F1 Newbie here!!!! Silverstone Guidence needed please!

[kellyBnewbeee]

Hi, Ive just booked up for this year F1 meet at silverstone got a 3day pass with camping for my boyfs bday present!!!! (he better love it!!). I cant believe what Ive been missing out on as Ive only sat n watched the whole weekend meet this year for the first time!!!!Weve got seats in the Becketts grandstand- I havent got the foggiest about wheres the best place to get seats so hopefully Ive 'done- good'???

Weve got tickets to camp in the lively area of Silverstone woodlands and have heard that people are queuing up at 4am on the wednesday to get electric hook-ups- we certainly wont be having electric then!! Will we still get tent space if we go early friday morning?? or should we go earlier?? Can you go say Wednesday evening pitch your tent then come home n go back friday? Or if we did that would we loose the car space next to the tent??Does everyone just pitch there tent anywhere or is there like a grid system??

Many thanks for your help!!!

Kelly b

[MrKipling43]

You literally couldn't have got better tickets for seeing an F1 car do what it does best (anywhere in the world) than at Becketts. Make sure you spend the Friday Practice wandering though - check out some other parts of the track.

As for camping - get there as early as you possibly can. It's rammed. Always.

Oh, and I would take picnic stuff if I were you. Silverstone food isn't great and is very pricey. There's a Tesco (Towcester) not far from the circuit if you wanted to stock up each evening for the next day.

Have fun!

[WetPaint]

Agreed regarding walking about.

On a 3 day you get a roaming ticket, so you can sit in any seat you like anywhere on the track (providing its empty)

Take the opportunity to sit everywhere but Becketts until race day.
You can see the cars doing pretty much everything from the main straight to the hairpins and the speed they carry through Copse.

I was astonished at the speed they take Abbey at too for what looks like quite a tight bend.

Its a brilliant weekend.

Dont underestimate ear plugs, especially for the boy. Nothing can compare to the sound of the cars, but over prolonged periods, it can become too much.

[kellyBnewbeee]

Thanks for the info guys...I cant wait... finding it hard to keep it a secret from my boyfriend... gotta wait untill June (his bday) to tell him and im useless at keeping secrets!!!

[kybo]

The circuit:

You have picked a fantastic grandstand from which to view the race.

Friday and Saturday - visit all the other grandstands that you like the look of. I'd recommend a visit to Luffield, Copse, Club, at least.




Camping:

You are usually allocated a cetain size plot, which fits your tent and car - moving your car off the site and back shouldn't be a problem at all - I've never had an issue, anyway.

Would recommend thursday evening at the latest - I never wanted to be putting my tent up Friday morning. Prefer to get it up of an evening (oo-er) and chill with a beer!!

Take a smuch food/beer to last the whole weekend - it is an action packed weekend and you may not want/have the time to go shopping during it.

Shower/wash before you go to bed - in the mornings it's bad enough queuing for the toilets, let alone the showers as well.

You'll both have the best weekend ever, I'm sure!!

Jammy gits

Scott

[nic penn]

beckets is a fantastic place to watch from but as others have said make sure you watch at least some of 1st or 2nd free practice from other parts of circuit.
i usually stay at s.r.a. campsite in silverstone village which is very good but this year am booked on woodlands so a new experience for me also.
good luck and have a wonderful time might see you there you will recognise me, i am the one with the maclaren shirt on.

[animalkit]

My first time at silverstone this year too. I'm also staying in the lively camp. With seats in the national stand.

[Sir Bagalot]

I wouldn't have choosen Becketts. But then I know people who do. Ask 25 people the best place to sit at Silverstone, and you will get 25 different answers.

Use Friday to walk around and sit in other Grandstands so you get an idea of where to sit next year!!

[kellyBnewbeee]

kybo- think we will go n pitch the tent on thursday night and start our weekend from then!!! Thats of course if my sister will have my two children that night aswell!!

Nic pen- yeh Im sure I will be able to spot you....along with the thousands of others wearing a mclaren shirt,, hahahahaha!!!! you joker!!!!

whats the after party like on the Sunday? is it worth staying for or does alot of people make there way home after the race???

Thank you for all the adivice peeps... youve given me some great advice!!!!

kelly

[nic penn]

yes i was joking and yes the after party is great fun,a chance to see most of the drivers and celebs, good music even if eddie jordan and damon hill decide to play,should not be missed.

[RJB_666]

You've done very good. Becketts is where i sat in 2008 and 2010. I'm not sure if others mentioned this but you have quite a good view of the new arena sectors of the circuit aswell as being able to appreciate the change of direction of an F1 car through maggotts and Becketts.

There's also a nice pub that Spanish students help run while F1 is on. Had a fantastic few nights there. Can't for the life of me remember the name though. Just a short walk out of the Whittlebury campsite.

[Nick1point9]

MrKipling43 said:

You literally couldn't have got better tickets for seeing an F1 car do what it does best (anywhere in the world) than at Becketts.

Clearly you've never been to Eau rouge then!

[chevronb37]

Nick1point9 said:

MrKipling43 said:

You literally couldn't have got better tickets for seeing an F1 car do what it does best (anywhere in the world) than at Becketts.

Clearly you've never been to Eau rouge then!

I'm going to disagree, sorry! This exact spot here as they turn left into the Becketts complex is the best place I've ever stood to watch fast cars on the limit, and that includes Eau Rouge (which is terrific in itself). My apologies for the GTE photo but it's the only half-decent photo I've managed there.



Kelly - we did Becketts grandstand in 2006 and it's a great place to watch the race, espcially now as I imagine you can see the cars streaming onto the Wellington Straight as well. It's always worth trying out various places while you have roving passes on Friday and Saturday so have a sit up at Copse, Abbey, Stowe and enjoy watching the mechanics working on the cars by sitting opposite the pits as well. Silverstone is blessed with some wonderful fast corners where you can really see an F1 car doing what it does best.

Don't forget to watch the GP2 races too. We were tremendously fortunate in 2006 that Lewis pulled off this little overtake in the Sunday GP2 race. Absolute magic - the entire grandstand was on its feet. One of my fondest motorsporting memories.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zIp3hrSC48

I hope you enjoy it!

[Nick1point9]

chevronb37 said:

Nick1point9 said:

MrKipling43 said:

You literally couldn't have got better tickets for seeing an F1 car do what it does best (anywhere in the world) than at Becketts.

Clearly you've never been to Eau rouge then!

I'm going to disagree, sorry! This exact spot here as they turn left into the Becketts complex is the best place I've ever stood to watch fast cars on the limit, and that includes Eau Rouge (which is terrific in itself). My apologies for the GTE photo but it's the only half-decent photo I've managed there.



Kelly - we did Becketts grandstand in 2006 and it's a great place to watch the race, espcially now as I imagine you can see the cars streaming onto the Wellington Straight as well. It's always worth trying out various places while you have roving passes on Friday and Saturday so have a sit up at Copse, Abbey, Stowe and enjoy watching the mechanics working on the cars by sitting opposite the pits as well. Silverstone is blessed with some wonderful fast corners where you can really see an F1 car doing what it does best.

Don't forget to watch the GP2 races too. We were tremendously fortunate in 2006 that Lewis pulled off this little overtake in the Sunday GP2 race. Absolute magic - the entire grandstand was on its feet. One of my fondest motorsporting memories.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zIp3hrSC48

I hope you enjoy it!

Fair enough, we're all entitled to our opinions! I sat at Becketts for last year's GP and whilst I enjoyed every minute of it, I certainly wouldn't say the cars were on the limit.

[chevronb37]

Nick1point9 said:

Fair enough, we're all entitled to our opinions! I sat at Becketts for last year's GP and whilst I enjoyed every minute of it, I certainly wouldn't say the cars were on the limit.

I agree absolutely - nice to be able to express opinions without anyone believing it's an argument. I go to quite a few race meetings a year but every time I stand at Becketts watching something seriously quick I get goosebumps every time. The Group C races at the Silverstone Classic are amazing - as they enter the first right the fast guys are generally dropping a gear and mullering the kerb. You can actually see the ground effect pulling them back to the tarmac. It's an incredibly visceral experience where you can get a very genuine impression of who's absolutely committed and who's not.

Anyway, let's be honest, there's no bad place to watch a Grand Prix car - they're remarkable machines driven by remarkable men and it's never anything less than a total honour to see them being driven as intended.

[robmlufc]

chevronb37 said:

This exact spot here as they turn left into the Becketts complex is the best place I've ever stood to watch fast cars on the limit, and that includes Eau Rouge there.

P1s, P2s and GTEs going 3 or 4 wide around the Porsche Curves probably beats it.

[chevronb37]

robmlufc said:

chevronb37 said:

This exact spot here as they turn left into the Becketts complex is the best place I've ever stood to watch fast cars on the limit, and that includes Eau Rouge there.

P1s, P2s and GTEs going 3 or 4 wide around the Porsche Curves probably beats it.

Been 12 years since I was at Le Mans (LMC excepted) but seeing LMP1s through the Porsche Curves remains a very special memory. In terms of being able to get close and really analyse the bravery and commitment of a driver though, Becketts remains my absolute favourite.

Having said that, I remember being at Mallory Park when Johan Rajamaki set the outright lap record in 1997. We were watching from Devil's Elbow and you could virtually have touched the car from there. That was equally jaw-dropping - average lap speed 135mph in qualifying...

Sorry for moving off-topic! Silverstone good, etc.