Octagon to reduce British GP Crowd

[Stephen Green]

05:40 23Oct2001 RTRS-Motor racing-Silverstone aims for a smaller crowd in 2002

LONDON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - The British Formula One Grand Prix is becoming more expensive and more exclusive to attend.
Organisers Octagon Motorsport have announced a new ticket pricing structure for next year while also planning to cut attendances by around 30,000 people at a venue plagued by traffic problems.
The July race has been included on the provisional 2002 calendar, depending on the outcome of an enquiry into traffic problems this year.
"The new structure will be introduced to accommodate a planned reduction in the crowd attendance of approximately 30,000," Octagon said in a statement that also detailed a new park and ride service.
The 2001 Grand Prix had a race day capacity of 90,000 with some 250,000 admitted over the three day period.
Octagon said a three day general admission ticket would be introduced at a price of 199 pounds ($282), compared to the previous 190. A 'seating upgrade' will add a further 100 pounds to the price.
Tickets will remain on sale at 2001 prices until November 15.
"We have been given the opportunity to invest in the long-term future of British motorsport," said Octagon chief executive Rob Bain.
"We appreciate that price increases are never popular but we are developing Silverstone to re-launch the venue within the premier tier of the world's F1 circuits by 2004."
"Improving traffic arrangements into Silverstone is a part of the modernising process which will be reflected in enhancements of the facilities in coming years," he added.
More than a million pounds was spent on car parking and access improvements for the 2001 event.
($1=.7036 Pound)

[paulzinho]

if thats true then all i can say is


*******

[Stephen Green]

What it doesn't make clear is whether the reduction is spread over three days, ie 10,000 per day, or just on race day. If the crowd goes from 90,000 to 60,000 on race day it's going to screw up the atmosphere.

Why oh why are they persisting in this war against Silverstone? They don't pick on other circuits on the calendar. I wonder how long it takes the average Italian to get home from Monza?

[paulzinho]

Not long, Monza is home!!!!

[winstonhenry]

You could forgive the GP Management if their press release said:
"We are increasing the prices to try and make the crowd smaller because we are in real **** with the FIA over the traffic problems and we are NOT going to let that Rockingham place upstage us. We also wouldn't mind the cash to help us build more corporate boxes and a corner named after some commentator bloke. We assure the fans that we don't really care about them as long as they give us their money" Refreshingly direct and it doesn't insult our intelligence!

[Stephen Green]

The story does go on to say that once the road improvements have been made (along with others they don't specify) that Silverstone will comfortably take 150,000 spectators! I bet they don't bring the price down though!!!

[Crash and Burn]

BBC SITE SAYS THE SAME -

Motor racing fans will have to pay more money than ever before to watch next year's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
The move is part of a major shake-up of the motor racing showpiece, which also sees the spectator capactity cut by 30,000.

Fans will have to buy a three-day admission pass costing £199.

A further £100 is required to guarantee a grandstand pass.

Included in the price of the three-day pass are park and ride services which cost £29 this year.



I would say that the prices are in line with everthing that takes place on mainland Europe

Jackie Stewart
Until a deadline of 15 November, tickets may still be purchased at 2001 prices.

Other changes for the 2002 Grand Prix include a 30,000 cut in the attendance, with a maximum of 60,000 people likely to see the race in person.

And Octagon Motorsports, the promoters of the race, insist that the changes are necessary to bring the British GP in line with other motor racing events on the international calendar.

"We appreciate that price increases are never popular but we are developing Silverstone to re-launch the venue within the premier tier of the world's F1 circuits by 2004," said Octagon chief executive Rob Bain.



Stewart approves of the price change


"This new ticketing structure will allow us to offer improved access times to and from the venue, with reduced traffic congestion and an enhanced experience."

Jackie Stewart, President of the British Racing Drivers' Club, gave his support to the change in price structure.

"I would say that the prices are in line with everthing that takes place on mainland Europe," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Equivalent ticket prices at next year's Spanish and French Grands Prix are between 56-86% of those at Silverstone.


THIS IS DAFT!

[winstonhenry]

"This new ticketing structure will allow us to offer improved access times to and from the venue, with reduced traffic congestion and an enhanced experience."

To enhance the experience does the "ticketing structure" give you free tickets to Rockingham or Donnington MotoGP?

[WoodyTJ]

Originally posted by Crash and Burn

Fans will have to buy a three-day admission pass costing £199.

This is terrible!!!

You know what is going to happen - the fans are being thrown out and it is going to end up being all hospitality.

The fans lose out again

[KC]

I find it utterly hilarious that the only solution is to eliminate some of the paying fans and then expect the rest to make it all up. I have been to Silverstone along with approx. 200,000 other fans. We walked in from the neighboring village along with around half of the people who attended. The roads into Silverstone obviously were never designed to support this type of traffic, but the fixes are not that difficult. Cutting attendance is stupid. Other racing venues around the world deal with traffic levels in ways that do not include sending away customers. Why not Silverstone?

One of the biggest questions I have is what the hell does the FIA care about the traffic level for anyway? They don't give a damn about the racing fan when the segregate us from the cars and drivers, don't mind forcing the tracks to charge a weeks wage to attend with their astronomical sanctioning fees. Why are they suddenly so concerned about how long John Q. Public had to wait in line at the loo or queued up waiting to leave the track? I believe its all about moving the race to a more politically favorable (ie: tobacco friendly) country and this will eventually be the excuse to take away the British GP. That way all the blame will fall squarely on the BRDC and not the FIA.

[Don K]

Originally posted by Stephen Green
Octagon said a three day general admission ticket would be introduced at a price of 199 pounds ($282), compared to the previous 190.

I must be missing something here.

Am I correct to assume that this years ticket were GBP 190, and next years tickets are GBP 199?
If we take a 3% inflation into account, that would be a raise of 2.5% ...

Originally posted by Crash and Burn
Included in the price of the three-day pass are park and ride services which cost £29 this year.

This even suggests this year's price may have been GBP 190 + GBP 29 = GBP 219. That would mean a 13% price reduction, if we take a 3% inflation into account.

What am I missing here?

[Stephen Green]

What I don't understand is what the hell the traffic and circuit access has got to do with the FIA. Do they sanction Monaco for not being able to move? I don't think so.

Octagon have paid the FIA for the race and it's down to them to provide the arena (Octagon). How can any circuit be expected to shell out millions in improving road networks for one meeting per year. It was always my belief that the road network in the UK was the responsibilty of the locl authority, not Octagon, Silverstone or the bloody FIA. It's about time max and Bernie were taken down a peg or two and the rest of us stopped bowing to their every whim!

[MrTTraces]

Simple answer.......move the GP to Donington and solve all traffic problems (in MY opinoion).

[Craig]

Ladies and gentlemen, the answer is simple... if you don't like being taken for a huge ride, don't go. Vote with your feet... the GP is a rip off - always has been, it's just that little bit more spectacular now. BTCC 2002 is gonna be huge - for the price of a general admission GP ticket, you can do the whole season - do yourself a favour!

I went to the GP last year, just so I could say i'd been and to make sure I wasn't missing anything, i'd never return. We paid £160 for a grandstand ticket - we could have gone general admission for £90 but figured we'd better spend the extra and get seat so we could see the track if we were spending that amount of money! - plus £10 for a programme (I think) and it'd have been 20 quid extra for centre transfer if we'd been that desperate.

Le Mans weekend - including tickets, VIP camping, ferry crossings, etc, etc. weighed in at £150
Rockingham 500 - despite the weather and poor organisation was a snip at around a tonne (can't remember the exact figure)
Daytona 500 - 2 weeks in Florida, private villa, air fares, tickets for two races, car hire, everything - £700

hmmm... I think i'll take a weekend off in July to recover from all the racing I can afford by not going to the GP!

Sorry if you don't appreciate this post in this forum, but I would sincerley encourage you all to take a step back and consider getting your racing fix elsewhere...

[TimD]

I'm inclined to agree with Craig.

Actually, no, scrub that.

I agree utterly with Craig.

The last GP I attended was in 1990, and I think it cost about £45 for the three day pass. I can recall a GP only a few years earlier which was £14 for the weekend, including pitlane and paddock access, and had a pass to the following week's 1000km sportscar race thrown in for free.

This year, I have enjoyed 22 days of racing car action, in a whole variety of formulae, from Minis through to Formula 1 Test Days, and the total ticket outlay was only a pound or two more than the British GP will cost next year.

Sorry, but I'll be letting the VCR watch the race.

[Stephen Green]

Given the fact that they are cutting the crowd number by 30,000 then you might not be able to buy a ticket anyway! I'll be very honest and say that if I didn't get free tickets and go there as a marshal, then I would not pay the exhorbitant fees they are now asking. In fact, after the way the marshals were treated this year I know of many who are not volunteering for next years GP. They were short of marshals this year so next year could be interesting!

[Marshal]

Originally posted by MrTTraces
Simple answer.......move the GP to Donington and solve all traffic problems (in MY opinoion).

You are Joking. There aren't any British circuits with good access, if you start getting more than 50k people. I remeber taking 11/2 to get out of Donnington when there were 40k people there for a Minin day.

[Hugh Jarce]

Next issue will be F1 going onto 'pay to view' on TV. That one feels all too close.

As ever you need increasing cash to enjoy yourselves now.

By the way, if you want, you could come to my house and I'll force you to sit in your car for 2 hours in the street before the race, and I'll provide under cooked hot dogs but you can have my favourite armchair - all for £40. (£45 if you need to use the loo!).

My take - watch it at home (unless you get a corporate ticket from a mate on the inside) - you see more of the race.

[Stephen Green]

Actually you are right Hugh, unless you are near a giant TV screen or keep a lap chart going, you lose track of who is where in the race. At least you get the captions on the TV and Martins commentary so you know who's where in the race!

[MGF]

I can beleive this....

This really does convince me that Formula 1 is a complete joke now. I don't think that I would ever pay money to go and see a Grand Prix again because it's an enormous rip off. All the paying fans are doing is filling the pockets of people like that greedy little sod Bernie Ecclstone and the B**@dy FIA.

I think that I will stick to watching REAL racing.

[Rob29]

Originally posted by Marshal


You are Joking. There aren't any British circuits with good access, if you start getting more than 50k people. I remeber taking 11/2 to get out of Donnington when there were 40k people there for a Minin day.

Same problem at Rockingham for CART.All Brtish circuits are in the middle of nowhere down a long winding lane. Why can't we have something like Melbourne of Montreal?

[Stephen Green]

The problem we have here in the UK is that no-one wants to live close to a race track because of the noise. Therefore, as you say, access is very poor as they tend to be 'off the beaten track' The only one which has slightly better access, and it's not great by any means, is Brands hatch as it borders two motorways!

At the end of the day though you can't justify the enormous expense of building roads just for one Grand Prix each year. There's the cost of maintaining the roads once they are built and it is my firm belief that we pay local and national tax's for that very reason!

Max bloody Mosely and his antiquated cronies should get out of their ivory towers and do something to HELP motor racing, not hinder it!