+1,000! "I'm *so* smart, I'll pay a gazillion $ to attend, and then I'll leave early and miss the biggest ever comeback in a ball game and/or the closest finish ever seen." Why even bother? To "avoid traffic"? Sorry, that's pathetic IMO. Cheers, Ian
We are going to see a great race. After Abu Dhabi, Alonso is only 10 points out. Ferrari looked good today with Alonso driving his beast of a car like a man possessed. Great job.
I think what Tifosi12 meant is what I do: I leave maybe a minute early when the event is a blowout. Not half an hour, like some of you might be assuming . Most of the times I stay until the end, but I go towards an exit before the end, so I'm one of the first out. Have better things to do with my time than waiting an extra hour in traffic .
+1 F1 has rarely a last lap deciding race and even if it does, the chances that the Hamilton-on-Glock-pass happens exactly in my corner are slim to none. About the only thing one misses out by leaving early is the podium ceremony, but that only works if you are close enough to get there in time. I once sat an hour in the parking lot after the USGP in Indy and then another on the exit road. 2 hours for about a quarter mile. No thanks. That said, most GPs I've been to I had some sort of charter bus/train transportation where leaving early doesn't help anyway.
Don't know this venue but in some you can leave your seat in one section a half hour before someone leaves his in another section and you'll still be behind him in the exit queue.
What do you advise? Should I order up a slick? I just got my tickets to T2 and don't have a clue what kind of seats they are. Seriously, should I go on a motorcycle? Dale
Honestly after what I saw I'm expecting any mode of transportation to get to the track that involves roads is going to be a nightmare. Even the shuttle buses are going to be sitting in traffic. I think all the high rollers with the helicopters are doing it right.
What were they doing for traffic management? I know they're working pretty hard to widen another road in to 3 lanes by race weekend. I was wanting to take the train to the downtown shuttles (i live in hyde park), but it looks like the earliest train on sat/sun is at 10 am....
The only traffic management in place was at the actual entrance to the circuit. This may be different on race day, but I'm not expecting it to be. The train schedule really doesn't help anyone other than the 9-5 Monday through Friday crowd.
Trying to get the the shuttle parking lot at the airport is going to be a bum rush on 290, like I said before it would be faster for me just to ride a bike to the track but COTA won't let me.
This I don't understand and I've been saying it forever...what are they going to do with traffic? All the pics of the road to the track is some dinky 2 lane. I'd be willing to be that there's people that don't even GET to the race on raceday due to traffic. We'll see...something like this could happen again and it WOULDN'T BE GOOD: http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2012/6/28/3123433/kentucky-speedway-nascar-traffic-2012
Did they make 812 one way? or any of the other closings and what not they are going to do in 2 weeks? It sounds like they didn't (I'm still delusionally hopeful traffic won't be THAT bad) As for the train, it's running on Sunday and more on Saturday specifically for this event. It's a shame they won't run it till 10am on the weekend.
It seems like having the running race this past weekend was a good idea, helps the organizers understand what they need to improve on befor the big show http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/traffic-lessons-learned-at-circuit-of-the-americas/nSwxm/
I dunno. I must be getting old because this is starting to sound like work. If someone can give me a really good story, I might just give them my ticket. Dale
Well I dunno about a good story, but I would gladly take that ticket from you. I'm not exactly balling, I am a 12 year Veteran, now a full time film student. I would have to fly in and out just for the race, so no staying at a hotel at all. I'm talking straight from the airport to the the track, and back as soon as possible to CA.
You have to look at the bright side. It's a historic event in a way, and it's almost a certainty the WCC will be clinched there. And there's a possibility the WDC too. If I already had a ticket, I'd plan to arrive early and leave late on race day, and probably skip both practice and qualy. Oh, and lodge in San Antonio or Fredericksburg. This hotel scalping gets my blood boiling. Depending on comments from those going, I might try next year when things hopefully will be better planned. Or go to Montreal. Good luck.
+1 Any mass event with 100k spectators is becoming work. That's why I have stopped going to rock concerts and that's why I'm always trying to find the least hassle approach for the F1 GPs. It is precisely the reason why I - as an attending spectator - prefer street circuits over road courses. Road courses = traffic jams, poor toilets, limited infrastructure etc street circuits = walk from your hotel room (or if you are really lucky/rich: watch from your balcony), lots of restaurants/cafes with food and good infrastructure etc It's also why I haven't been to Spa yet.
As with any inagurial event, there's a learning curve. A lot will be learned from this year to make everything better next year. It's not breaking news of course. As long as it isn't organized by the same people that did the Superbowl at Cowboy Stadium.
This was put on facebook this morning. Also, you can click on the map and see what roads are going to be one way. Those with parking passes on the north side are being routed off 130 to Pearce, which looks to be over 3 miles from the 812 exit. Then you come in off Kellam. Hopefully having troopers directing traffic at all the highway exits will keep it flowing. I would imagine some kind of checkpoints, where you cannot get beyond without the parking pass. http://www.statesman.com/news/news/traffic/f1-traffic-plans-will-be-more-effective-than-at-we/nSx6S/
My all-time hero since I was 5 years old is retiring after this year and this is my last chance to see him race in person and I know if I don't go I'll regret it for the rest of my life. Worth a shot right
