What's the deal with grandstands?
Discussion
Access to GS's is ticket only during the race. Can get into them without tickets during practise and qualifying. Whether that is the case this year is a different story with free practise being over 6 hours on the Wedneday there may be restrictions on access. I'm sure someone will be able to clarify
fordyx is right.
General entrance tickets can easily be bought on arrival at the circuit and last all week.
Grandstand tickets are not sold at the gate so must be bought beforehand. Most grandstand seats will be sold long ago, although some ticket agencies will have some at stiff prices. Some will be on e-bay too.
General entrance tickets and grandstand tickets are separate documents. If you're in a grandstand you will have both.
All grandstand tickets have a unique row and seat number and that's where you'll be. From early Saturday through Sunday acces to the grandstand is staffed and you will need to show your ticket and it will be electronically scanned. When you leave the grandstand for a beer break or whatever, and also the circuit maybe, the staff will electroniclally scan your ticket again. When you return you must show your ticket and have it scanned once again. If you do not have your ticket or if it does not scan, access to the circuit and grandstand will be denied. This process stops the ticket being passed around and being used by more than one person at the same time.
It is sometimes possible to gain access to a grandstand without a ticket when there are no staff around. This may happen early Sunday say between 03:00 and 06:00. When the staff return they may go through the grandstand checking people there are ticket holders, and if you're not you'll be asked to leave.
Usually, grandstand ticket holders are relaxed about infiltration as long as people move on when the ticket holder arrives back.
Hope this helps.
R.
General entrance tickets can easily be bought on arrival at the circuit and last all week.
Grandstand tickets are not sold at the gate so must be bought beforehand. Most grandstand seats will be sold long ago, although some ticket agencies will have some at stiff prices. Some will be on e-bay too.
General entrance tickets and grandstand tickets are separate documents. If you're in a grandstand you will have both.
All grandstand tickets have a unique row and seat number and that's where you'll be. From early Saturday through Sunday acces to the grandstand is staffed and you will need to show your ticket and it will be electronically scanned. When you leave the grandstand for a beer break or whatever, and also the circuit maybe, the staff will electroniclally scan your ticket again. When you return you must show your ticket and have it scanned once again. If you do not have your ticket or if it does not scan, access to the circuit and grandstand will be denied. This process stops the ticket being passed around and being used by more than one person at the same time.
It is sometimes possible to gain access to a grandstand without a ticket when there are no staff around. This may happen early Sunday say between 03:00 and 06:00. When the staff return they may go through the grandstand checking people there are ticket holders, and if you're not you'll be asked to leave.
Usually, grandstand ticket holders are relaxed about infiltration as long as people move on when the ticket holder arrives back.
Hope this helps.
R.
Parsnip said:
I don't kno0w if its what the OP was asking, but what i'm interested to know is this:
I have booked grandstand tickets - are they numbered/allocated in anyway, or is it a free for all for those who have tickets?
Doh, that's exactly what I was asking. Tickets aren't an issue here, but it'd still be quite nice to get into the grandstands or somewhere where there's a bit of atmosphere.I have booked grandstand tickets - are they numbered/allocated in anyway, or is it a free for all for those who have tickets?
edited to remove an excessive degree of smugness!
Edited by Chris71 on Thursday 21st May 13:43
The Leaper said:
General entrance tickets and grandstand tickets are separate documents. If you're in a grandstand you will have both.
It's true that you need both a general admission ticket and a grandstand ticket but whenever I've bought grandstand tickets I've never got a general admission ticket with it and have always had to buy that at the gateI've been twice and had grandstands both times, which were definately worthwhile. Stand 21 this year, right opposite the podium.
2005 - Plenty of shade form the blistering heat
2007 - Plenty of shelter from the pi@@ing rain!
Normally is a decent amosphere. Remember a tussle between a couple of elderly french gents in 2007 in Tavano, when we thought some chubby photographer was going to get chucked over the side of the railing by one of his irate 'comrades'! Ah well, that's the french for you!
2005 - Plenty of shade form the blistering heat
2007 - Plenty of shelter from the pi@@ing rain!
Normally is a decent amosphere. Remember a tussle between a couple of elderly french gents in 2007 in Tavano, when we thought some chubby photographer was going to get chucked over the side of the railing by one of his irate 'comrades'! Ah well, that's the french for you!
The Leaper said:
Most grandstand seats will be sold long ago, although some ticket agencies will have some at stiff prices. Some will be on e-bay too.
I got mine on ebay last year...the timing was tight (arrived a day before leaving) however, I got it for well under the normal price I thought the Grandstand was great, the start and end of the race were the best. I also enjoyed it in the early hours of the morning, watching the pistops (Take some bino's so you can watch the action in the pits
)Couple of hints from me:
- Get there early for the start as even though you have a seat, you may struggle getting into the stand. This is due to the massive volume of people who are in front of the stands for the start
- What I had to do last year was show my grandstand ticket for the first time and then when I left I was given, by the ticket guy, a red ticket as well (can't remember the name of it but I'm sure someone will!) and then had to show that as well whenever I returned. You must get one of these tickets when you leave and keep it safe or they will not let you back in again! (I saw this happen to some people!)
Can't make this year
as I am of to the TT , wish I could do both (Maybe next year 
)HTH
Boycieboy is right about the procedure when exiting a grandstand and returning. In my post I mentioned the ticket is scanned on exit and return which applied for the first time last year. It seems from his post that some grandstands still rely on paper and so you're given a ticket which you keep and give back on return. It's called a contremarque.
The same will apply when exiting and retuning to the circuit, so this will apply if you go off for beer eupplies etc, or you are camping on a site outside the circuit. No contremarque or scanned ticket, no re-entry (I know from experience one year when I though I had lost mine but I had left it in the car).
As regards getting to your seat well before the start and finish, this is true but particularly for any grandstands in the pits straight because of the crowds there without grandstand seats that build up in front of the grandstands. On the other hand if you're in La Sarthe grandstand for example, access is not a problem any time (unless the area has been reconfigured once again of course!).
R.
The same will apply when exiting and retuning to the circuit, so this will apply if you go off for beer eupplies etc, or you are camping on a site outside the circuit. No contremarque or scanned ticket, no re-entry (I know from experience one year when I though I had lost mine but I had left it in the car).
As regards getting to your seat well before the start and finish, this is true but particularly for any grandstands in the pits straight because of the crowds there without grandstand seats that build up in front of the grandstands. On the other hand if you're in La Sarthe grandstand for example, access is not a problem any time (unless the area has been reconfigured once again of course!).
R.
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