Wales Rally GB - Walters Arena
Discussion
thinking of taking Mrs Pablo to the rally, most likely to get a single stage pass as everything will go past twice in the day and i dont think she will appreciate being stuck in a traffic jam for a few hours whilst trying to get to the next stage so being a one place is no reall issue.
so has anyone been to walters arena and what was it like. from the website it seems ideal as it is geared towards families and has the necessary amenities (like toilets and commentary) that mrs pablo will find appreciate.
so has anyone been to walters arena and what was it like. from the website it seems ideal as it is geared towards families and has the necessary amenities (like toilets and commentary) that mrs pablo will find appreciate.
Walters is a pretty good place, you get to see the cars come out of the forest appearing over a crest coming down into the arena, then they're probably in there for about 60 seconds.
There are a couple of jumps on the far side so it gets pretty popular there, though the speeds throughout the arena are pretty low.
All in all as a place to take a complete new comer it's a good choice, good atmosphere, and an opportunity to watch the cars for quite a long time.
best
Ex
There are a couple of jumps on the far side so it gets pretty popular there, though the speeds throughout the arena are pretty low.
All in all as a place to take a complete new comer it's a good choice, good atmosphere, and an opportunity to watch the cars for quite a long time.
best
Ex
However...
From a competitor's point of view it sucks.
The artifical nature of the "man made" stage means that it doesn't seem to "flow" in the same way as more traditional forest stages, also the reason for the lack of speed is that the straights are too short and the road being built up, has big gullies either side, drop into or jump over one of these and you have real problems getting back going again (as discovered by Brian Bell on this years Red Dragon Rally). Hence, the drivers just aren't willing to risk it. Mind you, it get's a bit better towards the end of the stage, but by then the cars are out of sight back in the forest.
I went to Halfway last year, got drenched but they did have toilet and refreshment facilities up near the quarry...strangely enough, I'm looking forward to doing this stage on Saturday.
From a competitor's point of view it sucks.
The artifical nature of the "man made" stage means that it doesn't seem to "flow" in the same way as more traditional forest stages, also the reason for the lack of speed is that the straights are too short and the road being built up, has big gullies either side, drop into or jump over one of these and you have real problems getting back going again (as discovered by Brian Bell on this years Red Dragon Rally). Hence, the drivers just aren't willing to risk it. Mind you, it get's a bit better towards the end of the stage, but by then the cars are out of sight back in the forest.
I went to Halfway last year, got drenched but they did have toilet and refreshment facilities up near the quarry...strangely enough, I'm looking forward to doing this stage on Saturday.
TeamD said:
Yes, I'm sure we'll be heading down to spectate, can't really justify the funds for an entry, although I'd love to do it!
(My projection of the costs to do WRGB is a shade over £12k...without spare parts)
From my experience, I'd say that with 12K you'd still be struggling to find a few coppers for a greasy burger!
I'll mail you offline at some stage regarding spectating, maybe we can hook up for a few beers.
Back on topic, here's a few pics from Walters Arena in 2003. The shots are shit as the light was failing fast and the digi cam really wasn't able for it. But you get the idea.
These shots were taken from up on the hill (near the VIP area).
best
Ex
P.S. IF the pics aren't working can someone let me know as it's a bugger trying to link to webshots sometimes.
TeamD said:
I went to Halfway last year, got drenched but they did have toilet and refreshment facilities up near the quarry...strangely enough, I'm looking forward to doing this stage on Saturday.
Halfway, Crychan, Epynt - take your pick. All as good as each other, and 100000 times better than a man made section. Crycahn is much more fun in the dark
Gassing Station | General Motorsport | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff