FIA GT Supercar Silverstone

[Woolley]

Originally Posted by Stack

Does the LMS weekend clash this year Woolley or will you be there for it?

It doesn't, and I shall. In the battle between GTs and Shelsley, Shelsley just wins. If it were a battle between LMS and Shelsley, the result might be different. Happily it hasn't happened yet.

[FRENCHIE44T]

Its going to be like Abu Dhabi all over again.



BUT WITH RAIN

[Spud 2010]

Originally Posted by FRENCHIE44T

Its going to be like Abu Dhabi all over again.



BUT WITH RAIN

hopefully not too much, just enough to keep dust under control

[HairyDJ]

BBC weather certainly thinks we're in for plenty of rain by mid afternoon Friday and currently looks like heavy rain with nasty NE wind for Sunday.

For those who haven't seen it, there is stuff onSS web site with opening of new circuit and a timetable. Piccies of the circuit with new location names are here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4824603...detail/?page=2
also good closeup view of the new bits

[FRENCHIE44T]

Originally Posted by HairyDJ

BBC weather certainly thinks we're in for plenty of rain by mid afternoon Friday and currently looks like heavy rain with nasty NE wind for Sunday.

For those who haven't seen it, there is stuff onSS web site with opening of new circuit and a timetable. Piccies of the circuit with new location names are here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4824603...detail/?page=2
also good closeup view of the new bits

I caught a bit on local BBC news on Sky

[pixie2308]

Originally Posted by FRENCHIE44T

Its going to be like Abu Dhabi all over again.



BUT WITH RAIN

does that mean we will get stuck for a week languishing in a swimming pool?

[FRENCHIE44T]

Originally Posted by pixie2308

does that mean we will get stuck for a week languishing in a swimming pool?

I'll bring my swimming trunks.

[Woolley]

Originally Posted by pixie2308

does that mean we will get stuck for a week languishing in a swimming pool?

Yes. It's called 'Woodcote Gap'!

Seriously, a lot of work's gone on down there, there's bound to be teething problems and time needed for settlement. If it's still a mess come July then there might be cause for comment, but for the moment, just bear with it and stay safe.

[Bodger]

Decided not to camp this weekend due to the weather predictions. However I am looking forward to the meeting still!. Got some new boots to get me through the mud better!.

[rbs]

Originally Posted by Woolley

Yes. It's called 'Woodcote Gap'

Woodcote Gap has now gone, this post is now on the pit wall.

[roys1]

Originally Posted by rbs

Woodcote Gap has now gone, this post is now on the pit wall.

woodcote gap is still there.. It's ped bridge that's on the pit wall by the f1 gantry...

[Woolley]

Actually, I was referring to the swimming pool. You see, it was a clever joke linking the AD experience with the muddy exit of... Oh, never mind, it wasn't very funny anyway.

[fazza]

Originally Posted by Woolley

Actually, I was referring to the swimming pool. You see, it was a clever joke linking the AD experience with the muddy exit of... Oh, never mind, it wasn't very funny anyway.

Get your Coat.........

[HairyDJ]

Good first day - rain was just a few drops from time to time, but with gusty wind stirring up some dust the weather still let us know it was there.

Not too busy at the new Aintree + Wellington (covered both due to low numbers) but enough to suggest the rain will put drivers under pressure. By the end of the day, there was a clear line of rubber building up along the line most preferred.

[pauln]

Originally Posted by HairyDJ

Not too busy at the new Aintree + Wellington

From what I could hear on our Observer's radio (he had it open, not on headset), his colleagues at Village and Aintree were very busy as drivers go tused to the new layout and found lots of new places ot go off and spin.

[HairyDJ]

Agreed - the Observer radio was busy with plenty of spinning / 4 wheels off (usually running wide and then choosing to go wider rather than risk turning back in), plus a bit of overtaking under reds. Incident wise a bit bigger stuff for village, but quieter for us Incident folk in the main.

[White flag man]

Great day at Post 9, Chapel Out. Never done it before, great post, especially listening to the roar of the engines going down Hangar Straight. Not much to do, but the F3 kept me busy, deciding they could use any bit of tarmac they liked! Well done to the guy on Post 3, should have had a direct line to RC to report all the FWO at Copse.
The new Arena section is interesting, a lot tighter than I thought. The flag points do need sorting out though, but it's early days.

[Steven Humphrey]

Good but quiet day (on the incident side of things-not the GT1 cars which sounded gloriously loud!) at Luffield centre. Listening to the commentary, there sounded like lots of action in the new section of the track. There was certainly a lot of overtaking at Brooklands. The speed that the cars were coming down the Wellington (was National) Straight was incredible! Shame a lot of the cars decided to dive into the pits at the last minute, cutting the white line. A pit marshal was despatched to us to report any cars doing this which unfortunately cost the Turner/Enge Aston the race win after Turner was given a drive-through after Enge did this. Then Turner proceeded to do the same, resulting in another drive-through!!! Cracking drive to 4th though.

[Steven Humphrey]

Well that was a bit busier than yesterday! Luffield Centre was like the Somme today, with mud up to 6" deep. It all kicked off in the GT3 race-3 cars in the mud. First a Lambo which managed to bury itself so we had no hope of moving it. A few laps after that was snatched an Audi went in. We somehow managed to push it out, getting pebble dashed with mud for our troubles! Then a few laps from the end, a Corvette managed to go in backwards. We started to move him but the engine cut out so we had to give up.

Cracking racing all day, especially GT1 & 3. They do need to sort that mud out though......

[fazza]

went as a speckie today and saw some great racing and some cracking work by the marshals.

One critisism the Observer/Marshal/post Cheif or who evere was in the box on the new section of track where it joins the old short track, want to keep his eye on the track and not start giving orders to the security staff to move speckie from a legitimate veiwing area behind the safty fence and telling them to move back to the raised area behind maggots grandstand. if the track did not want speckies there then the fence would be further back. you ****ed a lot of people off with your interfering.

Apart from that great day, great racing great work by all.

Fazza

[FRENCHIE44T]

Originally Posted by Woolley

Actually, I was referring to the swimming pool. You see, it was a clever joke linking the AD experience with the muddy exit of... Oh, never mind, it wasn't very funny anyway.

We had a swimming pool at Village Corner when we went on post this morning. I think somone forgot to put the drains in.

[Gerryc]

I was at Priory both days, now moved to the point where the road crosses the Wellington (nee National) straight. The cars are approaching Brooklands very quickly now, there will be a lot more overtaking moves there this year - successful and otherwise!

We were ankle deep in water on Sunday as the point is a little below the track level, thanks to Dave for sorting out pallets / boards etc. At the start of the day the TV engineers arrived to investigate why the cameras weren't working. They were dismayed to see all the cables under 2 to 3 inches of water, and particularly upset to see one of the controller electronics boxes similarly submerged.

Overall a good weekend's racing, the new circuit "amenities" wil need some sorting but I think it will be at least as good as the previous GP layout for racing / overtaking / falling-off.

[b1gfrenchy]

Originally Posted by fazza

went as a speckie today and saw some great racing and some cracking work by the marshals.

One critisism the Observer/Marshal/post Cheif or who evere was in the box on the new section of track where it joins the old short track, want to keep his eye on the track and not start giving orders to the security staff to move speckie from a legitimate veiwing area behind the safty fence and telling them to move back to the raised area behind maggots grandstand. if the track did not want speckies there then the fence would be further back. you ****ed a lot of people off with your interfering.

Apart from that great day, great racing great work by all.

Fazza

I was at Wellington (runway crossing) & we had a complete lack of spectator fencing, at one point a spectator wandered up behind me plonked his kid on top of the armco gate with his legs trackside of the barrier and just said "alright mate"!

[Dean Watson]

had a good weekend flagging at Club in, not an ideal blue flag point now due to the earth bank . the vale out apex certainly closed the cars up, too much tarmac run off which is to inviting for the drivers.

The only dissapointment for me was the apparent "them and us" scenario re-emerging four non silverstone marshals seperated from the bobs, including 2 who had no chance of getting up and down the 4' wall (as no foot holes) positioned there so they could not get involved in any track side incident or even sweeping. deinately not the way to encorage new marshals.

[alimcb]

Originally Posted by Dean Watson

The only dissapointment for me was the apparent "them and us" scenario re-emerging four non silverstone marshals seperated from the bobs, including 2 who had no chance of getting up and down the 4' wall (as no foot holes) positioned there so they could not get involved in any track side incident or even sweeping. deinately not the way to encorage new marshals.

I was one of the "bobs" at Club and I don't agree with this point for a couple of reasons. The post chief led the morning briefings and the IO then took over to discuss everyone's experience level and assign roles (particularly snatching arrangements) based on that experience. Snatching is done from the gap so the IO, the tender driver and the "hooker" (me) had to stay in the gap together most of the time. This is often the case.

On the Sunday we had one additional team member, an experienced tender driver, which freed up one "bob" who was moved up to join the two incident marshals beside the exit flag point - because the IO specifically wanted to rotate people around wherever possible. When it became clear he had an injury that meant he physically couldn't climb over the tyre wall, he was moved back to the gap.

With that in mind, if the marshals on the wall had a problem getting up or down it they should have spoken to the IO or PC. What were they going to do, for example, if the GT1 Corvette that was ablaze on Hangar Straight had made it round to Club and stopped in front of them? If they weren't able to get trackside they had a responsibility to tell someone, not leave it until the for the PC and IO to find out the hard way. Luckily it never happened.

The issue with the lack of foot-holes was discussed in the briefing, and personally I wouldn't have been happy about trying to get back up the wall as I too am recovering from an injury. But if I'd been put there, I'd have said something.