people in general.
Edited by SEE YA on Tuesday 28th July 23:27
I thought the Noodles were excellent, not cheap, but compared with a Chinese takeaway, not outrageous. Drinks were overpriced though.
Overall I enjoyed the event and am glad I went. but I don't feel the need to go again for a couple of years. The 'Modern' F1 cars was my biggest disappointment, they really hardly ran at all, blink and you missed it. I thought the Group C cars were pretty good, the Silk Cut Jag was superb. Shame the Mazda was not there, really wanted to see that, but these are old high performance cars, you have to expect some of them to have issues, they had issues when brand new!
Obviously the rain on Sunday (I did not go on Friday) curtailed a lot of running and kept a lot of people away. The covered stands only gave cursory protection from the rain and wind, but it's difficult to see how that could be improved without making a fully enclosed stand, then you'd not be able to hear or see as well. There were plenty of available seats in the covered stands, although a few more could have been open to give more varied viewing.
I thought the pits were excellent, especially the International pit area with most of the Group C cars, Formula Junior and F1 Masters. Great to see the Williams cars too. I just walked round, it only took 15 mins or so and you could watch the action on track most of the way with very good views of The Loop.
Value wise I thought it was pretty good actually, having a car on the infield, three days for two people was about £100.
Traffic in and out is always a problem at these sort of events, but it could have been handled better, too much merging and splitting which always slows things down.
Overall I enjoyed the event and am glad I went. but I don't feel the need to go again for a couple of years. The 'Modern' F1 cars was my biggest disappointment, they really hardly ran at all, blink and you missed it. I thought the Group C cars were pretty good, the Silk Cut Jag was superb. Shame the Mazda was not there, really wanted to see that, but these are old high performance cars, you have to expect some of them to have issues, they had issues when brand new!
Obviously the rain on Sunday (I did not go on Friday) curtailed a lot of running and kept a lot of people away. The covered stands only gave cursory protection from the rain and wind, but it's difficult to see how that could be improved without making a fully enclosed stand, then you'd not be able to hear or see as well. There were plenty of available seats in the covered stands, although a few more could have been open to give more varied viewing.
I thought the pits were excellent, especially the International pit area with most of the Group C cars, Formula Junior and F1 Masters. Great to see the Williams cars too. I just walked round, it only took 15 mins or so and you could watch the action on track most of the way with very good views of The Loop.
Value wise I thought it was pretty good actually, having a car on the infield, three days for two people was about £100.
Traffic in and out is always a problem at these sort of events, but it could have been handled better, too much merging and splitting which always slows things down.
Short interview with the Silverstone Classic boss here.
"Paul Lawrence talked to Silverstone Classic boss Nick Wigley"
http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/historic-racing/...
"Paul Lawrence talked to Silverstone Classic boss Nick Wigley"
http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/historic-racing/...
GRS40 said:
Jagmanv12 said:
One poster said there were only a couple of cars in the Wing/paddock. Where did you go? I was there on Sunday and there must have been over a hundred which you could walk around unlike Goodwood where you're not allowed in the paddock.
Other comparisons - Silverstone burger 6.80, Goodwood 8.00. Long traffic queues to get into Silverstone, long queues to get in and out of Goodwood. Ticket prices cheaper at Silverstone.
You can walk round the paddock at the Festival and I had a cheeseburger there on Sunday for £6.50??Other comparisons - Silverstone burger 6.80, Goodwood 8.00. Long traffic queues to get into Silverstone, long queues to get in and out of Goodwood. Ticket prices cheaper at Silverstone.
fatboy18 said:
Some pics from Saturday here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fan6s/sets/721576540...
My pics here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/90582394@N02/sets/72...
Great photos.https://www.flickr.com/photos/fan6s/sets/721576540...
My pics here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/90582394@N02/sets/72...
I saw you parked up at the hotel on Saturday
, had the same idea of getting a few pics on the drive!Jagmanv12 said:
Paddock entry at Festival - yes, but at the Revival - no.
That's correct, the central paddock at the Revival is members only (plus VIPs) however there are progressively more cars in the outer paddock which is open to general admission and of course you can see the cars as they move to the holding area ready to race. I have been a GRRC member since the start but even with general admission passes the closeness you can get to the cars and the racing at Goodwood is excellent. Jagmanv12 said:
GRS40 said:
Jagmanv12 said:
One poster said there were only a couple of cars in the Wing/paddock. Where did you go? I was there on Sunday and there must have been over a hundred which you could walk around unlike Goodwood where you're not allowed in the paddock.
Other comparisons - Silverstone burger 6.80, Goodwood 8.00. Long traffic queues to get into Silverstone, long queues to get in and out of Goodwood. Ticket prices cheaper at Silverstone.
You can walk round the paddock at the Festival and I had a cheeseburger there on Sunday for £6.50??Other comparisons - Silverstone burger 6.80, Goodwood 8.00. Long traffic queues to get into Silverstone, long queues to get in and out of Goodwood. Ticket prices cheaper at Silverstone.
A few of my photos from the weekend:
http://jalopnik.com/ogle-at-the-best-cars-racing-a...
Quite wet on Friday:
Quite sunburny on Saturday:
Quite wet on Sunday:
http://jalopnik.com/ogle-at-the-best-cars-racing-a...
Quite wet on Friday:
Quite sunburny on Saturday:
Quite wet on Sunday:
Some very good points on this thread, I'd like to add some of my own...
I've been going Silverstone Classic over ten years. I did feel a little let down this year. I'm not sure if it's just over familiarity with the event or something more.
I do think the event is very expensive for the average visitor.
We normally go for the whole weekend and display our MGBs though. This entitles us to £50 weekend (Fri, Sat Sun) tickets. We wouldn't go without that.
Their website states advance tickets must be bought. You can alway buy them on the day though, the portacabin ticket office was labeled 'Corporate Returns!)
Food is expensive there, and generally poor quality. We take as much food as we can to cook/ eat on the campsite. 'The Divine Burger' pulled pork burger I did buy was cold, soapy and revolting. Don't mind paying strong money for food at an event like this, but it does have to be tasty and decent!
Overall, facilities are getting better though. A few years back there was zero mobile phone coverage and no cashpoints. There weren't the free busses to get about on.
The wing is a great addition to the circuit - I'm baffled why there isn't a bridge or tunnel yet to make access easier though? Such a pain having to take two different busses to get there.
The rain really ruined Friday and Sun, can't blame Silverstone for that.
The grandstands are quite far back from the track. I guess thats the same with all modern F1 tracks though. It is possible to get closer to the moving racing cars in some spots though.
My main issue was with the quality of the grids. The Group C was a bit of a letdown. Where was the Sauber Mercedes-Benz that was plastered all over the promotional material? Would have been good to get more Porsche 956/962s on the track.
The 90's legends demo was a big disappointment. Where were the Mclaren F1 & CLK GTRs?!
Some of the races seemed a bit 'samey', E-Types everywhere.
The Touring Car race could have done with more entries from the 'Super Touring' era.
The classic car displays were huge. Not sure I really want to see dozens and dozens of MX5s though. The Porsche Club stand was mainly moderns too. Not much even from the 80's there.
I don't think we'll go next year, it is a great event, just needs tweaking a bit.
I've been going Silverstone Classic over ten years. I did feel a little let down this year. I'm not sure if it's just over familiarity with the event or something more.
I do think the event is very expensive for the average visitor.
We normally go for the whole weekend and display our MGBs though. This entitles us to £50 weekend (Fri, Sat Sun) tickets. We wouldn't go without that.
Their website states advance tickets must be bought. You can alway buy them on the day though, the portacabin ticket office was labeled 'Corporate Returns!)
Food is expensive there, and generally poor quality. We take as much food as we can to cook/ eat on the campsite. 'The Divine Burger' pulled pork burger I did buy was cold, soapy and revolting. Don't mind paying strong money for food at an event like this, but it does have to be tasty and decent!
Overall, facilities are getting better though. A few years back there was zero mobile phone coverage and no cashpoints. There weren't the free busses to get about on.
The wing is a great addition to the circuit - I'm baffled why there isn't a bridge or tunnel yet to make access easier though? Such a pain having to take two different busses to get there.
The rain really ruined Friday and Sun, can't blame Silverstone for that.
The grandstands are quite far back from the track. I guess thats the same with all modern F1 tracks though. It is possible to get closer to the moving racing cars in some spots though.
My main issue was with the quality of the grids. The Group C was a bit of a letdown. Where was the Sauber Mercedes-Benz that was plastered all over the promotional material? Would have been good to get more Porsche 956/962s on the track.
The 90's legends demo was a big disappointment. Where were the Mclaren F1 & CLK GTRs?!
Some of the races seemed a bit 'samey', E-Types everywhere.
The Touring Car race could have done with more entries from the 'Super Touring' era.
The classic car displays were huge. Not sure I really want to see dozens and dozens of MX5s though. The Porsche Club stand was mainly moderns too. Not much even from the 80's there.
I don't think we'll go next year, it is a great event, just needs tweaking a bit.
It was the first time I have gone to this event and I went on the Saturday so the weather was great, I can understand some of the comments from people that have been previously as they have something to compare the experience this time round too, also if you were unlucky to go on just the Friday or the Sunday then it must of been a miserable time.
Personally I thought it was great, lots of great cars both on display and on the track, I stayed for the Group C race and whilst I enjoyed it I too was expecting to see the Mercedes on the program cover and the Mazda (maybe the one due there was the one smashed up at Goodwood)
I will certainly be going next year - just hope I get as lucky with the weather again.
PS, oh and less than £3 for a crammed full bacon roll in the paddock café was not expensive.
Personally I thought it was great, lots of great cars both on display and on the track, I stayed for the Group C race and whilst I enjoyed it I too was expecting to see the Mercedes on the program cover and the Mazda (maybe the one due there was the one smashed up at Goodwood)
I will certainly be going next year - just hope I get as lucky with the weather again.
PS, oh and less than £3 for a crammed full bacon roll in the paddock café was not expensive.
What Goodwood does so well is get both the cars and the drivers to make the racing special. Add in the whole atmosphere that March gets and the closeness that Goodwood provides, Silverstone is always going to struggle. I think more effort needs to be focused on the driving talent and I actually think using a smaller layout would make more sense as the layout of Silverstone does not allow for the building of the same feel a smaller track with character provides. We don't need to big layout, I'd rather have it all around the old pits or all around the new pits, but not both.
endo said:
fatboy18 said:
Some pics from Saturday here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fan6s/sets/721576540...
My pics here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/90582394@N02/sets/72...
Great photos.https://www.flickr.com/photos/fan6s/sets/721576540...
My pics here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/90582394@N02/sets/72...
I saw you parked up at the hotel on Saturday
, had the same idea of getting a few pics on the drive!My review!
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g9671...
fatboy18 said:
endo said:
fatboy18 said:
Some pics from Saturday here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fan6s/sets/721576540...
My pics here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/90582394@N02/sets/72...
Great photos.https://www.flickr.com/photos/fan6s/sets/721576540...
My pics here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/90582394@N02/sets/72...
I saw you parked up at the hotel on Saturday
, had the same idea of getting a few pics on the drive!My review!
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g9671...
fatboy18 said:
he Drive was the best bit of that Hotel!
My review!
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g9671...
Nice one, I see the manager responded, I hope they gave you your money back My review!
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g9671...
fatboy18 said:
endo said:
fatboy18 said:
Some pics from Saturday here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fan6s/sets/721576540...
My pics here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/90582394@N02/sets/72...
Great photos.https://www.flickr.com/photos/fan6s/sets/721576540...
My pics here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/90582394@N02/sets/72...
I saw you parked up at the hotel on Saturday
, had the same idea of getting a few pics on the drive!My review!
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g9671...
t hole and the Manager should be providing a refund for providing a room unfit for habitation based on the promises provided at booking. It will be interesting to see how they handle this as how a place makes a bad experience good is telling. Housey said:
fatboy18 said:
endo said:
fatboy18 said:
Some pics from Saturday here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fan6s/sets/721576540...
My pics here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/90582394@N02/sets/72...
Great photos.https://www.flickr.com/photos/fan6s/sets/721576540...
My pics here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/90582394@N02/sets/72...
I saw you parked up at the hotel on Saturday
, had the same idea of getting a few pics on the drive!My review!
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g9671...
t hole and the Manager should be providing a refund for providing a room unfit for habitation based on the promises provided at booking. It will be interesting to see how they handle this as how a place makes a bad experience good is telling. Gassing Station | Events & Meetings | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff