Silverstone Grandstands and the FIA Hypercar race
Discussion
bergclimber34 said:
Interesting so they decide NOT to charge people to park on days other then race day, differing from the UK venue, what a sad example
The main car parks do, not sure who operates the road parking I'm talking about, maybe the local council, they barrier the road off and charge anyone without a pass a fee to proceed on race dayIt is not so easy to do such things at Silverstone, I know for F1 the village is ruthlessly policed for parking, so I imagine this event would be aswell. I have to admit if I lived there I would go away for the F1 weekend, the place is a nightmare if you live locally that week. Probably not for WEC but if pre event tickets sales are high prepare for road closures etc as you do at F1 and MotoGP at the weekend
Oh Luke. Having lived in Silverstone for 17 years I can confirm that the place is not a nightmare over the F1 weekend. Far from it. It’s one of the highlights of the year and starts some 3 weeks ahead of the event as the infrastructure is put in place.
Yes you have to make adjustments over the weekend itself but I never had any issues accessing my house which was one of those closest to the circuit. Over 200,000 people visiting a village with a usual population of 2,200 is going to have some impact.
Is parking heavily policed? If you’re referring to the two traffic wardens who bimble around taking earfuls of abuse then yes it is. Yes there are TTROs in place on some of the residential streets but residents still have access. There was some controversy a couple of years back when the TTROs were first introduced but the blame for that lay with the Parish Council at the time who made a conscious and dumb decision not to communicate the implications of them to the residents affected.
In that instance the circuit picked up the tab for the 20 or so residents who were ticketed.
In recent years only the F1 has seen the A43 closed to through traffic at the start and end of the day. The decision to restrict on site parking and move the majority of spectators to the Park and Ride buses has helped enormously. The objective is to have no on site car parking. This has helped the traffic situation massively.
Incidentally most complaints about noise from the circuit come from Whittlebury not Silverstone village. The circuit is higher than the village and lower than Whittlebury so they hear more than we do.
Complaints about unreasonable circuit noise or disturbance are often met with “Did you move here after 1948?”
Yes you have to make adjustments over the weekend itself but I never had any issues accessing my house which was one of those closest to the circuit. Over 200,000 people visiting a village with a usual population of 2,200 is going to have some impact.
Is parking heavily policed? If you’re referring to the two traffic wardens who bimble around taking earfuls of abuse then yes it is. Yes there are TTROs in place on some of the residential streets but residents still have access. There was some controversy a couple of years back when the TTROs were first introduced but the blame for that lay with the Parish Council at the time who made a conscious and dumb decision not to communicate the implications of them to the residents affected.
In that instance the circuit picked up the tab for the 20 or so residents who were ticketed.
In recent years only the F1 has seen the A43 closed to through traffic at the start and end of the day. The decision to restrict on site parking and move the majority of spectators to the Park and Ride buses has helped enormously. The objective is to have no on site car parking. This has helped the traffic situation massively.
Incidentally most complaints about noise from the circuit come from Whittlebury not Silverstone village. The circuit is higher than the village and lower than Whittlebury so they hear more than we do.
Complaints about unreasonable circuit noise or disturbance are often met with “Did you move here after 1948?”
I lived in the area and it was closed for MotoGP until last 2 years I think , as the crowds have been low, they will gauge the need to do this based on sales I guess for this event.
Most traffic for F1 doesn't go through the village so why would it be affected, it either uses park and ride, parks at venue using 43 or other nearby routes or travels by air. And is often there from Wed or Thursday mostly as the pricing benefits a 3 day ticket
You would have to pay me to watch F1 there so I base this on others experience.
Hence the slight frustration at being charged to park for a event they don't really know what the crowd will be, especially on a Friday,
But I imagine if it is a big crowd they will consult plod for closures as they did with motogp.
Idid not read the rest as you would expect
Most traffic for F1 doesn't go through the village so why would it be affected, it either uses park and ride, parks at venue using 43 or other nearby routes or travels by air. And is often there from Wed or Thursday mostly as the pricing benefits a 3 day ticket
You would have to pay me to watch F1 there so I base this on others experience.
Hence the slight frustration at being charged to park for a event they don't really know what the crowd will be, especially on a Friday,
But I imagine if it is a big crowd they will consult plod for closures as they did with motogp.
Idid not read the rest as you would expect
I did not get a reply from the venue about park and ride or anything else, is too early really.
Would think it might operate on Sat Sun.
Will also be interesting to see how they operate with ELMS, last year parking was very different and free, we were over near the old start area, never parked there before.
Would think it might operate on Sat Sun.
Will also be interesting to see how they operate with ELMS, last year parking was very different and free, we were over near the old start area, never parked there before.
Oh give over . You hate the place, we get it. But some of us still enjoy seeing events there, warts and all . It might lack the character of Brands or Goodwood but I guess that is the price paid for holding premier league motorsport. I've seen many huegly memorable moments there , from Peterson's Woodcote antics via Mansell in 87 and a host of wonderful classic events. As for the village being ruined- hardly . My B & B route takes me via the village centre and you'd hardly guess there was a big event up the road and I hardly see a car on the 30 minute early morning drive to the track .
And if it costs a few quid , so what?
And if it costs a few quid , so what?
All UK motorsport costs to attend. Basic stuff like hillclimbs and Autograss is the same , or more than a cinema ticket but the action lasts longer than most films . And the further you go up the ladder the more it costs - what a surprise . So BTCC equates to a ticket for a decent tribute band, Goodwood costs the same as Glyndebourne and Silverstone GP is a west end theatre and dinner. WEC is no more than an average night out for many and why should I fret if I can afford something and enjoy it ? Or do I stay at home and whinge while I watch the no- substitute- at- all coverage on line ?
As for ripping off , I'm not so sure about that. The inconvenient fact that is that relatively few spectators can be arsed to attend most motor sport . BTCC gets a decent crowd , Goodwood a big one and GP a massive one. And that is it, more or less.
I attend live motorsport on most weekends in season and crowds are often pitifully smal. Silverstone has to provide the massive infrastructure which F 1 demands , and it is , I think , unique in not getting state support to stage a GP . So obviously it needs to maximise its income to feed its costs , and even that is not easy. Not when F1 exerts such an iron grip that Silverstone can't even sell the race programme , for example .
As for ripping off , I'm not so sure about that. The inconvenient fact that is that relatively few spectators can be arsed to attend most motor sport . BTCC gets a decent crowd , Goodwood a big one and GP a massive one. And that is it, more or less.
I attend live motorsport on most weekends in season and crowds are often pitifully smal. Silverstone has to provide the massive infrastructure which F 1 demands , and it is , I think , unique in not getting state support to stage a GP . So obviously it needs to maximise its income to feed its costs , and even that is not easy. Not when F1 exerts such an iron grip that Silverstone can't even sell the race programme , for example .
You misunderstanding slightly, the ticket prices for WEC are fair,not cheap. Others have said they are too dear here, and they won't attend, I simply object to paying to park,especially on a Friday. That seems greedy to me as the likely crowd is small. But for elite sport the prices are fair.
It is Silverstones choice to drop tons of series over the years, they pulled the plug on WEC initially I think. BSB, GTWC, Superbikes, bike racing at all. They put their eggs in one basket, priced it accordingly and were lucky with the boom in F1, and have reaped the rewards recently.
They might not get state funded but they do get one the cheaper deals to host F1.
I wish they had some UK competition as they had years ago, that is what I think, monopolies are rarely good news for punters.
It is Silverstones choice to drop tons of series over the years, they pulled the plug on WEC initially I think. BSB, GTWC, Superbikes, bike racing at all. They put their eggs in one basket, priced it accordingly and were lucky with the boom in F1, and have reaped the rewards recently.
They might not get state funded but they do get one the cheaper deals to host F1.
I wish they had some UK competition as they had years ago, that is what I think, monopolies are rarely good news for punters.
coppice said:
All UK motorsport costs to attend. Basic stuff like hillclimbs and Autograss is the same , or more than a cinema ticket but the action lasts longer than most films . And the further you go up the ladder the more it costs - what a surprise . So BTCC equates to a ticket for a decent tribute band, Goodwood costs the same as Glyndebourne and Silverstone GP is a west end theatre and dinner. WEC is no more than an average night out for many and why should I fret if I can afford something and enjoy it ? Or do I stay at home and whinge while I watch the no- substitute- at- all coverage on line ?
As for ripping off , I'm not so sure about that. The inconvenient fact that is that relatively few spectators can be arsed to attend most motor sport . BTCC gets a decent crowd , Goodwood a big one and GP a massive one. And that is it, more or less.
I attend live motorsport on most weekends in season and crowds are often pitifully smal. Silverstone has to provide the massive infrastructure which F 1 demands , and it is , I think , unique in not getting state support to stage a GP . So obviously it needs to maximise its income to feed its costs , and even that is not easy. Not when F1 exerts such an iron grip that Silverstone can't even sell the race programme , for example .
Of course, you're right about there being A cost, but what you aren't doing is making a comparison with the other European races.As for ripping off , I'm not so sure about that. The inconvenient fact that is that relatively few spectators can be arsed to attend most motor sport . BTCC gets a decent crowd , Goodwood a big one and GP a massive one. And that is it, more or less.
I attend live motorsport on most weekends in season and crowds are often pitifully smal. Silverstone has to provide the massive infrastructure which F 1 demands , and it is , I think , unique in not getting state support to stage a GP . So obviously it needs to maximise its income to feed its costs , and even that is not easy. Not when F1 exerts such an iron grip that Silverstone can't even sell the race programme , for example .
Spa and Imola are around £40, not £70 for general entry. Yes, you pay to park at Spa, but it's a tenner, not £20. (I don't know about Imola, you can get a train ticket from Bologna for £4 that takes you to within walking distance of the circuit...) What, EXACTLY, does Silverstone offer that these circuits don't? Beside being a dull flat expanse with most of the stands closed, expensive and generally awful food outlets and higher prices?
There is ZERO justification for the obscene prices Silverstone charge (look at the price for the GP and compare that to other GPs in Europe, as well!), except that there seems to be a ready supply of mugs who will happily pay anything to say they were there.
And, it seems, they're hoping the same applies to the WEC...
As someone else said, Silverstone rely on the fact that we'll suck up their over the top prices and next year, it'll be more expensive and I wouldn't be surprised if it's an extra £20 for a 'roaming grandstand' ticket for the 3 stands they bother opening...
You're happy to pay the price, others can see a rip-off when they see one. Silverstone are hoping that you're more representative of the crowd they'll attract than we are.
I'd go if I was going to pay £70 for the day, but I'm not getting fleeced for £20 for parking somewhere (possibly miles away) on top.
I'll see more on the TV anyway...
M
Edited by marcosgt on Wednesday 8th July 08:48
And this is the problem, especially with the bigger events, FOMO is a huge, huge and vitally important part of modern sports marketing and pricing.
People will often forego common sense to make sure they can do THEIR thing. They refuse to miss out.
This is a kind if addiction, and it fuels so much of what we do now, gaming, television, sports, events of any kind really.
In the grand scheme of things the amounts are fairly low, but for some it is the principle.
I see no reason whatsoever to charge for parking on a Friday at that event, it has just been bundled up, rolled out as a premier event with all the potential max revenue they can grab.
Weekends I can understand more, it will be busy, and they trot out this nonsense that they don't have enough space, so that allows them to do this, it's all done very deliberately, it was in the messages I received when querying this.
They have done enough research and seen enough elsewhere to know this will be likely their second biggest crowd of next year,
Because in the lmp1 era it was a very low crowd, I remember one year Friday was FREE entry
People will often forego common sense to make sure they can do THEIR thing. They refuse to miss out.
This is a kind if addiction, and it fuels so much of what we do now, gaming, television, sports, events of any kind really.
In the grand scheme of things the amounts are fairly low, but for some it is the principle.
I see no reason whatsoever to charge for parking on a Friday at that event, it has just been bundled up, rolled out as a premier event with all the potential max revenue they can grab.
Weekends I can understand more, it will be busy, and they trot out this nonsense that they don't have enough space, so that allows them to do this, it's all done very deliberately, it was in the messages I received when querying this.
They have done enough research and seen enough elsewhere to know this will be likely their second biggest crowd of next year,
Because in the lmp1 era it was a very low crowd, I remember one year Friday was FREE entry
I was not saying you, but other people certainly do. A point made here is not directed solely at you.
In general this is a big problem, these p3ople know it and come up wuth all sortsvof things to promote it.
Wec, is a thriving series, and tge venue are hedging wuth good research on a big crowd, timing will be a major issue, Silverstone in April is not likely to be Le Mans in June weather, that is why I can not really understand this method
In general this is a big problem, these p3ople know it and come up wuth all sortsvof things to promote it.
Wec, is a thriving series, and tge venue are hedging wuth good research on a big crowd, timing will be a major issue, Silverstone in April is not likely to be Le Mans in June weather, that is why I can not really understand this method
This seems as a good a place as any to ask this but what are people's thoughts in the value of attending other days, rather than just the race? I'd be travelling from the North East so if I did just sunday, I probably don't need to plan too hard. If I do other days, I'd need to put a bit more thought into it. Slightly appealing seeing some of the other sessions as I assume they'll be quieter and I enjoy my photography so maybe those days would work better for that but is there likely to be much to do or any support races etc?
This was my reasoning for going on Friday, crazy money for a practice day, but you will likely get more track time and less downtime.
They have decided it is a premium event so parking charges every day and much higher ticket prices than most WEC events anywhere else, this is a Silverstone decision.
Would say Saturday is not so good as you only get one practice session and then 2 very brief qualifying sessions that they call Hyperpole. So, less track time.
I don't know yet about support series. Might not have any, but if there are, highly likely to be old pit area,as the WEC stuff will be in the Wing,
Its a bloody big place, and you can walk it,even to the Wing, but you might have to pay extra for that access as is typical with this place.
Its going to be busy so book accom as soon as you and or they will ramp up prices
They have decided it is a premium event so parking charges every day and much higher ticket prices than most WEC events anywhere else, this is a Silverstone decision.
Would say Saturday is not so good as you only get one practice session and then 2 very brief qualifying sessions that they call Hyperpole. So, less track time.
I don't know yet about support series. Might not have any, but if there are, highly likely to be old pit area,as the WEC stuff will be in the Wing,
Its a bloody big place, and you can walk it,even to the Wing, but you might have to pay extra for that access as is typical with this place.
Its going to be busy so book accom as soon as you and or they will ramp up prices
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