Spa the dump.

[Jensen]

I was at the last F1 at Spa, great to spectate, the atmosphere and the people were great, good party atmosphere, I also raced there in the Formula opel before, once again party atmosphere, great. But I must say that during the F1 the spectator area's were a dump, I mean so much rubbish it smelt real bad, the toilets were 10 miles away and you needed a Bio nuclear suit to get near them, you had to be there to see the mess, I have attended lots of racing including the british GP and they prove there is no excuse, we walked for 10 mins to find a bin and in the end gave up. With top circuits like Malaysia etc I say you can keep spa, ok the drivers love it and Eu-Rouge is cool (especially behind the wheel) but the fans should be the most important thing, and we were treated like cattle. After the race ended they called the cars straight in to the second pit lane, so we had no parade lap, everyone around me was annoyed at that, and in the morning we arrived as did most people "early", and there was no support races, nothing to do but sit and admire the piles of rubbish.

Spa go away.
British GP, bring it on !!!

jensen

[steve nielsen]

Spa is a race you can better watch from behind the TV, it's overpriced for the seats you get, and the GA places are even worse.

The Nurburgring and Hockenheim are much better for spectators.

[Lee Janotta]

Kids these days, spoilt rotten...

[R]

Hockenheim doesn't exist anymore. Oh wait, they actually went ahead and committed sacrilege and called that new ******* track "Hockenheim". Right...

[Spudgun]

I thought it wasn't too bad at Spa last year. One good thing is that because the track is so long there's plenty of room for everyone to get a spot next to the track (apart from the chicane).

I was at Blanchimont for the race and you could get quite close to the track as you were above it by about 15 ft and could see over the debris fencing. It was quite impressive looking down into the cockpits when they were coming past at 180+ mph!

There are the down-sides though. I couldn't get anywhere near the trade stands because it was just insame around the the tunnel that goes under Eau Rouge. This was Saturday morning so heaven knows what it was like on race day. I just gave up in the end. You were right about the lack of support races for the race Jensen. I think it was just the one Porsche race. I remember after having a nice warm Friday and Saturday the Sunday was quite cold. Just sitting there using a tree trunk as a makeshift chair, shivering and no racing did get on my wick a bit.

I don't regret going and I would recommend people to go (if the F1 circus returns) just to experience a grand prix at Spa.

[Irv the Swerve]

Originally posted by R
Hockenheim doesn't exist anymore. Oh wait, they actually went ahead and committed sacrilege and called that new ******* track "Hockenheim". Right...

I went to the old Hockenheim for the "I was careful looking after my engine" victory for Wiggum in 2001 and I was amazed. It was an amazing circuit. Micky the Shoe retired at the first chicane and sat right in front of us on the barriers for over an hour and it was funny to see Wiggum and Barry Robins turn him down when he wanted a lift back to the pits. We walked back up Jim Clark into the stadium after the race and it was astonishing.

On the downsiide - we were in a place called the Hardtbachdamm or something, with thousands of people and a filthy canal down behind us - several people fell in!

Nothing is ever perfect though.

[Adam43]

Give me smelly Spa (to spectate or drive) over sterile Silverstone anyday.

I get goosebumps when I think of watching a GP from my mearly adequate grandstand that I used one year (or those hard even the concrete steps, or the cliffs of death used for spectating before Pouhon).

Standing by the present Copse corner with the binoculars you need to view the action and a convient bin does bugger all for me, I'm afraid.

The trees, the atmosphere, the gradient, the mist in the morning as you walk through the gates at La Source, hell, I even love just looking at those corners when there are no cars there.

We raced there this year and waking up and seeing a bit of the track through the trees sure beats waking up in the Silverstone paddock. And for weeks before and after (in fact still) all myself and my co-driver have to do to raise a smile is say "Spa". A single word. "Silverstone" doesn't achieve that.

[ss_collins]

depend where you are gold 2 at spa is great

[MrSal]

Spa-Superb track, OK to get to and to park at.
Facilities, though are non existent.And boy, does the forest in the inside of the circuit smell after 3 days of people peeing in it!!!

[JGM]

Spa is the best road race track in the world. If you're only interested in 'party atmosphere', toilets etc you should stay at home and watch it on TV. To me the track itself is 95% of what matters. The rest is just stage props.

[Sodemo]

I hope you didn't litter...

[Jensen]

Originally posted by JGM
Spa is the best road race track in the world. If you're only interested in 'party atmosphere', toilets etc you should stay at home and watch it on TV. To me the track itself is 95% of what matters. The rest is just stage props.

So it's ok for a spectator to spend £££ on tickets and travel all that way to be greated by a litter filled, no toilets and **** food venue then ?, I think not. I agree the track is cool but as spectators "the customers" we were treated badly, and that is not good, I wouldnt go again if it was a free bie ~!

[ASCII Man]

I agree that it's way too expensive for too little comfort.
Even i wouldn't want to pay that much to dwell around in mud with nowhere to go for sh***y bussines, no matter how good the track is.

[Adam43]

Food. Some of those scary sausages are excellent.

When you've spent a long period of time in a Le Mans campsite Spa's slight lack of bins pales into insignificance! (another place that is overall simply sublime. It’s the admin that is the problem there. We received our tickets this morning, nearly a year after ordering them and several dozen emails/letters/faxes later! Oh and they are for the wrong grandstand!)

Frankly it is not that bad. I don't remember the bins being a problem and I don't throw litter on the ground. The food isn't served from five star restaurants, but I've always found it nice. My wife is a vegetarian and she has a little problem when it comes to choice (cheese sandwich or nothing), but that is the continent for you. You should try Austria - Sausage, sausage or sausage.

As for the toilets, when I camped there they were excellent (you paid, which I always find a little odd, but hey, that's me). There were showers, which were fantastically hot and powerful.

I see no problem at all. It's not the greatest, but there is no problem. And all the advantages, the proper stuff, the reason you are there, destroys anywhere else.

Spa. It rocks.

[Attila]

in the 2001 season I went to all F3000 races, but I never stayed for Sunday. I think that is the best, you see the qualifying, the feeling and the show, but leave home before the big crowd arrives. I also went for the first Indi race in the us and that was great, the racing infrastructure is soooo developed, we did not even notice the crowed.

[bcobbus]

One track that has come a long way, even though it is not F1 standards is Sears Point. It used to be really bad. There was virtually no restrooms instead only porto-potties.

I had the scare of my life when in one such porto-pottie, it was the only clean one and the nachos where not sitting well, so to it I ran. I thought I was in luck, the only clean one, just for me! However I soon found out that it was clean because it was on a slope and if your weight shifted just a bit it would rock back and want to tip over! I damn near rolled the thing down the hill and only by the grace of God did I balance it out! Man I love the old Sears Point!