British Grand Prix - Anyone watched from Abbey Stand ?

[Blatter]

And if so, what's the view like?

[Tony2or4]

I'm guessing you mean the grandstand opposite the (new) start/finish straight. We watched the MotoGP from there last year and thought it was pretty good - especially the start: there's no better place to be at the start of a race than next to the grid. In any grandstand, the view must depend to an extent on exactly where your seats are, but from our viewpoint, leaning forward a tad and craning towards the right gave you a view of Club Corner where they open up onto the straight, whilst looking leftwards showed yuo a bit of the run down to the new righthander. Can't see the podium, though - I think it's round the corner of the right hand end of the pit building, out of sight of the Abbey grandstands.

Edited by Tony2or4 on Wednesday 18th April 20:41

Edited by Tony2or4 on Wednesday 18th April 21:02

[Tony2or4]

Here's a piccy looking downstream:

[the other me]

"Stream" being the operative word

[Tony2or4]

You can see from the photos, however, that the diamond TV screens had not been positioned well: the one almost directly ahead was almost obscured by the gantry. That was just for the MotoGP, though, and they could well be positioned differently for the F1 GP.

[kybo]

Aren't those pictures taken from the International Pit straight stand?

I thought Abbey was pretty much on the first corner (pit exit) and didn't think it extended that far up the grid.

Might be wrong though.

Scott

[maffski]

kybo said:

Aren't those pictures taken from the International Pit straight stand?

I thought Abbey was pretty much on the first corner (pit exit) and didn't think it extended that far up the grid.

Might be wrong though.

Scott

Curcuit map looks to agree with you: http://www.silverstone.co.uk/track/circuit-maps/gr...



Sure I heard last year that they were planning on re-doing the stands on the Internation Pit Straight as they weren't high enough to see new the podium.

[CaptainSensib1e]

I was at in Abbey last year and the view was good, but was a bit disappointed that I could not see the pit lane (its sunken behind a wall and not really visable) as was quite lookijng forward to watching some pit stops! Mind you I was in a prime position when Jensen came out of the pits with one of his wheels coming off!

[Tony2or4]

kybo said:

Aren't those pictures taken from the International Pit straight stand?

Scott

The stand we were in was certainly positioned along what is labelled on that circuit map as International Pit Straight. I didn't remember what our stand was called, and assumed it was the one the OP was asking about because it was on the straight leading to the old Abbey left hander. So looks like we've been e-talking at cross purposes. My mistake, sorry.

[motco]

Is it just me or do others think that Silverstone is a great circuit alright, but it is poor for spectators. Brands and Donington are so much better because you can see a lot of the circuit from one place or another due to the bowl shaped site. At Silverstone you can only see a little bit and without the big screens you'd be hard pressed to know what's happening most of the time. On minor club-type meetings where the screens aren't used, it's not very good.

[Blatter]

Thanks for the feedback & photo's.

As I understand it, the Abbey stand is right on the curve, rather than on International Straight, so hopefully some good views of the start and first corner.

[egor110]

motco said:

Is it just me or do others think that Silverstone is a great circuit alright, but it is poor for spectators. Brands and Donington are so much better because you can see a lot of the circuit from one place or another due to the bowl shaped site. At Silverstone you can only see a little bit and without the big screens you'd be hard pressed to know what's happening most of the time. On minor club-type meetings where the screens aren't used, it's not very good.

You are limited to what you can see at each croner at silverstone, however at touring cars/superbikes, the grandstands are free and you can go around the pits for free, at brands and thruxton a grandstand is £15 and pit access is £8 so it has it's upsides.

[motco]

egor110 said:

motco said:

Is it just me or do others think that Silverstone is a great circuit alright, but it is poor for spectators. Brands and Donington are so much better because you can see a lot of the circuit from one place or another due to the bowl shaped site. At Silverstone you can only see a little bit and without the big screens you'd be hard pressed to know what's happening most of the time. On minor club-type meetings where the screens aren't used, it's not very good.

You are limited to what you can see at each croner at silverstone, however at touring cars/superbikes, the grandstands are free and you can go around the pits for free, at brands and thruxton a grandstand is £15 and pit access is £8 so it has it's upsides.

That's true; I haven't been to Thruxton though. The reason Silverstone is as it is must be due to the orgins; wartime airfield and bound to be pretty flat. The Paddock Hill bend grandstand at Brands is a superb place to watch to see most of the start-finish straight, Paddock Bend itself, the hill (Pilgrim's Rise?) up to Druids and the one down from it and what I know as South Bank Curve after that. Almost all of the club circuit is visible from there.

[egor110]

motco said:

That's true; I haven't been to Thruxton though. The reason Silverstone is as it is must be due to the orgins; wartime airfield and bound to be pretty flat. The Paddock Hill bend grandstand at Brands is a superb place to watch to see most of the start-finish straight, Paddock Bend itself, the hill (Pilgrim's Rise?) up to Druids and the one down from it and what I know as South Bank Curve after that. Almost all of the club circuit is visible from there.

Thruxton was also a airfield, you can only spectate half of the circuit though club to seagrave.
Brands is great, i like inside at druids and the going out into the country for dingle dell and stirlings turns.
Last time i was at silverstone the little grandstand near maggotts but on the infield was quite good.