A hot and sunny Bank Holiday weekend spent with friends at a music festival, drinking beer and having an all-round great time - what more could anyone want? Urrrm - how about some epic motorsport?...... cue the next round of the British GT at Snetterton!
Having had very little sleep because of being at said Festival, I left my kids snoozing in the tent and made my way to the car for what was going to be a fairly crazy 300 mile round trip to Norfolk. In all fairness, the journey wasn’t at all that bad – and before I knew it, the noticeable appearance of pig farms along the route suggested that I had arrived. With great sign-posting and very little traffic, I made my way into the circuit, and just like Oulton Park, found a great parking spot in-field trackside. As this was my first trip to the circuit, I spent the first hour or so just getting my bearings and wondering around the circuit. It’s quite a compact in-field, enabling you to comfortably get from one side to the other in under 20 mins. There are several man-made raised viewing areas which gives spectators great sight lines across much of the circuit. I must say that the whole circuit was very well maintained and looked stunning - sadly though, the ‘tree-man’ had been pruned – and so I didn’t manage to see the iconic figure that I have long associated with Snetterton. With the nature of the circuit, there are some great spots to watch from, with probably the end of the Bentley Straight/Brundle being one of my favourites. It was from this vantage point that I watched the opening laps of the first British GT race. I found myself in absolute awe of the speed of the cars and the skill of the drivers as they trail braked through the chicane having been at full chat moments before down the back straight. Watching it on TV simply doesn’t convey the ferocity of the machines and just how ‘on-the-edge’ they are. It was fascinating to watch the Aston Martin of Jack Mitchell in particular as he seemed to be absolutely on it; his tyres protesting loudly, lap after lap. Another great viewing spot is Murrays. The cars seemingly glide round the long right hander, blipping down through the gears in preparation for the sharp left hander of Murrays – before getting the hammer down to complete the lap. It’s also a great spot to watch the cars peel off into the pits for the driver change over. It was at the race mid-point that I decided the sun was a little too hot for me, and so made my way to the paddock in search of some much-needed shade. Thankfully I found shelter in the back of the Team Parker garage and watched their timing screens and TV coverage. And wow, what racing. Phil Keen and Sam Tordoff really did extract everything from their Lamborghini’s and pulled off some incredible passes. Whilst track-side viewing gives you access to the full visceral experience, the TV coverage gives you access to the wheel-to-wheel battles that unfold….so in many ways, I had the perfect race experience! It was then all nicely topped off by being able to stroll up to the podium – which is fully accessible to the public, and enjoy the trophy giving and champagne celebrations. As appears to be standard, the pit walk session was held over the lunch break - and provided me with the opportunity to pick up the latest Jake Yorath event poster. I know I have raved about his posters before – but they really are very good and my collection is coming along nicely. But a burning question for me and my son is ‘when will there be a Bentley poster?’ …..hopefully soon!! After a small issue with my phone running out of battery (I was clearly taking too many photos!) I managed to meet up with Andy Lloyd from Endurance and GT (EnduranceAndGT.co.uk) who had interviewed me several weeks earlier about my GT40 challenge. It was great to meet someone so passionate and knowledgeable about all things motorsport - and enjoyed our speculation about what the next race would bring and how that would impact the championship (interestingly, we queried why the No1 Aston of Adam and Johnston didn’t seem to be in the frame…). We said our good byes and will meet up again at Spa. Given how successful my viewing tactics had been first time round, I thought I’d do the same again, and duly watched the first half out at track side and then watched the second half at the Team Parker garage. With Rick Parfitt on a late charge, making dramatic lunges, the atmosphere in the garage was superb – and being able to share in that excitement was a privilege. If only he had managed to get third place……maybe next time! Once again, post-race, I made the short walk to the podium and watched-on as the winners celebrated by cooling each other down with their champagne. As I made my way back to the car, ever-so-slightly sun burned, I reflected on the way the two races had gone and realised that you can’t take anything for granted in racing. Even when Keen and Minshaw looked so dominant, events of the day twisted and turned and as a result, the championship remains very much alive! Bring on Silverstone!
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Hot on the heels of the opening round at Oulton Park, me and the kids were looking forward to more great racing and the prospect of a dry race at Rockingham. And we weren't disappointed.
Despite best intentions, we didn't leave home as early as planned, but made good time all the same. We passed through several sedate, picturesque villages - which couldn't have been further from the thunderous roar that we were about to experience at the Rockingham speedway. On turning into the grounds of the circuit entrance you have a long road leading to the grandstand. For me it had the feel of an American football stadium with the vast car parks surrounding it. Given its vastness, parking wasn't an issue, and was only a short walk from the entrance. Greeted by a friendly member of the Rockingham staff, we made our way into the circuit proper and quickly located a much needed toilet. The circuit layout is very different to the other circuits we've visited before. Because the pit area is infield and very small, the rest of the paddock locates itself outside the circuit. As it was already mid-morning, we decided to investigate the pits first and made our way through the tunnel (photo opportunity with my umbrella) and reappeared in the heart of the pit area. Whilst it feels a little more confined, it just meant that you bump into your favourite drivers more easily - which is no bad thing. We called into the Barwell garage first and wished Sam Tordoff good luck. We then had a great chat with Jonno (spelling?) and some of the other mechanics about the stunning Lamborghini's that they look after. The guys were just so friendly and we learnt loads - including that the cars are setup for the Am drivers because the Pros will find the limit and then go beyond!!!! It certainly seems to be working!! We made our way along the garages wishing the various drivers good luck, before stopping and having a chat with Derek Johnston. He is just such a lovely gentleman. He even took the kids into the garage to show them his stunning Aston Martin. Given the size of the pit area, it's worth quickly noting that the supercar display was a little on the small side. Although I feel bad for saying so because 1) we were clearly spoiled at Oulton Park and 2) we got to see an Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato which I've not seen before....! As lunchtime approached, it was time for the pit walk and making our way in we made our donation in support of Billy Monger. Our thoughts and best wishes, along with the rest of the British GT and Motorsport community, are with #BillyWhizz. It really does make you proud to be part of such a great family. We hope Billy makes a speedy return to his racing. With posters collected and signed (Jake Yorath’s posters are such fantastic pieces of art - a lovely collector’s item and worth the admission fee alone!) we headed back through the tunnel and up into the grandstands. The views really are fantastic, giving you the unique experience of being able to see the whole circuit and therefore follow all the action from one spot. When we next meet the drivers we will ask what they think of the circuit in terms of racing, but from a fans perspective it certainly was a plus point. Another huge plus point was the viewing platform above the pits. Just before the driver change, we quickly took up post above the Barwell garages and got to witness up close what goes on during these pitstops. It really was an excellent vantage point and would highly recommend. Once the pit window closed we hurried back to the grandstands (with obligatory ice cream stop) and watched the closing stages from high-up in the Gods. The whole safety car confusion is well documented elsewhere so I won’t go into details, but I must say that we were all very confused. Because of the noise of the cars (thunder in the case of the Bentleys) it was difficult to follow any commentary. However, when the Ferrari was awarded first place ahead of the no 31 Bentley, we were dumbfounded and couldn't work out what happened. However, despite the confusion, it thankfully didn't distract from the fantastic on track action, and we came away thoroughly entertained!! Unlike Oulton Park, as a fan you can't get up close to the podium ceremony, but from the grandstands you can see just enough. I think they do the post races just behind the podium, which would be accessible to the fans, but we didn't investigate any further. We stopped long enough to watch the Ginettas get underway before then making our way back to the car park, and heading home. In summary, it was another great day out. Superb all circuit view of the racing, including a fantastic pit lane vantage point for the mid-race driver change. Incredible access to the teams and cars - and still the friendliest race series out there. Coupled with exciting wheel to wheel action with some of the best drivers and machines in the world....Rockingham...You rocked! |
AuthorHi I'm Jon - an almost middle-aged motorsport fan - blogging for the first time.... Archives
September 2017
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