40 ways to survive the off-season p2/4

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A1GP - it may lack F1's sophistication, but it's tons of fun

How are you coping with the F1 off-season? Here’s ten more ways to get through the months ahead.

11 – Go karting

See how Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and the rest got started in motor racing. Karting is motor racing at its most cheap-and-cheerful. Indoor’s good, outdoor’s better – especially if it rains, though in Britain that often means frostbitten fingers…

12 – Drive an F1 car

OK, it’s a bit of a step up from karting. But if you’ve got the cash, you can have a go in an F1 car – and a fairly recent one at that. Rockingham circuit in Northamptonshire (near Silverstone) offers arrive-and-drive F1 experiences.

They’ve got a 1994 Arrows and a 1996 Forti so we’re talking occasional qualifiers rather than championship winners. For an eye-watering £1,450 you get instruction in a series of increasingly powerful cars before they let you loose in the F1 machines. If anyone’s got the outlay to give this a try, please let me know…

Rockingham F1 experience

13-17 – Watch some winter racing

OK it’s not F1 – but some of them look a bit like it:

A1 Grand Prix

If you took a look at A1 a year or two ago and dismissed it at an under-powered, over-hyped feeder series, now may by time to give it a second chance. The Ferrari-designed second generation cars look much better and are far quicker than their predecessors.

On the other hand, the series looks to be on shaky financial ground at the moment, so it might be a case of ‘enjoy it while it lasts’. Round two takes place at Chengdu, China, this weekend.

GP2 Asia

The next race isn’t until December but with so many F1 driver arriving from GP2 these days it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on the offshoot GP2 Asia championship.

GP2 Asia 2008-09 calendar

Race of Champions

Held in Wembley stadium, London, on December 14th, the Race of Champions boasts a seriously impressive roster of drivers: Michael Schumacher, Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel, David Coulthard, Jenson Button, Tom Kristensen, Sebastien Loeb – and they’re trying to bag the new world champion as well.

Race of Champions

Trophee Andros Ice Racing

The Trophee Andros Ice Racing championship attracts many French former F1 stars. Alain Prost will be returning to the series this year and try to win a third consecutive title. Ex-Toyota racer Olivier Panis will also contend. Will Sebastien Bourdais make an appearance?

Trophee Andros

World Rally Championship

The World Rally Championship will end and start again before we see more F1 action. The Rally of Great Britain is in December, and action starts again in February next year.

WRC

18 – Build a model F1 car

Here’s a project to immerse yourself in on a cold winter weekend: assembling an intricate F1 model. If you’re looking ror a particular kit, try the link below. They can even supply advertising stickers for kits where tobacco or alcohol logos are not included. If you’re built an F1 model, show us a picture of it on the F1 Fanatic Facebook Group.

F1 Specialities

19 – Build a Lego F1 car

F1 plus Lego plus Ferrari? It doesn’t get much better. There’s a brilliant range of Ferrari F1 lego available and I don’t mind admitting I’ve got one of them myself. Have a look at the 1:9 scale Ferrari F1 car, Ferrari F1 team truck and the Ferrari F1 pit scene – it comes with little ‘Felipe’ and ‘Kimi’ stickers, but the traffic light refuelling system is conspicuously absent…

More F1 Lego

20 – Share your Grand Prix experiences

Been to a Grand Prix this year? Leave a comment and tell other F1 fans all about it. We especially want to hear from people who’ve been to Bahrain, Shanghai and Fuji Speedway.

F1 circuits – spectators’ experiences

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40 ways to survive the off-season

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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14 comments on “40 ways to survive the off-season p2/4”

  1. Did Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson not drive a 1994 Arrows last year?? ;)

  2. Its Hammer time
    7th November 2008, 11:50

    If we all now have some spare time at the weekends, may i suggest we all go and camp outside the Leicestershire council offices to speed up the approval of the plans for Donnington. Failing that, we could all meet up at donnington park with shovels and cranes starting ******* digging, because (and i know i’m not the only one who thinks this) if donnington isn’t ready, no British GP from 2010 onwards. The slot will go to India. You read it here first!

  3. Did Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson not drive a 1994 Arrows last year??

    they should be so lucky.

  4. One of my kids got a Lego Ferrari pit scene for christmas a couple of years ago. The best bit was the Lego Ross Brawn. He must be one of the few non-fictional characters to be immortalised as a Lego figurine…

  5. I’ve got a Lego model of the Ferrari 248 and a Revell plastic kit of the BMW Sauber F1.06 already! :D

  6. If anyone has got any questions they’d like to ask Mark Webber the BBC are looking for suggestions on their website as he is on the BBC News chanel tonight (Friday 7th November 18:30 GMT).

    Link to post your questions is:
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7714937.stm

    @ ade: I think I got that same kit for my little brother a few years ago, I loved the Lego Ross Brawn too.
    I think they did a few of the Ferrari team as I remember there being one that looked like Jean Todt too.

    If there’s anyone who lives in the North West of England and fancies going karting some time over the winter then let me know, I’d be happy to sort out a group outing to one of the local kart tracks.

  7. “Mark – how are you preparing yourself for next year when Sebastian Vettel blows you into the weeds?” :-D

  8. I did have a Lego ferrari. I dismantled it after Fuji. The pieces are now mixed in with the rest of my childhood lego. Maybe they’ll go to better use some day.

  9. 40 ways to survive the off-season
    Number 21

    Make a comment to the press to trivialise racism in an blatant attempt to keep F1 (and its new champion) in the news.

    Bernie’s not going to get bored before March is he?

  10. Re. suggestion no. 12 – if I had a spare £1450, I would seriously do that. My girlfriend would kill me if the car didn’t, mind you.

  11. Lego Ferrari rocks. Doesn’t get much better than that. I was a Lego fan even before I became a Ferrari fan. Seeing them together was a marriage in heaven! :)

  12. consider hibernating till next season……….

    anyways im developing a game(not related to F1), cant afford to drive a F1 car or anything!

    Hey by the way can any of my fellow F1 Fanatics help me get my game published???

    contact me at anirudh.asokan@gmail.com

    Sorry Keith… I know I shouldn’t be doing this :D

  13. I’m wondering if the Lego Ross Brawn have a little Lego banana as well…..

  14. Good ones about the lego Ferrari guys- dose anyone have a photo detailing any of them?

    The A1GP suggestion is a good one, and while you’re at it, kepe an eye on Team USA and Andretti Green Racing drivers Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick both getting race time in the series. I was hugely disappointed that the last-minute takeover of the team forced out a great young talent in Johnathan Summerton, but hopefully these folks will make the best of it.

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