What did you like about your A1GP Experience? - Page 2

***MagnetON*** · 27 Sep 2005, 07:28 (Ref:1417603)

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

The race cars looked fantastic I thought I am sure way better in person though..

are they fast enough?

They sound every bit as good as they look and they look much better up close... and as for being fast enough... under 1:15 around the whole circuit, that's serious times, I'm sure that with a bit more familiarity of the cars in race conditions that they'll be even closer to the 1986 F1 times next year.

Andrew Kitson · 27 Sep 2005, 07:57 (Ref:1417630)

1:15 is quick indeed but I did expect them to be slightly quicker than the 3 seconds faster than F3. However the track has changed at Westfield since ( more run-off) and they are all brand new. Expect next year's A1 race to be much quicker with development.The track is quite different though to Mansell's days when he did the 1:09. Graham Hill bend, Westfield, Dingle Dell are all very different and....it was F1 with drivers at the top of their game. Any guesses what a modern day F1 car would do around Brands?

Hazza · 27 Sep 2005, 08:05 (Ref:1417641)

Sub 1-Minute? It'd be a super-scary ride though!

Wouldn't it be super if they could by up the land (Which is near-impossible to do IIRC) and get the required run off for something like Champcar/F1...

Williams used to test at Brands but I belive they only did the Indy circuit - there is a smashing photo of the Rothmans williams heading towards druids.

Redracer77 · 27 Sep 2005, 08:38 (Ref:1417668)

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagnetON

All the marshals on post 10 had a great weekend, even the lack of lunch breaks on Saturday and Sunday didn't cause too much complaint (and we did get a bit of a lunch break on Sunday for the opening ceremony... Well, we would have done if we hadn't been helping the stilt walkers down the steep medical center hill!) and we got a nice lunch-bag and the program as a freebie.

All in all, great racing, great spectacle, and as for the best bit... it was all a best bit!

Which was post 10? Was it one of the 3 times my FF1600 engine went up in smoke!!!

Eddy V · 27 Sep 2005, 09:26 (Ref:1417696)

Post 10 is Surtees, just going onto the GP loop.
Once you ended up on my post RR77. The last race you pulled off on Post 6, exit Druids. Very well done btw, most just pull off, period.
Ment to introduce myself, but they came to tow you away.
Shouldn't you name yourself BR77 when driving that car?

THR · 27 Sep 2005, 20:53 (Ref:1418263)

i liked pretty much all of it!
wasnt too busy
cars sounded brilliant, altho i prefer the DFV's !!
just a good day really.. nice to walk round the whole circuit, dont usually get to do that when in the pits.
oh pit walk about a bit of a crap thing cant get close nuff!
dont think there was 80,000 peoplether myself

oh and i got caught in going the wrong way round the m25 too!!! suppose it would have been ok if the m20 junc was open..... wish i had turned round and gone back past brands on the a20!! but apart from that, it wasnt too bad... got out the car park quicker than i did at donny when btcc was on.

ill go again!

Wolffang · 27 Sep 2005, 21:07 (Ref:1418275)

An excellent day...

Enjoyed every moment...

I think the phrase "Gentleman, For the pride of your Nations, Start your engines" will be talked about for years to come...

25 nations... I bet those countries who didnt take part are kicking themselves!

MSV have put a good review together.. READ HERE

THR · 27 Sep 2005, 21:11 (Ref:1418282)

personally i always thought the "start your engines now" was a bit bossy lol.
it should be down to the team to when they start it... due to temps and fuel and stuff.
dont need to be told really... never understood y they need to say it!!!
must prefer the F1 countdown

muzza4ever · 27 Sep 2005, 21:48 (Ref:1418310)

THR - I personally think you're missing the point about the "...start your engines..." line.

A) there is no "...start your engines now"
B) It's a bit of theatre - it's been part of Sheikh Maktoum's "vision" that he would say that to start the event.

I think it will become passe quite quickly - not sure it will be said at every round.

On the temps and fuel side of things - these cars are pretty bullet proof - all the failures seemed to revolve around the batteries so temperatures and fuel levels aren't a problem.

As there's no refuelling there isn't the level of control over fuel levels or indeed the granularity of control in general that you see in F1. That was probably the hardest thing conceptually for me to grasp, but when you do the racing and the spectacle takes over rather than obsessing about the thousandths of a second that one team did something quicker than another team.

JeremySmith · 28 Sep 2005, 02:15 (Ref:1418432)

Quote:

Originally Posted by THR

personally i always thought the "start your engines now" was a bit bossy lol.
it should be down to the team to when they start it... due to temps and fuel and stuff.
dont need to be told really... never understood y they need to say it!!!
must prefer the F1 countdown

The say that here all the time.. I have becomed used to it

and let me tell you at the Long Beach Grand Prix, when you are stading at the catch fence and they fire up twenty four cars or so... It's amazing

Gerben24 · 28 Sep 2005, 07:19 (Ref:1418540)

I noticed there where a lot of people that came to Brands Hatch, maybe to a race for the very first time. There were also people from countries that probably do not have any motorsport history whatsoever. It is good to see that happening.

Rob29 · 28 Sep 2005, 07:40 (Ref:1418552)

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

The say that here all the time.. I have becomed used to it

and let me tell you at the Long Beach Grand Prix, when you are stading at the catch fence and they fire up twenty four cars or so... It's amazing

I think the phrase nowdays is 'Drivers' start your engines' to allow for the possibility of female competitors?

Redracer77 · 28 Sep 2005, 08:56 (Ref:1418616)

Quote:

Originally Posted by THR

personally i always thought the "start your engines now" was a bit bossy lol.
it should be down to the team to when they start it... due to temps and fuel and stuff.
dont need to be told really... never understood y they need to say it!!!
must prefer the F1 countdown

The cars were all warm as the pit lane was open for 30 mins I think before the start. NPjnr had done about 3 laps before he went on to the grid so the cars would have been up to temp anyway

I also got a shiver down my spine when he said those words. Great entertainment and thats what we want.

**bella** · 28 Sep 2005, 10:10 (Ref:1418705)

you can't beat a bit of drama and theatre, i find that's what f1 lacks. at silverstone, you may as well just be at a very popular clubby race, there's no real pomp or ceremony. a brass band does not a ceremony maketh

JeremySmith · 28 Sep 2005, 14:31 (Ref:1419019)

Quote:

Originally Posted by bella

you can't beat a bit of drama and theatre, i find that's what f1 lacks. at silverstone, you may as well just be at a very popular clubby race, there's no real pomp or ceremony. a brass band does not a ceremony maketh

F1 in comparison is missing the point by not providing a show then? I am not trying to *flame* here BTW

Go-Pakistan · 28 Sep 2005, 14:50 (Ref:1419028)

First ever A1GP event was amazing..........I was lucky enough to have a pit pass and met a few drivers and saw the cars up close, also saw Nelson Picquet Snr and Emmerson Fittipaldi outside the Brazil Garage.

I went to the F1 Grand prix and it was not as good in comparison......highlight of the day was the red arrows display, not the race. obviously the layout of brands helps as you can see most of the indy circuit.

Ticket for F1 was £95! A1 much better, wider audience appeal of course as 25 countries are represented......does anyone know if highlights will be on terrestrial (uk) tv? or is it all going to sky-sports?

Nice one.

Mr Jinxx · 29 Sep 2005, 17:52 (Ref:1420242)

The A1GP cars were 6 seconds a lap faster than the fastest Thoroughbred Grand Prix car around Brands, if that's any use? I wouldn't have thought F3 cars would be only 2-3 seconds slower than A1GP on the current configuration.

Andrew Kitson · 29 Sep 2005, 18:20 (Ref:1420261)

Piquet Jr did a 1:18.823 in the last F3 race on the GP track in September 2003.
The only minor change since is Westfield. Therefore 3-4 secs slower.
TGP - only a handful of these are quick. Remember driven mostly by 50 'somethings' who have made their pile and having fun - not up and coming hot-shoes.

Hazza · 29 Sep 2005, 22:30 (Ref:1420440)

And their number one goal is Don't stack the car...don't stack the car...don't stack the car...don't stack the car... And if you are looking after priceless equipment, there are some parts of Brands that'd make you put your foot over the break peddal!

JeremySmith · 30 Sep 2005, 03:48 (Ref:1420550)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob29

I think the phrase nowdays is 'Drivers' start your engines' to allow for the possibility of female competitors?

Yes sir you are quite correct, sorry about that!

CombeMarshal · 30 Sep 2005, 17:43 (Ref:1421111)

BUT, I the car is normally started by a Mechanic from behind, And as far as I know they are all male, I am willing to be proven wrong, but I doubt it!

CombeMarshal · 30 Sep 2005, 17:53 (Ref:1421119)

My only big grudge was the traffic, Why did we have to turn right into Snatchers lane, it took me Over 4 hours to get home (40 mins just to get out of the car park!), after a weekends Marshalling I was Exhausted.
The whole weekend was great (well 99% of it!) but If something is not done about the traffic I doubt if i'll do next year, Regretably, It's just it's dangerous to drive being not totaly fit.
Lee

Andrew Kitson · 30 Sep 2005, 18:21 (Ref:1421140)

Quote:

Originally Posted by CombeMarshal

(40 mins just to get out of the car park!), after a weekends Marshalling I was Exhausted.

As I said on the other Brands thread, you should have been at the '86 GP then CombeMarshal!
We left after the last race, about 6pm and reached the Dartford tunnel just before midnight, finally out of the car park itself around 10pm.

CombeMarshal · 30 Sep 2005, 18:29 (Ref:1421148)

Don't talk to me about the Dartford tunnel, I lost my SatNav signal in it (obviously!) the trouble is, it takes about 20 seconds to pick it back up again, By then I had missed just about avery junction in London!!

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