[Rumours] I may be getting £500 bonus...

[ECW Dan Selby]

I couldn't help but put that under 'Rumours', and I don't know why I find that funny...

Anyway!

I'm getting £500 bonus at work that I want to spend on myself I'm thinking maybe a GP. I went to Silverstone and Monaco in 2009. Silverstone I didn't enjoy as much as I should cos i'm a little'un (5'5!) and ended up having to stand on my chair to even catch a glimpse most of the time. That becomes painful when you have to do it all day. Monaco was incredible, but I paid over a grand for that experience so it should have been incredible

So, where can I get to with about £500? Where would you suggest, and where would you suggest to sit/stay etc?

Thanking you in advance,

Selby

[Peter Mallett]

Spa.

Right that's solved that. Thread closed.

[gary396]

Originally Posted by ECW Dan Selby

I'm getting £500 bonus at work

£500? Obviously not a banker then?

[ECW Dan Selby]

lmao No sir, i'm not a banker.

I was thinking Spa, Peter. Any suggestions as far as where to sit etc? Also baring in mind the £500 budget

Cheers guys,

Selby

[Bodysnatcher]

pah!
travel to Milan as cheap as you can (we flew into Bergamo and then took the bus)
stay in a dosshouse near the station
train to and from Monza every day
Spectate from the trees.
you have to wear red

[ECW Dan Selby]

I'm thinking Gold 4 (uncovered) at Eau Rouge..?

http://www.bookf1.com/belgian-formul...64/tickets.htm

Selby

[Peter Mallett]

Eau Rouge is great for flat out entertainment but you may consider Silver 3 Combe. You'll see the cars dancing through the corners and dropping down to Malmedy or whatever it's called.

[garcon]

Definitely Spa.

If you can drag a couple of mates along I'd consider doing it the way we did a few years ago - go with an organised package group like Motorsports International, stay in Brussels and let the coach take the strain to/from the circuit.

[ECW Dan Selby]

I'm actually thinking about doing this one on my own.

That way I can just go wherever I want and do what I want Thing is, i'm so geeky about it that I sometimes feel like I can alienate others who are more casual fans.

If I were to buy a ticket for Eau Rouge, could I then wander off in to general admission areas, too? I'd like to see Pouhon and that's only available as Gen Ad.

Also, cheap hotels near-by anyone..? Not sure if I can hack the camping like I used to!

Selby

[ECW Dan Selby]

Or perhaps Turkey....?

http://www.bookf1.com/turkish-formul...63/tickets.htm

I know i'd be the only one there, but i'd be very interested in that '8' section (final turns). Lots of overtaking going through there, and would hopefully have a view of the backstraight and the start/finish straight.

Isn't a hotel that's close quite hard to come by though..?

Sorry for all these questions guys,

Selby

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by ECW Dan Selby

Or perhaps Turkey....?

http://www.bookf1.com/turkish-formul...63/tickets.htm

I know i'd be the only one there, but i'd be very interested in that '8' section (final turns). Lots of overtaking going through there, and would hopefully have a view of the backstraight and the start/finish straight.

Isn't a hotel that's close quite hard to come by though..?

Sorry for all these questions guys,

Selby

I went to the inaugural event. I stayed as close as poss which was an hour drive away in a nice little spot called Kidikoy. Took me eight hours to drive back to Ankara. Four of which was in the park.

[ECW Dan Selby]

Might be worth noting that I don't drive

Selby

[MGDavid]

had you considered spending the bonus on driving lessons?

[ECW Dan Selby]

I don't think it'd get me too far, would it? It's a bomb these days

I'm not even sure if I want to drive tbh. Irony of all ironies.

Selby

[bella]

here's a random one - hungary.

the fans are brilliantly enthusiastic, it's a really nice circuit, there's good public transport to and from budapest (i have friends who do it by train from their hometown every year) and it's good value too.

(edit: how rude of me! congratulations on the bonus )

[ECW Dan Selby]

Cheers, Bella!

D'ya know what, I was considering that one, too. And it's generally a decent race despite being a glorified kart track.

Any suggestions of where to sit/stay, Bella?

Selby

[Down F0rce]

Spa or Monza would be my choice... Spa is apparently not great as far as public transport is concerned, if that's going to affect your decision at all.

Le Mans is also a "must do" event, and can be done fairly cheaply. I've been on my own for my two (three this year!) trips and I don't think I've spent much more than £500 on flights, camping, trains etc.

[Down F0rce]

Originally Posted by Bodysnatcher

pah!
travel to Milan as cheap as you can (we flew into Bergamo and then took the bus)
stay in a dosshouse near the station
train to and from Monza every day
Spectate from the trees.
you have to wear red

Is General Admission at Monza worth it? I may make a visit this year if I can make the numbers work, but I'll be on a tight budget...

[bella]

Originally Posted by ECW Dan Selby

Cheers, Bella!

D'ya know what, I was considering that one, too. And it's generally a decent race despite being a glorified kart track.

Any suggestions of where to sit/stay, Bella?

Selby

it's kind of in a bowl like brands hatch is, so to spectate isn't all that bad either, you get to see a lot of the circuit. i've only been for the world series by renault so i'm not sure where is good on the other side of the circuit, but the locals packed out the start finish straight and from the last corner it looked like you could probably see quite a bit of the circuit. there's a local driver in gp3 this year so there's bound to be a wicked atmosphere even for that.

the local people are wonderful, they really appreciate the tourism and they'll really make an effort to help you. in the tourist industry type locations they are more likely to speak german than english, but that's because it's right next door and very easy to get to!

i stayed in a really nice town called Gödöllő (ty, copy paste) which was about a 10 minute drive from the circuit, and you could probably get a bus to Mogyoród, which is where the circuit is. generally people would stay in budapest though.

i'm not sure how much flights would be or anything because i took the car, but it might be worth costing it up with what a tour group will charge you vs how much flights would be.

[bella]

Originally Posted by Down F0rce

Is General Admission at Monza worth it? I may make a visit this year if I can make the numbers work, but I'll be on a tight budget...

it's a bit ghetto if you're used to silverstone, but if you're a good treeclimber or happy to go just for the incredible venue, noise and people it's well worth it

[Bodysnatcher]

Monza, 3 day GA currently on offer at €101, exactly what bella says, a bit ghetto.
but so unlike the atmosphere anywhere else - especially if as some suspect this may be a Ferrari year. Best not to show allegiance to any team other than the reds when among the hardcore Tifosi unless you want an arguement.
When I did it with a GA, Friday walked the circuit, watched a bit at most spots, Saturday qualifying at Ascari, Sunday in the terracing crush on Parabolica exit. Raw stuff, but brilliant. (and cheap)

[ECW Dan Selby]

Originally Posted by bella

it's kind of in a bowl like brands hatch is, so to spectate isn't all that bad either, you get to see a lot of the circuit. i've only been for the world series by renault so i'm not sure where is good on the other side of the circuit, but the locals packed out the start finish straight and from the last corner it looked like you could probably see quite a bit of the circuit. there's a local driver in gp3 this year so there's bound to be a wicked atmosphere even for that.

the local people are wonderful, they really appreciate the tourism and they'll really make an effort to help you. in the tourist industry type locations they are more likely to speak german than english, but that's because it's right next door and very easy to get to!

i stayed in a really nice town called Gödöllő (ty, copy paste) which was about a 10 minute drive from the circuit, and you could probably get a bus to Mogyoród, which is where the circuit is. generally people would stay in budapest though.

i'm not sure how much flights would be or anything because i took the car, but it might be worth costing it up with what a tour group will charge you vs how much flights would be.

Thanks for the info - much appreciated. For a diddy person like myself, the idea of a Brands Hatch esque track sounds very appealing.

Sorry to pester again but do you have any advice as far as tour groups go..? Heard of any reasonable ones?

Selby

[bella]

Originally Posted by ECW Dan Selby

Thanks for the info - much appreciated. For a diddy person like myself, the idea of a Brands Hatch esque track sounds very appealing.

Sorry to pester again but do you have any advice as far as tour groups go..? Heard of any reasonable ones?

Selby

if you search sites like flickr and check facebook for fan photos of the gp then you should get a good idea of what sort of spectating possibilities there are as well.

personally i'd save spa for a non-f1 race like the spa 24 hours, monza is a total museum of old circuit layouts and it's a textbook proper f1 race but you do have to rough it a bit. if you're not really prepared for that then it could overwhelm the opportunity to look around and see and feel the place. the hungaroring doesn't have the history but it's definitely not to be sniffed at. it's been around a lot longer than the tilko-dromes.

no idea on tour groups i'm afraid - i do everything under my own steam and drive everywhere so i can say when i leave and arrive at a circuit, and where i stay. but the obvious ones like page & moy who have been doing it for years are a good place to start.

[ECW Dan Selby]

Only 95 quid for Gen Ad Fri-Sun. Not bad at all...

(for Hungary)

Selby

[bella]

just might be worth bearing in mind, though i know public transport is a bit awkward, but the nurburgring is a good one for a budget f1 trip. the circuit owned campsite was i think about €40 for 2 nights, but we got last minute 3 day entry tickets for the race for €99 about 10 days before that were "lottery" tickets - i think it was down to poor sales. you only found out what you were getting when you picked them up at the circuit.

turned out we got 1st corner grandstand tickets, halfway up the stand that were retailing for €400. cha-ching i wouldn't have wanted to pay that much money for them, but it was a cracking bargain last minute grand prix jaunt