USGP

Paul,

do a search in Ferrarichat, particularly the racing section.. This is a fairly common question/topic.

To answer your questions:

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yes
yes

 

Hello Paul. My son and I attended our first USGP this past summer. It was really cool. We had seats in the "Paddock Area", so we were directly across from the pits and garages. And were able to get some really good pix of all of the cars, from their garages, to the pits, and the starting grid.

We've done a few NASCAR races, Clay Oval Track, Lots of Drag Racing, Motorcycle Racing of all kinds. But this was our first F1 race.

But, once the race started, you'd just see the cars whizz by for a few seconds at a time, until they came in to pit.

This year, we may just go with "Grand Prix Tours" and get seats up in the nice cool, Air conditioned Box Seats situated up above the track, so that you can see that whole front straight, the pit area, the first corner, etc.... Possibly, but I am not sure yet, you can also walk back and see most of the rest of the track. I'll ask them when I book our seats.

Yeah, it's a tad on the expensive side, ( approx $1000.00 each) BUT....That gets you in Friday and Saturday for practice, and Sunday for the race. Plus, Much better view, Air Conditioning, ( It was very Hot and Humid this past year there....) And I also assume closer access to the facilities, Food, Drinks, less crowded, no rude people standing up right in front of you, blocking your view, etc...

 

I've gone a few times. I went with various friends not affiliated or familar with FerrariChat. I have time for only one day, and have money for either cheap seats or comp seats.

http://www.usgpindy.com/modules/images/trackmap/usgp05-map-lrg.jpg

The first time, I sat in nose-bleed section at the south end of the track. You could see the cars accelerating onto the main track from the infield, and watch 'em deaccelerate to go into the pits, brakes glowing. You could not see the starting line, or much of the straight, and barely any of the pits. I'd say it's about a boring a place to be. It was also cold and drizzling. I had my waterproof camera, and have wide angle shots of the track (Oh boy! those specks are the cars!).

The next few times, I had a ticket to a VIP suite (supposedly $350) on the southeast corner. Good view of cars coming out of the last infield turn and accelerating. Hello - bye. Looking through the fence wasn't quite as bad as trying to photograph through it. Free food and drinks, AC, TVs, and even a shower didn't make it worth spending time in there. I walked down to the infield to enjoy an unobstructed view of the cars at the end of the infield straight, and going through a double hairpin curve, and away toward the VIP suites. I got some great shots every time.

In 2006, I sat in bleachers in corner 6 ($85). From there, you can see the end of the starting straight away, and the tops of the cars as they participate in the inevitable first lap / first corner bump and grind. Then you see them come into the semi-hairpin right in front of you. They rocket off to the right. The sun is too your back, so your face doesn't get burnt. In front of the bleachers was a slot in the fence, seemingly designed for photographers. After a few laps, I gave up my seat to stand at the hole in the fence. Great shots can be made using moderate telephotos from the fence.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118385
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=136063805#post136063805

In the mid 1980s, I went to the GP in Dallas, TX. My brothers and I stood in the inside of one of the hairpins. We were close enough to have marbles sprayed on us whenever a car spun on the melting asphalt coming into the corner. We watched Michelle Albereto (sp?) abandon his car in front of us and walk to the pits. At the other side of the track, Nigel Mansell ran over himself pushing his car to the finish line. In the parking lot (grass field), a Mazda RX-7 caught fire, and I found a big camera bag full of Nikon gear (I returned it to the owner). While wandering in the mechanics' pit warehouse, I literally bumped into Niki Lauda. Mouth agape, I could say nothing. Please excuse me, Niki.

For my money (or whoever was paying for my ticket), the best place to be is near a hairpin corner. The cars go a bit slower, so you can see 'em better, and even keep track of who is in front of who. You get a better sense of time/distance between cars, because you are not whiplashing yourself to see which car is which, as you might on the high-speed straight away. You hear the shifting, braking, accelerating. You see both sides of the car, and the drivers can be seen actually moving around (helmet and gloves, anyway). It is easy to see the various lines that the drivers take. Damage to cars is also easier to spot. It is also much more photogenic.