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How
do you find the V8 Register at Silverstone?
Over the last year we have had a huge surge in
new members joining the V8 Register and many are considering attending
the MG Car Club's principal annual event - the International
MG Weekend Meeting at Silverstone. As some of the new members
may not be familiar with the layout at Silverstone, this brief note
aims to provide a brief guide on how you get to Silverstone, where
you enter and how you can get tickets and a programme, together
with a plan of the Circuit. There are also details of the layout
of the event - but donote it is on the inside of the Circuit.
Dates for 2004 confirmed!
Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th July 2004
80th Anniversary for MG in 2004
Getting
to Silverstone
From the north and west you can reach Silverstone on the A43 from
the M40 at J10. From the north and east you can approach Silverstone
on the A43 from the A5 at Towcester and the M1 at J15a. From the
south you can use either the M1 or the M40 or alternatively you
can follow a very pleasant rural route from Aylesbury via Winslow,
Buckingham and Stowe and then the small village of Dadford just
south of the Circuit.
Please note - the map above incorrectly marks the
M40 (on the LHS) as the M4.
It is in fact the M40!
Where
do you get into Silverstone?
A new bypass passing to the south of Silverstone village was completed
in 2002 and you now turn off the A43 at the junction which is clearly
signposted for Silverstone Circuit. The main entrance gate
to Silverstone Circuit is south of the junction with the A43 on
the Dadford Road. You then turn into the wide main entrance and
ahead of you are the ticket control points. Tickets and programmes
are on sale at this point.
Tickets can be
purchased on the day at the ticket control point or they
can be ordered in advance at a discount from Club Office as explained
in the issues of Safety Fast! in the months before the event. Please
do not leave it to late - there has to be sufficient time remaining
for the tickets to be mailed to you! Camping facilities are available
at the Circuit and can also be booked in advance. Just contact Gill
Watson at Club Office on 01235 555552.
Once
beyond the ticket control point at the entrance to the Circuit,
how do I find the V8 Register?
Just follow the signs for the route to the inside of the Circuit
which will take you over a steel bridge (see the "Vehicle
Pedestrian Bridge" in the bottom LH corner of the plan
below) which crosses the Grand Prix track at Bridge Corner just
before the Complex (the series of corners - Priory, Brooklands &
Luffield - leading to Woodcote Corner and the Main Straight). Continue
following the signs to a second bridge ("Vehicle Bridge"
in the centre of the plan below) which takes you over the Club Straight,
and then almost immediately turn right at a small roundabout. You
will then see just a fraction to your right but ahead of you a large
white marquee and a grass area (coloured yellow and marked "A"
on the plan) which is the dedicated V8 & RV8 parking area
for the weekend. You can leave your car here with some confidence
that it is parked amongst vehicles admired by fellow enthusiasts
- we usually have over 80 V8s parked on each day. The large V8
Marquee is located roughly by the bottom of the large figure
1 ("One") in the yellow area of the plan below.
The layout at Silverstone Circuit for the International MG
Meeting organised by the MG Car Club
V8 Marquee
This is a traditional refuge for V8 enthusiasts at the Club's Silverstone
weekend meeting, with supplies of real ale, stilton cheese, spare
parts and V8 Register publications available. This year we will
also have ample supplies of the recently released V8 and RV8 Workshop
Notes on CD too together with copies of the DVD of the RV8 Talk
given by David Bishop and John Yea in 2003 as part of the V8 25th
Anniversary week of events. There will also be copies on CD of the
transcript of the Don Hayter Talk 2002 - a popular event held at
Sandford near Abingdon in February 2002. If we are unfortunate enough
to have bad weather over the Silverstone weekend, the V8 Marquee
will become an essential refuge - this has been the experience
in some previous years when we have had wind and rain. So do seek
the shelter and good company in the V8 Marquee should conditions
be cold or wet.
The
MG Car Club's marquee, exhibition marquee and the adjoining beer
tent
They are located on Central Road in the area coloured yellow and
marked "B" on the plan.
Accommodation
near Silverstone
For suggestions on bed and breakfast places or hotel accommodation
in the Silverstone area, call the Tourist Information Office
at Brackley on 01280 700111. The ladies who run that office
are very cheerful and most helpful.
Clothing
and footwear
For members who are not familiar with Silverstone it is essential
you pack at least two extra sweaters together with windproof and
waterproof outerclothing and stout footwear. Silverstone is
up on a plateau (a former wartime airfield) which catches the wind
and rain in a serious way! The ground holds the water as there is
clay beneath the top layer. Sitting in the grandstands can be very
chilly indeed when the wind is blowing - even in Summer! So please
do ensure that ladies attending the event have good footwear and
warm clothing too - make a double check that any ladies coming
to Silverstone are suitably prepared! Although we have had three
scorching hot Silverstone weekends in recent years, packing an umbrella
is also vital - and suntan lotion just in case!
V8
Register programme for the International MG Weekend Meeting
Friday
Friday has a full day of practising for the scratch and handicap
motor racing events over the weekend. Practice is very worthwhile
spectating. Victor Smith will be collecting
the beer from the Hook Norton Brewery at around noon - full
details of the route and time schedule are available on the V8 Website
for any members wishing to join to route at any stage or join him
at the brewery. A few members meet up at the V8 Marquee at Silverstone
during the afternoon as the beer is set up for the weekend and the
marquee organised. An informal supper is held at the Star
Inn at Sulgrave, a small village to the north west of the A43 between
Silverstone and Brackley, from around 6.45pm. We meet in the bar
and if the weather is fine, the Star has a pleasant garden. The
map below shows the route from Silverstone to Sulgrave - see Sulgrave
2004 for route directions nad a more detailed map. No booking
is needed for this informal supper.
The route from Silverstone Circuit to the Star Inn in Sulgrave
village to the north west of Silverstone. A more detailed map is
available - see Sulgrave 2004.
Saturday
There is plenty to enjoy during the day - call in at the V8 Marquee
which is open throughout the day, visit the extensive array of
trade stands, visit the Club Marquee, tour the paddock
and see the all the competitors cars on display, and spectate
the full race programme - in fact one of the best Club motor
sports events on the UK calendar. In the evening there is a choice
- you can attend a Club Dinner in the marquee adjacent to
the new BRDC Clubhouse where we have a V8 Table. Tickets for the
Club Dinner have to be booked in advance through Club Office
by telephone on +44 1235 555552 mentioning you would like to
be seated on the V8 Table. Alternatively you can book a place using
the application form in Safety Fast! and a cheque or chargecard.
Don't leave your booking too late! - it's always a popular event.
Once you have booked, do let Victor
Smith know so we can coordinate the V8 Table.
Sunday
The programme for Sunday includes Club's concours
covering all MG models, driving tests, a continued motor
racing programme. and a Track Laps sessions. The Track
Laps sessions are very popular and can be booked through Gill Waltson
at Club Office on 01235 555552. The real ale, Stilton cheese and
stalls in the V8 Marquee will be available (subject to supplies)
during the day. Itt is an ideal opportunity to meet up with fellow
V8 enthusiasts and V8 Team members like Brian Moyse (RV8
Workshop Notes Editor), David Biddle (V8 Curry Organiser),
Keith Rowson (V8 Events), Sue Walker (V8 Regalia),
Clive Wheatley (V8 Spares Guru), Steve Newton (V8
Technical Member) not to mention our chairman David Waterton,
Gavin Bailey (V8 Secretary), Jim Gibson (V8 Treasurer),
and Victor Smith (V8 Registrar & Scribe). Derek and
Ellen Spencer-Jones who are organising the V8 Shropshire Tour
2004 will be around too over the weekend. Unfortunately Geoff
Allen (V8 Historian & Archivist) will not be at Silverstone
2004.
The V8 AGM is to be held at 12.30pm at the V8 Marquee when
the whole of the V8 Committee stands down and elections are held
for the eight posts for the forthcoming 12 months. See the formal
notice of the meeting in the June 2004 issue of Safety Fast!
All registered members of the V8 Register who are currently members
of the MG Car Club are eligible for nomination for election and
can vote. Nominations for election to the V8 Committee are posted
in the V8 Marquee and the formal notice of the V8 AGM is made in
a prior issue of Safety Fast!, the Club's monthly magazine. The
event winds down from late afternoon on Sunday.
For further
information at any time over the Silverstone weekend, Victor
Smith can be contacted on 07770 822977.
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