BULGARIA 2011: Another High Attendance Venue For F1??

Well, that's a bold prediction. I guess we'll see. Are they even going to build grandstands? Perhaps they should just ship the ones from Turkey. If those were offered on eBay, they could legitimately be called 'mint in box - never used'

I say we stop adding untested new circuits in places where there is no proof of a fan base until we get Montreal back, and have secured, long-term deals for Silverstone, Spa and Monza.

 

Why do you care whether a race actually sells out or not? Does it matter to you personally? To me it does only in the sense that less people attending makes my personal visit more enjoyable.

Abu Dhabi is a super track and will look absolutely gorgeous based on the 3D renderings I saw. Add to that the F1 theme park and Abu Dhabi and you got yourself one perfect tourist destination.

The three tracks you mention are great races and shouldn't be dropped from the calendar (or at least get replaced with another British GP in the case of Silverstone), but from a visitor's perspective, there not the best experience there is. I have been to all three places and didn't like it much: Silverstone and Spa for logistical reasons and Monza as a spectator's experience.

 

I like to attend races. But more importantly, I think races should be located close to people who support the sport, and who create the atmosphere and share the experiences. We all obviously watch most of the races on TV, but there's no substitute to being in a packed grandstand with fans supporting all different teams and nationalities celebrating the spectacle before them. For the sport to be sustainable and successful in the long-term, fans need to feel connected to it, and that means being able to go and see a race or 2 a year. Putting the races in places that are too distant from the fan bases just enriches Bernie in the short term, and does nothing meaningful to grow the appeal of the sport. How many more empty grandstands do we need to see in Turkey, Bahrain and China before we declare this grand experiment a failure. I'm pissed off because Montreal is gone. It will be back, but the reality is that this sport is short-term cash driven, and you can understand why when the guys running it are old age pensioners.

I've also been to Silverstone and Spa, and absolutely loved it. I suppose if you're looking for a 'high end' experience with great facilities, then you get yourself into the Paddock. But IMHO that's not where you really enjoy the race. Sitting with 10k fans at Copse when Lewis gets pole in 07 was pretty spectacular. That's a roar I won't ever forget. Walking Spa and seeing Eau Rouge in person is something every F1 fan should do. And Spa is one of the easiest circuits to get to and from. It took me 25 minutes from my hotel room to my seat at La Source. That beats the hell out of the 2+hour bus ride to/from Istanbul. The fans at Spa were also wonderful. It was cold, and rainy, and we all loved it. I'd take that 365 days a year over 1 boring, empty race in Bahrain.

 

I don't have the cash for a Paddock experience (although once I was invited and it was the best there is because you actually get to meet the drivers). But I am willing to pay for good grandstand seats. Silverstone doesn't have them. Nor good other facilities such a toilets, food stands where you don't wait an hour in line and parking and a decent access road.

BTW: I have been to the Montreal GP several times and you guys have all the infrastructure Silverstone doesn't. The joy factor in visiting the Canadian GP is infinitesimal higher than visiting Silverstone.

First time I heard that Spa is easy to access. Anyway, I'd love to know the address of that hotel (PM me please). I have driven Spa with my rental (back in the days when it was still open) and would love to see a GP there, but have no interest sitting in a traffic jam for hours back and forth. I assume by hotel you really mean that and not some B&B.

I guess I'll experience that first hand next year.

 

I really didn't notice huge lines for food or toilets. But I may have been lucky. The WORST part of Silverstone to me was the morons with safety vests in the grass parking lots who failed to realize that their job was to help direct traffic efficiently out of the parking lot. That was 2 hours of my life I'll never get back. Still loved the event though. It also helped that I saw the Miami Dolphin cheerleaders and got some great pix

I'll ask my buddy in Belgium where we stayed and PM you. It was a wonderful small hotel with a great restaurant. Nice rooms with plasma TVs, and close to the circuit. We were coming from the North (or was it East-in any event, we were going against the flow of traffic until we hit the main road), and getting to the circuit was pretty easy. As always, leave early!

I highly recommend sitting in the grandstands at La Source. You see the start/finish/main straight, the pit exit and the cars going up Eau Rouge in the distance. It's an epic circuit to walk. I got some wonderful pix at the foot and summit of Eau Rouge. The Bus Stop chicane is also a great spot. But wear comfortable shoes!

One of the few positives from Istanbul was the hotel prices. Normally hotels jack their prices way up during an F1 week, but since nobody in Istanbul knew there was a race on, the Hilton in Taksim square was pretty normal (around 200Euros/night). PM me if you want other details about getting to/from the circuit (the buses were a bit confusing the first time we tried to find them on Friday, but were CHEAP - around $4 each way). Ironically, the Istanbul circuit is a very, very good one. Spend some time on Friday at Turn 8 watching the speed they carry through that amazing corner, and go the the elevated spot at the apex of Turn 7. It's a tight right hander and the cars pass by quite closely. Great photo opportunities. We sat in Grandstand 8, high up, by the final corners and looking down the main straight/pit lane. I think they're the best seats at this circuit, since Turn 1's Grandstand is way too far away from the circuit due to the run-off area.

Cheers!

 

I'll be going through Zurich, but I'll keep you posted on my plans. Would be a blast to team up with you.

BTW: You have to do it next year. From what I'm hearing the Turkish GP is on the way out after 2010.

You must have been. I only went there on Saturday and it was an absolute zoo and chaos. The worst at any GP I have ever been to.

Thanks, much appreciated!

Trust me, I'm always the first out. At any race. I can't stand getting stuck in crowds and traffic jams.

I checked the prices this year and noticed that myself. A bit like Hungary/Budapest and very much unlike Indianapolis or Montreal (where I paid $ 300 per night for what was basically a Motel 6 and where I saw fans begging the manager to give them a room for $ 600 just to let them in).

Yes, please I'd love that information. Money isn't the issue, but speed of transportation/safety is.

I came to the same conclusion studying the map and TV. Glad to hear that is the case.

 

Time your flights right and you may be flying with some F1 folks. The buddy I want to the Turkish GP with flew through Zurich and flew there (Wednesday) with Adrian Sutil and Nick Heidfeld (on SwissAir) and on the way home flew with some BMW and Toro Rosso engineers. We also had a pint and met with John Button. He was quite a happy guy.

 

I hear you. Can't really plan for that as we'll embed the GP into a whole vacation experience (adding some days in Turkey to the schedule). My friend bumped into Nick at Zurich airport as well.

I'm sure TifosiRon will scout out Istanbul and pick the hotel where the Scuderia stays. He has a nose for that.

PS: On my way to meet with Ron (who just bumped into Massa) I almost literally bumped into Schumacher in his Maser on the way to the Indy track.

 

Ferrari personnel were staying at the Ritz Carlton near Taksim. BrawnGP were across the street at the Intercontinental. I think the Ferrari drivers were staying somewhere closer to the circuit though because of traffic. We met some of the Ferrari folks at the Ritz one night, and they told us about a nightmare where they invited the Board of Directors to the race. Their flights to Turkey took less time than their trip from the hotel to the circuit! Oops.