March 23rd, 2011
At 9am on Saturday morning we found ourselves standing just over the pit wall on the track next to the Audis and Peugeots. It is Sebring tradition that before the race (which starts at 10:30am) all the cars are lined up along the grid and the public are allowed to wander amongst them and get up real close. Mechanics and support staff are present too, so you can ask questions and take all the photos that you want.
I must warn you though, the grid walk is popular and getting from car to car can be difficult in such tightly packed crowds. However it is well worth it. If you didn’t feel part of the Sebring 12 hours before, you really do now. I am not really one to name drop, but as I walked along the pit wall taking photos, I quite literally, bumped into Dr. Ullrich, the head of Audi Motorsport. Of course I shook his hand, explained that I was from the UK and wished him the best of British Luck. He was very relaxed and enjoying the atmosphere on the Sebring circuit too, so was happy to chat about Audi’s hopes for the season. The new R18 car is being tested at Sebring after the race and will be more than ready for the next round of the ILMC at Spa apparently. Peugeot you have been warned.
Fifteen minutes before the start the grid was cleared and we took up are viewing positions for the race proper. Don’t worry I am not going to bore you with detail about what happened, when it happened and whose fault it was here. I will leave that for others to do. I can tell you though, over the course of the next 12 hours, we were able to walk to all corners of the circuit and usually the viewing is unhindered by large fences and other obstacles.
Sebring has a great reputation as a circuit for race fans and I can understand why. We must have walked every inch of the 3.7 mile circuit (there are courtesy shuttles if you don’t want to walk) and taken decent photos of every car. My favourite section has to be from turn 6 right around to turn 13. A walkway, named “Sebring Boulevard” takes you between the campers and the track all around the area known as Green Park. Not only do you get unobstructed views of the race along this stretch, but you also get to see the best that the Sebring race fans can produce in the form of campsites and self made viewing platforms around the edge. Spectators around at turn 10 were treated to a row of intricate campsites set up over the last few days, including everything from 10 feet scaffold towers, to wild west style ranch complete with fish tank and chicken coop (?). Le Mans fans, the bar has been raised this year!
March 18th, 2011
I mentioned earlier that there are plenty of similarities between Le Mans and Sebring. Well that is true. However their are just as many differences.
The atmosphere at the circuit here in Sebring is electric. There is always something going on. Perhaps the biggest difference between here and Le Mans is the access that all race fans get.
The paddock area is open to all. If you want to watch the Peugeot or Audi guys working on their cars then just pop by, park yourself outside their garage and watch. The paddock area stretches the length of the back straight and (I timed this) takes 10 minutes just to walk from one end to the next.
If you want to get up close with the drivers then you can do that to. Today all the drivers will be in the paddock for an autograph session and to meet with all race fans. However, be careful you don’t get too close! Yesterday I found myself in the toilets standing next to Allan McNish. We nodded an aknowledgement, but didn’t shake hands!
For a more informal meeting with your race heroes, we are pleased to be able to offer all our customers access to race team caterers in the paddock at next year’s race. All our customers will receive a pass to get in to the hospitality marquee adjacent to the paddock. In 15 minutes yesterday I counted 20 drivers stop by for a meal (including 2 Le Mans winners) and there were race team mechanics and staff on every table around us.
It was great to spend some time yesterday with Eve from Radio Le Mans and with Graham Goodwin from Daily Sports Car. We will be announcing some new and exciting developments with our friends very soon.
March 18th, 2011
Driving down Highway 27 from Orlando, it soon becomes clear that somehing is going on. First you see a couple of Corvettes on the road, then a few Porsches. RVs are everywhere in this part of Florida anyway at this time of year but there is a definite concentration around Sebring this week.
It is expected that 100,000 people will descend on the town of Sebring for this weekends race, and 2 of them will be from Travel Destinations. Andy and myself (Richard) are here in the USA to meet with hotels, race officials and members of the media to add to our programme for this race.
This year is the first year that we are offering travel, ticket and accommodation offers for Sebring, but we hope that we will be able to offer more and more in the year’s to come.
We arrived in Sebring on Tuesday night, but come sunrise on Wednesday it was obvious we were in a special place. We are staying at the Majestic Cove Condos which are lakeside in downtown Sebring, just 10 minutes from the track. Having breakfast on the balcony watching the sunrise, it was difficult to justify why we live in London at this time of year. It is beautiful here.
The weather is hot. At the track temperatures have been near 30 degrees centigrade. This causes problems for drivers and spectators alike as there isn’t much shade at the track. There are some trees on the infield but they have been claimed by the first race fans to arrive at the circuit when the gates first opened.
The similarities between Sebring and Le Mans are everywhere.
