Favourite Racing Car
Discussion
coppice said:
I thought they sounded very, very different to any predecessors , and much quieter too (Lotus 56B apart ..) but under load they were fine , if a little reedy on overrun. But watching cars spear though Copse at 160mph, or whatever they do, was amazing and the sheer grunt out of the slower corners was mighty. The best noise was that lovely wailing , howling NA V6 in F3 - how I'd love to see a UK series for them . Having had my ears damaged by 50 years of V8s, 10s and 12s , Eighties' turbo V6s and so on it was actually a welcome relief in many ways.
The bigger difference was the crowd - lots more women and girls , often in family /friend groups and every single one was a Norris fan it seemed .He might only look 13 , but (with Verstappen) he was the most impressive driver from trackside in the quick stuff. If I can sell a kidney I might do all 3 days next year . Back in a month's time for 3 days for the more familiar vibe of the Classic.
Yeah, it's very different now in many ways. I agree about the crowd, far younger and mixed than the mostly oldie male bunch of the past.The bigger difference was the crowd - lots more women and girls , often in family /friend groups and every single one was a Norris fan it seemed .He might only look 13 , but (with Verstappen) he was the most impressive driver from trackside in the quick stuff. If I can sell a kidney I might do all 3 days next year . Back in a month's time for 3 days for the more familiar vibe of the Classic.
The noise thing is a real problem for me. I sat in one of the Stowe grandstands for FP3 and was able to hear the conversation of the people behind me completely clearly throughout. That was very strange in itself... The conversation was really about them wondering why they'd paid £200 for the complete lack of spectacle. I was in complete agreement.
It's sad because it used to be something that was genuinely hugely impressive. Whilst the current cars are irrefutably astonishing in terms of technology and performance, they are a total damp squib viscerally. Back in 2001, I trekked all the way from the west coast of France to Spa with my best mate who had never been to a GP before. I had complete confidence that what he was going to witness would blow him away, and I was right. The first time F1 cars came past us, his mouth quite literally dropped open. I don't think I would have any confidence at all that would happen now. At Stowe, one of the people behind me in the grandstand was watching the cricket on his phone.
It's all about how and where you watch . Silverstone's wide open spaces can sap any sense of speed and some of the stands are miles from the track . Much of the audience , I suspect, rarely sees live racing and expects the wham bam superhero nonsense of Drive to Survive , with its hyper close ups and pimped soundtrack . I 'm at live motorsport most weekends in season and I think a lot about where I watch ,and move constantly (17miles at Goodwood MM !) .
The entry to Copse was my first choice- staggering speed and grip - then Maggotts (before being moved on by security - God knows why ) and a few minutes at the vastly over rated Becketts (in car great , in person not so much as cars are going away from you). For speed , Farm was thrilling and Village in the wet was a real opportunity to see differing techniques and lines , especially in the wet.
Most people don't move much and don't concentrate enough - it's not like watching telly !
But I still miss a V10 around Bridge - even your maiden aunt would get it
The entry to Copse was my first choice- staggering speed and grip - then Maggotts (before being moved on by security - God knows why ) and a few minutes at the vastly over rated Becketts (in car great , in person not so much as cars are going away from you). For speed , Farm was thrilling and Village in the wet was a real opportunity to see differing techniques and lines , especially in the wet.
Most people don't move much and don't concentrate enough - it's not like watching telly !
But I still miss a V10 around Bridge - even your maiden aunt would get it
coppice said:
It's all about how and where you watch . Silverstone's wide open spaces can sap any sense of speed and some of the stands are miles from the track . Much of the audience , I suspect, rarely sees live racing and expects the wham bam superhero nonsense of Drive to Survive , with its hyper close ups and pimped soundtrack . I 'm at live motorsport most weekends in season and I think a lot about where I watch ,and move constantly (17miles at Goodwood MM !) .
The entry to Copse was my first choice- staggering speed and grip - then Maggotts (before being moved on by security - God knows why ) and a few minutes at the vastly over rated Becketts (in car great , in person not so much as cars are going away from you). For speed , Farm was thrilling and Village in the wet was a real opportunity to see differing techniques and lines , especially in the wet.
Most people don't move much and don't concentrate enough - it's not like watching telly !
But I still miss a V10 around Bridge - even your maiden aunt would get it
Yep, the Stowe grandstands are a long way back and there is very little sense of speed there. I wandered down to the entry to Club for quali and it was much better there, particularly after the rain which made the cars a real handful.The entry to Copse was my first choice- staggering speed and grip - then Maggotts (before being moved on by security - God knows why ) and a few minutes at the vastly over rated Becketts (in car great , in person not so much as cars are going away from you). For speed , Farm was thrilling and Village in the wet was a real opportunity to see differing techniques and lines , especially in the wet.
Most people don't move much and don't concentrate enough - it's not like watching telly !
But I still miss a V10 around Bridge - even your maiden aunt would get it
I like the entry to Copse as a viewing spot but didn't get there this year. I thought the entry to Maggotts used to be spectacular, but they seemed to have put up barriers to viewing from there as I was wandering around.
coppice said:
But I still miss a V10 around Bridge - even your maiden aunt would get it
You used to be able to get down by the fence near the pedestrian tunnel at the entry to Bridge, V10s flashing past you at 140mph at the corner entry, about 8 or so feet away. You certainly got the sense of speed at that location 
. I tried to get down there every year at some point, then up to the spectator area at Bridge itself, to see the staggering change in direction. I’m so glad I got to experience it before the new layout took it away.darren f said:
coppice said:
But I still miss a V10 around Bridge - even your maiden aunt would get it
You used to be able to get down by the fence near the pedestrian tunnel at the entry to Bridge, V10s flashing past you at 140mph at the corner entry, about 8 or so feet away. You certainly got the sense of speed at that location . I tried to get down there every year at some point, then up to the spectator area at Bridge itself, to see the staggering change in direction. I’m so glad I got to experience it before the new layout took it away.
Lovely 
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