About Me

I ramble about a number of things - but travel experiences, movies and music feature prominently. See my label cloud for a better idea. All comnments and opinions on this blog are my own, and do not in any way reflect the opinions/position of my employer (past/current/future).

30 January 2006

Reflections: A1GP Durban (sorry not a phlog)

This was my third major motorsport event, and there are quite a lot of parallels between F1 and A1GP events. I was very impreswsed with the programme, which included a supercar race, a cart race and a VW POLO race - maybe not comparable to historic car races, GP 2 etc - but still very enjoyable. As for A1 itself, it is less noisier (but still damn loud) and is slower, but was damn enjoyable none the less.

The event was also very well organised - but there are always some problems. Firstly, and the most serious was the lack of PA systems in many parts of the track, esp by the general admission areas. Lack of PA systems not only imply a lack of communication but could also be a serious safety hazard. If you watched the race, you will know that the race started quite late - and one of the reasons was the proximity of some general admission ticket holders being too close to the track - a problem that could have been easily solved if there was adequate information!

Less of a concern was the lack of TV screens - something that definitely lessened the enjoyment of the race. Other things like the centralisation of many facilities and lack of maps (where are the best gates?) also need to be improved.

But I am looking forward to the race next year, and maybe I will take up a room at the Blue Waters hotel - it was R3000 this year, but surely I can get it cheaper by booking earlier. Anyone wants to join me and chip in?