Just got back from DTM at Hockenheim...
Discussion
Thanks to my Dad winning a competition in Autosport, we went over as guests of Mercedes-Benz (oh 
), with the full VIP treatment, including a passenger ride for my dad in a DTM car. Yes, he is officially a git. But anyway, the point of the post is this: We have a huge amount to learn about how to put a race meeting on.
The crowd was estimated at 75,000 people, and I can easily beleive that. Before the race, they make a huge show of the cars coming to the grid. Mechanics push the cars out of the paddock and through the stadium section, accompanied by cheerleaders, marching bands and all the rest of it. There are three big screens in the middle of the stadium, so you can see whats going on from pretty much any seat. There was another one at the first corner, and yet another one in front of the Mercedes grandstand further around the circuit. Just before the start of the warm up lap, a guy parachuted down onto the circuit.
The race itself was pretty good, and the coverage on the big screen was excellent. Then the chequered lag fell.
As Bernd Schnieder crossed the line, fireworks let off in front of the main grandstand, and ticker tape type stuff was set off over the crowd. The cars don't go into parc ferme, but are instead collected by a safety car part way round the slow down lap, and brought in a parade to stop in front of the podium, on the circuit. After the obligatory donoughts from Schneider and champion Matthais Ekstrom, the crowd were let onto the track to come and stand in front of the podium.
It was a very slick, well run, well presented show, and th size of the crowd this and all the other DTM races attract proves that the formula works. I suggest Britain's Circuit owners go to a DTM meeting next season to see how its done
), with the full VIP treatment, including a passenger ride for my dad in a DTM car. Yes, he is officially a git. But anyway, the point of the post is this: We have a huge amount to learn about how to put a race meeting on. The crowd was estimated at 75,000 people, and I can easily beleive that. Before the race, they make a huge show of the cars coming to the grid. Mechanics push the cars out of the paddock and through the stadium section, accompanied by cheerleaders, marching bands and all the rest of it. There are three big screens in the middle of the stadium, so you can see whats going on from pretty much any seat. There was another one at the first corner, and yet another one in front of the Mercedes grandstand further around the circuit. Just before the start of the warm up lap, a guy parachuted down onto the circuit.
The race itself was pretty good, and the coverage on the big screen was excellent. Then the chequered lag fell.
As Bernd Schnieder crossed the line, fireworks let off in front of the main grandstand, and ticker tape type stuff was set off over the crowd. The cars don't go into parc ferme, but are instead collected by a safety car part way round the slow down lap, and brought in a parade to stop in front of the podium, on the circuit. After the obligatory donoughts from Schneider and champion Matthais Ekstrom, the crowd were let onto the track to come and stand in front of the podium.
It was a very slick, well run, well presented show, and th size of the crowd this and all the other DTM races attract proves that the formula works. I suggest Britain's Circuit owners go to a DTM meeting next season to see how its done
mg511 said:
You're a very lucky man, I always watch the races and qualifying (the top ten shootout is a great idea) on Motors TV but must get myself over to a race at some point. Makes the BTCC, and even ETCC, look like a club event.
Well worth doing. Hockenheim is a world class facility, even if some of the grandstands look a little tired. The atmosphere in the stadium in incredible.
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