Looks like the fun police are really cracking down at Silverstone for next years MotoGP. After attending for the last god knows how long I'll probably call it a day. Each year less stands, no buses to get around the curcuit. Camping prices gone through the roof. Now the final straw. No alcoholic beverages are permitted into the curcuit, because you want to rip people off charging £8 for 500ml of lager . Im not asking to take 4 creates of Stella into the venue just a few cans. https://help.silverstone.co.uk/hc/e...ems-which-I-m-prohibited-from-bringing-MotoGP
That was the old rule from last year. Which I think is fair. Will try and confirm with Silverstone on Monday what the deal is.
Good luck with that, pretty sure one person, working from home, does the email replies and quite frankly, they know shit. Found the page from your link and wonder if Dorna/FIM has requested Silverstone to be ‘dry’ Andy
The real moto gp experience died when it left Donny this is just the latest in a long line of terrible decisions. Sad thing is they’ll never listen to the fans, we’ll just lose the BGP when crowd numbers become even more embarrassing than they already are.
There’s a very good reason MotoGP didn’t return to Donington a few years ago, it doesn’t meet the FIM requirements and the shower of shit who leased the circuit, didn't have the funds to carry out the substantial modifications to the track. Since Palmer took on the lease, a lot of money has been spent on the track but there isn’t the real estate at McLean's and Coppice to provide the required run off. Andy
Spend the money on another European race and it's different event altogether. I've only been to Misano twice and Austria this year but as a weekend of racing they are on another level. Decent food and drink, quality facilities and in Austria a free bus and cheap trains to the circuit and loads of entertainment once inside.
Been done to death hasnt it but theyve certainly got the space to do it if they wanted to, sort the Melbourne loop out while they’re at it and bring back some of the old favourites back like the Dunlop bridge. Some of my best moto gp memories were being perched with your mates on starkeys bridge (first phase of Donny rebuild Imo) watching vr46 et al fly past with 80k plus on race day. Glorious, the Sic58 boys with all their wigs camped out down craner curves and you could watch at least a third of a lap if you got the right spec. Absolute joy that Silverstone will never provide. In fact my only decent memory of Silverstone barring my old man’s birthday was watching Rins beat knobhead by a gnats ballbag a few years back. The rest of the time I’ve either been bored, freezing cold or both.
Sadly, Silverstone appears to have lost interest in bikes full stop these days. I love riding it, GP my favourite track by a long way and was always a good day. If they dont let bikes back on next year will be gutted and probably take the year out and concentrate on other hobby. However, its about the worst spectator track in the UK. The old layout meant you could sit in the complex and watch about 25% of the lap time from under the bridge and just about see to the start line with the right spot. Since they put the new layout/pits in half of thats gone so get to see about 10% from anywhere on track so just not the same. Watched a few events, including F1, bikes and some club events and sadly the new pits just dont do it for me, cant even see most of the pit stops with the drop down to the garages now.
Went to a club day earlier this year. My first time. Didn’t like the place at all from a viewing perspective. It might be OK to ride/drive but it felt soulless. Barely any catering facilities either on that day. Poor.
Silverstone dictate the prices food concession charge and take a percentage cut of the take, on top of the initial cost for the pitch. No surprise there were few outlets at a club meet. Andy
Wish Brands Hatch was compliant. Undeniably a much better viewing experience than Donington or Silverstone, the lattter being what it is. A flat open expanse of a former airfield with little if anything to offer a trackside fan, unless he/she stumps up to sit in one of the grotesquely overpriced grandstands or watches from the sterility of a corporate tent on a big screen whilst burning the best part of £500-£1000 for the privelege. No thanks. Silverstone is not interested in MotoGP anymore. F1 is the real cash cow for them, so why bother. Hate the place. Notwithstanding the last time I went, where they were charging £17 for a baguette. What a joke. It's not an engaging track to spectate from, feels too disconnected from the crowd and is outshone by much better venues on the yearly circuit such as the the Red Bull Ring in Austria or Mugello, that ooze character and atmosphere from the get go.
We each speak as we find, Montmelo for the WSBK this year was abject shit, in total contrast to the MotoGP the last time we went there. I know Silverstone exactly for what it is and I organise myself to suit, bring my own food and (lots of) warm clothing. We have enjoyed ourselves immensely over the years (apart from the year that was a washout but we did get a full refund). We engage with the included evening entertainment (even the drum & base DJ ) and just chill. Weekend tickets for two, in our stand of choice and 4 nights folding camper pitch with electricity hook up on the Silverstone Glamping site for May next year, has cost a total of £439. As I have posted elsewhere, equivalent weekend stand tickets at some of the European circuits currently being advertised, are twice the cost and more than Silverstone. Valencia this year would have cost us around £2300, not including food and beer. Andy
I agree I found Silverstone pretty well organised; moreover there was a phase when kids went free and lots of the entertainments aimed at them were too. It felt like they were really trying. And the riders are always very enthusiastic about it.
