Silverstone
2008 - International MG Meeting
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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 do note the dedicated V8 parking area with the V8 Marquee is on the inside of the Circuit. Friday 13th to Sunday 15th June 2008 What are the changes for 2008? The Club's Main Marquee arrangements will be slightly different this year. In the Main Marquee there will be the usual stands for the registers, centres and other groups and returning this year, Performance Clothing, will have a stand with Club regalia. The MG models celebrating an anniversary this year will be in the middle of the marquee together with their register stands, and NAC will be bringing at least one new MG TF as a display car. The other large marquee will serve as a beer tent during the day, there will be no exhibition cars in it, and there will not be the usual small beer tent. On Saturday this marquee will be shut to the public, cleared and cleaned prior to serving the Club BBQ at 7.15pm although many V8 enthusiasts will have booked their V8BBQ and enjoy Clive Wheatley's hospitality at the V8 Marquee that evening. However, once the Club BBQ has been served, the large marquee will open to the public again, without charge, and John Day will act as MC from about 8.15pm, welcoming Club members and overseas visitors, and moving on to introduce Bill Wallis who will present the various trophies. At about 8.45pm a band will take over for the rest of the evening. (Information provided on 7.7.07) 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. How can I get tickets? 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 too 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.
Details to follow.
How
do I find the V8 Register at Silverstone?
Once you pass the ticket control point at the entrance to Cilverstone Circuit, 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 as you come down the slope from the bridge you will see the V8 Marquee (a large white marquee) and a grass area on the left. That area is marked with a blue "V8" on the plan below 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 V8 enthusiasts - we usually have over 120 V8s parked on each day.  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. The popular V8 and RV8 Workshop Notes CDs will be on sale at a special reduced price for Silverstone so long as stocks last! 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 above. How
can I find accommodation in the Silverstone area?
There are two useful sources of information: Guide to accommodation in the Silverstone area can be found in the tourism section of an excellent website at www.southnorthants.gov.uk run by the South Northamptonshire local authority which has detailed information on each farmhouse and guest house offering bed and breakfast, together with the small hotels and major hotels in the Silverstone area. At the South Northants website, just click the "Tourism" button, then the "Accommodation" link and then the particular link for the type of accommodation you prefer (B&B, guest house or hotel) to see the lists of that type of accommodation. You then click the link for each place to see the details of the accommodation on offer. Local Tourist Information Office in Brackely (a small town near Silverstone, just to the west off the A43) which is run by some of the most pleasant and helpful people you could wish to speak with. Call them on 01280 700111. So with these two useful sources of information even our overseas members will be able to check out the choice of available accommodation online and then book ahead. 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! Friday
Saturday
The V8 AGM is to be held at 12.30pm at the V8 Marquee when by tradition the whole of the V8 Committee stands down and elections are held for the eight posts for the forthcoming 12 months. The V8 AGM is always held at Silverstone so as many V8 members as possible will be able to attend and vote for the candidates they wish to see as members of the new V8 Committee. It is also an opportunity to raise any matters of concern or interest to fellow members. 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 at the meeting. Nominations of candidates offering themselves 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 and the Circuit closes at 6pm. |
For
further information at any time over the Silverstone weekend,
Victor Smith can be contacted on 07770 822977
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