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!
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AuthorHi I'm Jon - an almost middle-aged motorsport fan - blogging for the first time.... Archives
September 2017
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