Silverstone Classic/National Event. Who's going?
- Thread starter loc944
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924nutter
PCGB Member
I don't know; half price i.e.£20 is good, but woodlands site is a five minute tractor ride from club. I will not be bussing much as in this heat they will be like green houses, and packed like sardines. Last year I just drove the 911 down and parked in the club corner car park.
I should be there Thurs Fri and Sunday (it is anniversary weekend however, so there may be some adjustments to be made......)
Suffolk944
Moderator
Slight change of plan as we have just sold our house this morning and so need to go for a couple of second viewings on properties we like tomorrow now, but will be there Sunday for sure !
pauljmcnulty
Active member
I'll be going the other way, John. Hoping to be there by 7:30 as I think the entry and parking will be horrible later, with hundreds of old kettles breaking down! [
]
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ORIGINAL: pauljmcnulty
I'll be going the other way, John. Hoping to be there by 7:30 as I think the entry and parking will be horrible later, with hundreds of old kettles breaking down! [
.... and some 'Silverstone Mud' or 'Goodwood Dust' in for good measure [
]
Well "Small" and I had a great day. I guess, to be expected, there were very few Porsches other than 911's in the Club parking area (G13). It was a little sad that 944's were greatly outnumbered by Boxsters and other non 911's though.
Getting there early was certainly worthwhile as we pretty much drove straight in. Well worth getting up at 5:00 am for.
It does frustrate me that our Club consistently out shines every other Club present every year at this event and yet we still seem to be shunted to the perimeter while other dross seems to enjoy much more central locations. That said, it was near the Guinness bar, toilets, good views of the track and adjacent to the exit so perhaps the best spot available in many respects.
The Formula 1 Masters was mind numbingly good (quite literally), as were the Touring Cars and Group C. There was some filling in respect of the Classic FF and the like but, all in all, a very enjoyable day out.
I do feel a little sorry for the 911 paradeists who's experiences were entirely to be expected IMHO but otherwise seem a little disappointed that they were herded like sheep.
Getting there early was certainly worthwhile as we pretty much drove straight in. Well worth getting up at 5:00 am for.
It does frustrate me that our Club consistently out shines every other Club present every year at this event and yet we still seem to be shunted to the perimeter while other dross seems to enjoy much more central locations. That said, it was near the Guinness bar, toilets, good views of the track and adjacent to the exit so perhaps the best spot available in many respects.
The Formula 1 Masters was mind numbingly good (quite literally), as were the Touring Cars and Group C. There was some filling in respect of the Classic FF and the like but, all in all, a very enjoyable day out.
I do feel a little sorry for the 911 paradeists who's experiences were entirely to be expected IMHO but otherwise seem a little disappointed that they were herded like sheep.
GlennS
New member
Indeed not, and I spoke to several who had been harangued for parking "in the wrong place" on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday I can see the point in terms of organising things for the 911 parade but there was no logic to them being banished to the outer darkness on the other two days.
Three reasons I think. Firstly there aren't many locations in Silverstone where you can park so many cars together.
Secondly, that location gave easy access to the track for the parade.
Finally, money talks; specifically the backing from the manufacturer. Look at all the things BMW did, their huge two-level pavilion, sponsoring the wheel in the funfair, bringing some real exotica from their museum (M1, Batmobobile etc). Compared to that, Porsche's little portacabin-eseque mobile show-room wasn't up to much. Mercedes had their centre already in place by using the MB Eperience building. To be honest we also fell well short of the Aston Martin display with their buy-in from Aston. If PCGB and Porsche want one of the two or three big slots nearer the middle then they're going to have to up their game. Simply turning up with lots of members cars isn't enough any more, the show has grown and changed.
pauljmcnulty
Active member
Exactly.
I guess you either have to accept an outer area large enough for 1000 cars or so (and even then have to shunt hundreds more into a different area!), or a more "prestigious" infield area and severely restrict the numbers of cars allowed on it. Personally, I'd rather all the cars park together: it would be a shame if only 100 or 200 could have some sort of special area, and everyone else was in the general parking. Would they allow one Club to have an area for, say, 1200 cars, right in the centre?
I couldn't agree more about Porsche's commitment to the event. It was raised over a year ago, when this event was first mentioned, that they have a lovely experience centre at Silverstone, yet all we got was a couple of cars in a corner of our own area. [&o]
It's clear to see the difficulty of parking vs Sales pitch. You make a great point about the Porsche experience centre. Seeing no mention of it, over the 3 days I was there I didn't bother to go and see whether something was going on there. They could make a real presence for themselves by utilising the centre BUT to drag peoples attention from the main arena and engage them to visit it has to be compelling and that takes cash. Critically, I guess it comes down to a decision;
Will splashing a load of cash at this event sell more cars for Porsche?
The club does a good job of attracting members to park with the club and whilst this often puts us on the periphery of the event, how many of us would feel unloved if we had to park in the general parking outside and walk in?
I visited in my 964 and felt loved this year but owning a 944 I was also concious that no effort had been made to create an alternative, non 911 parking and display facility. This is a shame since diversity is one of the attractions of a car show like the classic and Porsche should be proud of theirs.
Speech over, sorry if I waffled on,
Mike
Will splashing a load of cash at this event sell more cars for Porsche?
The club does a good job of attracting members to park with the club and whilst this often puts us on the periphery of the event, how many of us would feel unloved if we had to park in the general parking outside and walk in?
I visited in my 964 and felt loved this year but owning a 944 I was also concious that no effort had been made to create an alternative, non 911 parking and display facility. This is a shame since diversity is one of the attractions of a car show like the classic and Porsche should be proud of theirs.
Speech over, sorry if I waffled on,
Mike
CarreraRSR
New member
http://www.porsche.com/silverstone/en/calendarofevents/ £1299 per person + VAT to use the Experience Centre vantage point during the F1 Grand Prix. No sign of last weekends event in their diary so I guess it wasn't 'available' ? Or at least to the general public.
Suffolk944
Moderator
Yes we had a great time watching the racing, drinking guiness and catching up with friends but as a PCGB "event" it was a bit of a non-event if you weren't a 911 driver who at least had the worlds slowest parade lap to look forward to after sitting at "readiness" for hours....
Bit sad to see every other type of Porsche (which I am led to believe there are many ! [] ) being shunted against the boundary fence as an after thought.
Bit sad to see every other type of Porsche (which I am led to believe there are many ! [
] ) being shunted against the boundary fence as an after thought.
G13 is probably the best option available. A few years back we did have the centre position with an overflow behind the grandstands opposite the pits. There were many more cars in the overflow than we could get on the main site and all these cars were unseen by the general public.
Of the two options G13 is by far the best and were I involved in the organisation again I think I would fight for G13.
I think you are right in respect of Porsches input. They don't need to spend money at the Silverstone Classic to sell cars. They have invested heavily in the Festival of Speed over the years and it would make little difference to the Club enclosure if they put in their big or small mobile hospitality unit. And the larger the area taken up by Porsche the less area would be available for members cars.
Of the two options G13 is by far the best and were I involved in the organisation again I think I would fight for G13.
I think you are right in respect of Porsches input. They don't need to spend money at the Silverstone Classic to sell cars. They have invested heavily in the Festival of Speed over the years and it would make little difference to the Club enclosure if they put in their big or small mobile hospitality unit. And the larger the area taken up by Porsche the less area would be available for members cars.
GlennS
New member
Ah well, I'll trot out my perennial "Universally Unpopular Solution to the Silverstone Classic Overcrowding Problem" (UUSSCOP). The clue is in the name, boys and girls. "Silverstone Classic". Keep the modern stuff out and only allow cars in keeping with the spirit of the event to park on the club stands. The "AA Grand Tour" which forms part of the event has an age limit of 20 years, that should be the guide.
For infield and display parking that's a decent suggestion so long as you ignore the income generated from car manufacturers who want a presence to sell their new cars on the back of their heritage. Classics only and I fear the ticket price goes up and the BOGOF deal ends. Idealogically I agree with you, economically I fear it cannot work.
Cheers
Mike
Cheers
Mike
GlennS
New member
I'm not sure that necessarily follows []
As an example, they have an age restriction on advance parking at the Goodwood Revival and yet Lord March allows manufacturer's to have stands with their modern offerings amongst them. That makes me "tut" but I accept the commercial realism.
The problem with the Classic these days is there are far too many car club cars in there. Whilst a modern Porsche might be acceptable to a classic motorsport fan (at least it is a "sports car") I noticed things like a standard Alfa MiTo on the Alfa Owner's stand and it wasn't the only example of that type of thing. It seems the Car Clubs have simply become "privileged infield parking".
] As an example, they have an age restriction on advance parking at the Goodwood Revival and yet Lord March allows manufacturer's to have stands with their modern offerings amongst them. That makes me "tut" but I accept the commercial realism.
The problem with the Classic these days is there are far too many car club cars in there. Whilst a modern Porsche might be acceptable to a classic motorsport fan (at least it is a "sports car") I noticed things like a standard Alfa MiTo on the Alfa Owner's stand and it wasn't the only example of that type of thing. It seems the Car Clubs have simply become "privileged infield parking".
As a passenger in a 944 who goes as much for the shopping as the racing and the cars (sorry!) I was very disapointed this year. This is the fourth Silverstone Classic we have been to and it will probably be the last. We got there at about 8 and were put against the boundary fence, fair enough, walked into the main area and went on the BMW wheel as there wasnt a queue, and was amazed how small the trade and shopping area was compared to previous - we went to MG Live earlier this year, and it was bigger! In previous years because we werent swamped by the 911s theres been register parking and we've had a bit of a chat at picnic time, but this year it just didnt happen. All credit to the PCGB volunteers who must be fed up with the carping as its not their fault, I think they did a tremendous job in trying circumstances.
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