Did you go to a race in 2008?

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Silverstone was packed for the British Grand Prix

Did you visit a Grand Prix in 2008?

If so, please take a moment to share your opinions about the experience with other fans who’ve been to the same venues:

You can read other people’s experiencess of visiting the races on the Grand Prix calendar, share your own and pass on tips to other F1 fans via these links:

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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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20 comments on “Did you go to a race in 2008?”

  1. As far as I know there was no race at the Nur but there was one in Montréal.
    :P

  2. schumi the greatest
    19th December 2008, 10:20

    I went to silverstone.

    I was given 2 tickets for my 20th birthday. The tickets were a 2 day general admission pass. It was with haymarket holidays, we were picked up arounf 6am on the saturday morning from bridgend (south wales) after stopping in the services for a rather overpriced, yet undercooked breakfast.

    We got to silverstone to just get a glimps of FP3. I was with my girlfriend so i was expecting alot of moaning as she isnt the biggest f1 fan. Spent the next few hours walking around trying to find somewhere good to find a spot for qualifying. Rather stupidly i hadn’t brought any waterproof clothing so i took a look at the various shops to find some things. I liked the look of the Mclaren jacket, but was soon put off byt the enormous £175.00 price tag and settled for a lewis hamilton replica helmet keyring, which at £7.00 was not what id call a “bargain”. Anyway the further round the circuit i got i noticed the price of this jacket come down and when i saw iot for £150 i gave in with the balck clouds looming over my head.

    Eventually found a spot at bridge which was great becaus eyou could see the cars for a good 8-10 seconds from where we were.

    We then got back on the bus dissapointed that hamilton was down in 4th but with a good chance of rain and my new jacket was looking forward to the race.

    The bus took us back to the hilton hotel where we were staying for the night. After a long day we decided to stay in the room have some food and get an early night. Browsing through the room service menu i was devastated at the prices but eventually plunged for a spag bol at “just” £14.00!!!!

    e had to be up and on the bus for 6 in the morning and we were given some rather odd looking cardboard boxes with breakfast in them. We arrived at the circuit and walked around agian looking for a spot to sit which would offer a good view. Then it started raining and with about 4 hours until the race, we settled on a banking by becketts hoping time would fly by. The bad weather forced me into another unwanted purchase, a mercedes umbrella at an eye-watering £35.00!!

    We eventually moved abit further up the banking and had a great view so we decided we’d sit it out there and watch the other races in the build up.

    Sitting on stones isnt exactly what you’d call comfortable so, yet again the wallet was brought into action and i bought 2 “silverstone” chairs. No better than your ordianairy chair but the presence of the silverstone logo bumbed the price up a good few quid.

    Anyway the race came and there was a brilliant atmosphere especially when hamilton went past for the 1st time in the lead and streaked away, and plenty of laughter everytime there was a replay of massa doing yet another “pirouette” I have to admit that after the 1st few pitstops i had no idea who was where, i was trying to listen into someone next to us who had 1 of them kanagroo tv thingy’s but to no luck. It was a great weekend and a great race, the rain, although freezing, made it great to watch the drivers struggling to find grip.

    A good weekend, and next time i go il be more prepared as i dont want to have to buy another jacket, umbrella, seat at ridiculous prices, and even my girlfriend enjoyed it so it was a great experience and 1 i will definitley be repaeating in the future

  3. Its Hammer time
    19th December 2008, 10:54

    I was at Silverstone @ Stowe B at the end of Hangar Straight. The rain just added to the experience. I am a little narked that last year it was £140 for the weekend and this year it is £180 for SUNDAY ONLY. My advice, save cash and watch qualifying at home in comfort. Also, if you are going to Silverstone 2009, smuggle some food in. We were served by some ‘professional cockneys’ who charghed me £6.50 for soapy tea and a cold burnt burger. I plucked up the courage to ask for a replacement and got a hotter replacement that was far from cooked (the mince was still red)

    The cost, weather and food was all forgotten when Hamilton pulled out from Kovy’s spray and went past at Stowe…nothing can beat the atmosphere and speed of Silverstone!

    Ow and if you can go on a motorbike, i was back in south london 2 hours after the race ended:-)

  4. Imola ’05, Monza ’05, Monza ’06, Monza ’07.
    Italian atmosphere is great. Bus shuttles work well, as purpose trains.
    Great weather and thanks to my friend for some wonderful free tickets.
    At Imola I was in the inside of Rivazza, quite good place to stay.
    At Monza at 1st chicane (outside and inside…on 2006 smoked the Alonso’s broken engine!) and 150 m before Parabolica. Great race from McLarens that time.
    Generally speaking: it is a great exeprience, even if prices are high for everything (tickets, food, drinking) and italian tracks are old, so you can’t see wide along the track.
    Best: noise of engines is something you’d pay only for, cars are incredibly fast, first couple of rounds are a musci engine performance, great service from big screens all around the circuit that allows you to understand what’s happening.
    Worst: prices, watching (only at Monza, I suppose, other tracks should be much better)…and no overtake actions, at all!!!

  5. I bought tickets for Silverstone this year way back in October ’07 for Farm. I then won a competition through Vodafone and was ‘upgraded’ to a grandstand seat in Copse.

    Guessing I shouldn’t moan, but I wish I never sold my original tickets as Copse had very limited view and I got absolutely drenched. Friday was quite mild, Saturday overcast, Sunday torrential rain. The inadequate covering in our grandstand was about as useful as a cigarette paper and I got soaked and had to use a horde of Trulli posters that Toyota were giving out as a means of keeping dry.

    Overpriced food, inadequate facilities… I won’t miss Silverstone that much. But the race? Wowzers! Hamilton’s storming performance was the stuff of legends.

    Oh, and I can thoroughly recommend a Kangaroo TV in future – it would have been near impossible trying to keep tabs on what was going on!

  6. No but I’ll be damned if I don’t go to the last F1 race at Silverstone in ’09.

  7. I didn’t go to an F1 GP this year, mainly because of the cost,

    Have been to several Isle of Man TT’s though and it’s one I’d recommend to any race fan.

    Flights from Liverpool take about half an hour depending on the wind and cost anywhere from £40-£120 depending when you book & the time you fly.
    The Ferry takes about 2 hours on a good day, we go on our bikes so it’s very cheap but cars aren’t too expensive.

    Camping can cost between £40-£100 for a week depending on the facilities available and you get the added advantage of most camp sites being on the track side so you can crawl to the fence or hedge with a hangover & a bacon sandwich for early morning practice & qualifying.

    Hotels & B&B’s tend to maximise their profits so expect to pay at least £40 a night for a basic hotel & £25 a night for a cheap B&B.

    Due to the layout of the track around the Island you can access almost all of it although the main roads are closed for the practices/qualifying/races as they’re the track so you need to decide where your going to go before the sessions start.

    Douglas is great as you can walk from one end to the other and there’s loads of good places to see the race from. The pits & paddock are virtually open access most of the time, there’s a spectator area behind the pits for when the action is on but you can go wherever you want when the track’s closed.

    The mountain is a great place to see the bikes at their best, there’s a cafe at the top and there’s plenty of good places to see the bikes fly past at super high speeds.

    To be honest there isn’t a bad place to watch the action from and if you go for the whole event then you can do a full tour of the track as there are so many different sessions for all of the different events that take place over a TT.
    There’s several nice pubs & cafes that have good outdoor seating areas along the track, these have the advantage of TV’s so you can check up on the timings etc when you go in to order your next round of drinks.

    If you go for your first time you’ll be amazed how many riders & engineers you meet, there is no separation between the competitors & the fans.
    There’s some corporate areas for VIP’s but everyone is out in the town, especially the bars of an evening, a few years ago we were sat in a bar when the whole Honda team walked in, from the cooks & drivers to the CEO of HRC and they proceeded to have a big party with everyone there.

    The Isle of Man isn’t cheap compared to normal UK prices and the local traders do mark up the prices when the TT is on but there is a good range of food & drink available to suit any budget.

    There’s loads of cheap merchandise available too, the teams will all have their latest & most expensive stuff but you can always pick up loads of gear at around half price from the traders and there’s no end of classic gear available.

    I’ve been there & spent £350 including transport & accommodation for the week but I’ve also spent closer to £1,000 when I’ve been too. It really depends on what you want to spend but either way the racing and atmosphere is always brilliant.

  8. Dank –

    Copse had very limited view and I got absolutely drenched.

    It was exactly the same for me in 1998!

    Thanks to everyone whose posted feedback so far, including those who’ve added comments on the individual pages for the races. Other fans have been using these to choose which races to attend, and how, and I hope this can develop into a uniquely valuable resource for F1 fans.

  9. well 2008 was the busiest race going year for me :-) and all were the street tracks

    Australia – very well organized race, very convenient (once you get down under :-) ) as the race track is in park in the city. public transport free for F1 ticket holders, it looked like no matter on what tram you jumped it would get you to the track. I had the ticket that placed me at different place every day and that was really great !

    Montreal – that was the place to be for F1 and F1 fans … unfortunatelly Mr. Ecclesstone does not think so … if it ever comes back I can recommend Turn 1 grandstands facing the pitlane exit. and from there you can make it to the podium ceremony on time for the bubbles :-)

    Valencia – dull race it was but it is a great city, the track is pretty much on the beach with all the restaurants and bars and great food within 5-10 mins walk from the grandstands …

    Singapore – that was the best. staying on the beach for the whole day, at the track in the evening, out and around the city in the night. it however gets very close to Monaco when it comes to $$$ … F1 is not cheap anywhere, but Singapore is a bit extreme. but at least the whole city and the people around make you feel very welcome, unlike Shanghai for example …

  10. Melbourne & Singapore for me this year, and Monaco in 2006. I’ll post the rest in the individual race comments section

    (but Melbourne is the best ;) )

  11. TommyBellingham
    20th December 2008, 23:58

    Valencia this year… Boring race… AMAZING holiday :)

  12. Was at Sepang this year, managed to get K1 tickets this year, my first time at that stand, and it was brilliant. I used to usually sit on the main grandstand on the straight, but K1 is the best stand in Sepang. Great place to watch overtaking, also to admire how fast the cars slow down from 300 plus KmH to 80 KmH in a matter of metres.

  13. I “did” Spa this year. My brother and i tanked over on the ferry and drove through the unlovely north french countryside before in a heartbeat the Ardennes opens up and you suddenly feel like your on holiday. We camped courtesy of campingf1 about 5km from the track near the village of Stavelot. £140 quid for 4 nights between 2 isnt bad and they laid on a huge marquee for merriment. Id stay there again but i may do valencia next year because of the weather. Stavelot is a picturesque quiet village but with enough facilities to keep a group of 30 something lads occupied for a day or 3. If you go, make sure you try the beers, every bar has about 40 varieties.

    Anyway we had entrance only tickets for the 3 days but there are enough natural ampitheatres round the track that sitting with the nobs isnt a pre-requisite.

    First time you step into the valley the track weaves through it blows your mind. The noise from the cars rolls round the valley and every few seconds one thats close blows your brains out. Its a sensational venue and eau rouge is almost unrecognisable, its much much steeper than the gentle roll it looks on TV but corners like Blanchemont are just as great. Beer is plentiful and with woods round every corner you never struggle for toilets!

    Just like you’re not a proper car fan until you’ve owned an Alfa you’re not a proper F1 fan until you’ve been to Spa.

    Awesome experience and every Brit you meet is your mate, we even met some Kiwi’s who were great fun…if a bit wild!

    But whoever you are and whether you love F1 or not, Spa is a Star

  14. I went to Montreal. I am Kubica fan.
    Need I say more?

    It’s shame this one got canned for 2009.
    I think the 3 ghosts of Xmas Story will be visiting Bernie this year…

  15. Where are you finding out all this data about fuel consumption? I’ve looked at a few team sites and can’t seem to find anything. I worked it out from a few figures I found on the Red Bull website to about 1.8Kg per lap and every 1Kg will cost you 0.02s (I could well be wrong here).

  16. I went to Spa last year, it was absolutely brilliant, if you would like to read about it, here is the link.

  17. did anyone stay at the camping F1 site at silverstone 2008? any comments or advice please would be appreciated

  18. Younger Hamilton
    15th May 2010, 20:07

    This Year Ferrari and McLaren should come to Istanbul with something in hand,a Weapon in fact against Red Bull, and its the F-Duct especially in the Pit Straight and Long Back Straight.McLaren’s MP4-25 seems to be very well balanced and good in Fast Corners and Long and Sweeping corners which the Istanbul Park have.But be Aware the RB6 is also good in those types of corners but its gonna be a titanic battle there as Massa might come more into play, started on pole 06,07 and 08 and has won all of them from pole dubbed ‘King of Turkey’ which i think is absolutely true even with me being a Big McLaren Fan.

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