Discussion
Brands on Sunday - a rare treat to walk out into the woods on the "proper" circuit! It reminded me of a cunning ploy that nearly paid off:-
1983 - British Grand Prix. Spent the Saturday wondering around watching the action. Evening in the Kentegon before the short trip back home. Me and my chum then came up with the idea of kipping up a tree in the woods - thus saving the £15 entry fee and first dibs on a top spot to watch the race on Sunday.
Great idea! Lasted until about 1.00am though, when (having got suprisingly comfortable) a security guard shone his torch to our elivated camp and rumbled us.
Down we dropped feeling all sorry for ourseleves when we noticed all around us, what seemed like hundreds of people dropping out of trees left, right and centre. It was quite a sight and highly ammusing at the time.
Still one of the first in the next day though! (Lauda won I think!)
So, any one else with a blag to shout about?
1983 - British Grand Prix. Spent the Saturday wondering around watching the action. Evening in the Kentegon before the short trip back home. Me and my chum then came up with the idea of kipping up a tree in the woods - thus saving the £15 entry fee and first dibs on a top spot to watch the race on Sunday.
Great idea! Lasted until about 1.00am though, when (having got suprisingly comfortable) a security guard shone his torch to our elivated camp and rumbled us.
Down we dropped feeling all sorry for ourseleves when we noticed all around us, what seemed like hundreds of people dropping out of trees left, right and centre. It was quite a sight and highly ammusing at the time.
Still one of the first in the next day though! (Lauda won I think!)
So, any one else with a blag to shout about?
I got into Silverstone free of charge for the British GT/F3/ Tuscan Challenge this year.
Had my helmet on the front seat and race suit hanging up in the back of the car. Told security at the gate that one of 'our' drivers was feeling ill and the team had asked me to come up in case he couldn't race - so sorry, I haven't got a pass.
The amazing thing was I managed to get the car into the paddock - I didn't even have to spin a yarn!! Those who know what the security guys are like at circuits will know that getting a car all the way in is quite an achievement!!
I'm told that having a race wheel visible in the back of the car and saying the team are desparate for it also works quite well. Although it helps if you actually know the team you claim to be from!
To be fair, by the end of that day I had made arrangements to join the Tuscan Challenge later in the year, and the F3/GT administrators issued me with a proper team and paddock car pass. And the amount I have spent on entry fees etc later in the year more than compensated for my free entry to Silverstone!
Had my helmet on the front seat and race suit hanging up in the back of the car. Told security at the gate that one of 'our' drivers was feeling ill and the team had asked me to come up in case he couldn't race - so sorry, I haven't got a pass.
The amazing thing was I managed to get the car into the paddock - I didn't even have to spin a yarn!! Those who know what the security guys are like at circuits will know that getting a car all the way in is quite an achievement!!
I'm told that having a race wheel visible in the back of the car and saying the team are desparate for it also works quite well. Although it helps if you actually know the team you claim to be from!
To be fair, by the end of that day I had made arrangements to join the Tuscan Challenge later in the year, and the F3/GT administrators issued me with a proper team and paddock car pass. And the amount I have spent on entry fees etc later in the year more than compensated for my free entry to Silverstone!
Well the first year the Gp went back to Indy I managed to blag 2 free general admission tickets... Not much you may say as the tickets are only about 30 quid.. But i've got some nice creditcard type tickets with our names printed on them.
Now the Best bit was that we had an Hour in the Paddock, this was the hour before qually so all the drivers were about. we even got to sit in the pace car ( they have 2 one of bat fastard vips and the real one with race seats...) and walk up the pit lane in front of the garages...
Matt had arranged for us to actualy get in the fezza pit ( jo is a schumi fan
) but they looked a tad busy to we declined.
A top Hour....
THe funniest bit was every where else thay can just send you the tickets, but in america you needed to sign a disclaimer, so we actually had to talk our way into the circuit ( try doing that at $ilverstone) then find an F1admin chappy and get him to radio Matt and then sign the disclaimer and sort the tickets out....
The pit lane walk was cool, as it was almost empty we even appeared on the big screen.
One thing i noticed though.. There was me in T-shirt and shorts sweating my nads off, but the rich bods in shirt trousers, jackets and jumpers were cool as cucumbers..
SO dont rich people sweat?
Now the Best bit was that we had an Hour in the Paddock, this was the hour before qually so all the drivers were about. we even got to sit in the pace car ( they have 2 one of bat fastard vips and the real one with race seats...) and walk up the pit lane in front of the garages...
Matt had arranged for us to actualy get in the fezza pit ( jo is a schumi fan
) but they looked a tad busy to we declined. A top Hour....
THe funniest bit was every where else thay can just send you the tickets, but in america you needed to sign a disclaimer, so we actually had to talk our way into the circuit ( try doing that at $ilverstone) then find an F1admin chappy and get him to radio Matt and then sign the disclaimer and sort the tickets out....
The pit lane walk was cool, as it was almost empty we even appeared on the big screen.
One thing i noticed though.. There was me in T-shirt and shorts sweating my nads off, but the rich bods in shirt trousers, jackets and jumpers were cool as cucumbers..
SO dont rich people sweat?
my best blag was watching most of the Coys historic Festival at Silverstone from the pit wall. i found my stopwatch in my jacket pocket from a previous event so whenever a marshal would come up to us and start to tell us it was for pit crew and team personnel only, i would say we had a car on the track and we were taking lap times. we were there for about two hours.
Just thought of another one: Another GP at Brands (87 I think!) Went down for the Friday to get some good pictures (no point taking pics on the Sunday).
Noticed that one of the professional photographers had all is passes swung round to his back whilst he was using his camera.
I took a great picture of the main FIA pass with a long lens. Got the film developed on Saturday morning and asked the shop to enlarge the "pass picture" that afternoon. Cut it out, into the plastic holder and in goes I on the Sunday.
As always - try doing that now!
Noticed that one of the professional photographers had all is passes swung round to his back whilst he was using his camera.
I took a great picture of the main FIA pass with a long lens. Got the film developed on Saturday morning and asked the shop to enlarge the "pass picture" that afternoon. Cut it out, into the plastic holder and in goes I on the Sunday.
As always - try doing that now!
steviebee said:
As always - try doing that now!
Yeah its all electronic passes these days .
to get into the paddock at indy you first had to get through the manual pass check at the gate, and there was then this no mans land bit you had to wak about 50 yards to an electronic turnstile. put the pass in to get through that and then another 50 yards to another manual check and into the paddock all very strange.
Graham said:
As always - try doing that now!
Yeah its all electronic passes these days .
to get into the paddock at indy you first had to get through the manual pass check at the gate, and there was then this no mans land bit you had to wak about 50 yards to an electronic turnstile. put the pass in to get through that and then another 50 yards to another manual check and into the paddock all very strange.
A client of ours does a bit of work for Lola and was at the GP at Silverstone and got chatting to one of the security managers. Apparently, the security in an F1 paddock/pit area is more secure than any airport and many government buildings.
Is it a shame...or just a bigger challenge???
pablo said:
my best blag was watching most of the Coys historic Festival at Silverstone from the pit wall. i found my stopwatch in my jacket pocket from a previous event so whenever a marshal would come up to us and start to tell us it was for pit crew and team personnel only, i would say we had a car on the track and we were taking lap times. we were there for about two hours.
Ahh so you'd be one of those people who blag your way into places of danger, ignore the marshals, tell fibs to stay there and then sue when you get hurt because "someone" should have stopped you
Think I'm over reacting? You'd be surprised, it happens more than you'd think....
>> Edited by Piglet on Saturday 4th October 11:36
steviebee said:
So, any one else with a blag to shout about?
Went to watch the IMSA races at Brands years ago.. seem to recall John Winter was driving at the time...
Anyway.. was wondering through the paddock, when I was approached by a woman who said "you must be the young Mr [surname]..!"
So I agreed, and got hositality and treated to pit garage visits and sat in the cars for a few hours...
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