2011 Round 12 Belgian Grand Prix Spa-Francorchamps - Attending Spectators' Guide

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I'm looking forward to my first trip to the Ardennes forest and Spa-Francorchamps.

Just a few questions for those who've visited, while the bus seems to go from Verviers Central, but there's no F1 specific schedule for getting to the circuit. Do they run extra buses?
http://www.infotec.be

For accommodation, is Verviers to small, or should I look at Liège?
http://www.spa-francorchamps.be/en/t...mmodations.php

& Tickets, I was thinking I might walk around with general admission on Friday if it's not raining miserably. I planned to buy a ticket at the circuit, as most Tribunes are sold out. Any recommendation for Sat/Sun? The pit straight has only a single grandstand away from turn 1, is it better to get the covered grandstand G2 before turn 2 Eau Rouge?
http://www.f1belgium.com
http://www.spagrandprix.com

_h

[deletraz]

Hyphen,

Can't help you much on accommodations/travel -- we stay in Aachen with a group and take a chartered bus to and from the track. (I can tell you Verviers is not too small, but I have no idea how easy it is to get a room there.)

Regardless of weather, spend Friday and Saturday walking the track. It's spectacular. I'm making my second trip this year. We have grandstand tickets above Eau Rouge and will spend very little time in them before Sunday. There's just too much to see elsewhere.

As for the grandstand: anything that's covered. The view will be good from any of those. If you can't get into the covered areas, I'd be tempted to go with general admission. Spa isn't like Montreal, for example, where it's virtually impossible to see the track outside of a grandstand. From the "bus stop" through Eau Rouge you need to be in a grandstand, but you can see virtually any other spot on the track with a GA ticket.

Prepare for it to rain miserably. I don't mind walking around in the rain but I hate just sitting in it, which is why I wouldn't go with an uncovered grandstand.

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thanks for the feedback deletraz.
coincidentally, I have a hotel rm in neighbouring Aachen as well, train to Verviers is 27min, so hoping there are many shuttle buses from Verviers Central.

We had freezing miserable weather at Nürburgring, only a proper downpour was missing, so I'll be well prepped.

I arrive by motorbike but I can't do 4hours at the circuit on race day with race boots on, so bus is my preferred way. Especially on a nice rainy day.

if your tour group has a spare race ticket let me know, I will buy at the gate area last minute as I normally do each GP

_h

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Originally Posted by hyphen

Just a few questions for those who've visited, while the bus seems to go from Verviers Central, but there's no F1 specific schedule for getting to the circuit. Do they run extra buses?
http://www.infotec.be
_h

I got a mailer from the BE Bus folks, seems they only follow the posted schedule that wknd:

"Voici les détails pour le Grand Prix F1.

Bus 294 ou 395, Verviers ---) Francorchamps : 09h40, 10h40, 11h40, 12h40, 13h40, 14h40, 15h40, 16h40, 17h40, 18h40 et 19h40.
Francorchamps ---) Verviers : 09h40, 10h40, 11h40, 12h40, 13h40, 14h40, 15h40, 16h40, 17h40 et 18h40."

_h