Newbie question

[SACK-U]

I got this via email and decided to post it in case any more virgins have a questions like this

hello. i have been to 2 rolex 24's, 2 PLM's, and a couple other races. i am almost confirmed to get my cherry popped in march!!! we would be arriving on fri morning. arangements have almost been finalized. what would you suggest doing as far as where to go at the track after the events on fri and where are some good spots to watch the actual race? thanks in advance and any and all info is appreciated.....neale

Congrats on getting your cherry popped

There are many places that are excellent to watch the race. Almost every turn has a viewing mound. There are plenty of excellent places to watch the race. During the race, as long as you are polite most people will let you walk to the fence, in their reserved spot to watch. Some people will evel let you get on top of their motorhome, semitruck or some other type of structure to watch for a short while. Just be polite and ask before assuming. To get the whole experience you really need to walk the whole track, which will take a good portion of the race day

Places you have to see:
Turn 1 (awesome start)
Turn 3-5 (passing under braking and throttle control)
Turn 7 (it's a hairpin)
Turn 10 (Good turn with a huge party crowd)
14-16 (looks easy on the map but not)
Back Straight (pure speed)
Turn 17 (This turn is so wide it has 3 apexes,  plus a pit in apex pure mayhem)

Now you see I almost listed every turn

Now for the parties:
Friday night is like Mardi Gras (beads for boobs), just a little rougher. Follow the midway to the green park drive over bridge. Just over that will be a huge gathering of people and F-Troop (http://www.f-troop.com) sets up a huge stage and plays live music into the wee hours. You will find the Saturday night bonfire there too.

Almost every turn has it's own bar that starts up at night. Bring a good portable cooler to visit all the places.


Spring Brake Party zone: Located at the start of the midway. Bikini contests and such happening. Schedule is yet to be released.

Do's and Dont's:
You will spend a lot of time walking around. It is common to ask people in pickup trucks for a ride. Especially over the green park drive over bridge, where you can't walk over)

While you will see what appears to be a insane amount of unruliness in green park, remember there are probably 200 undercover cops and another 200 swat team/crowd control officers lurking, waiting to pounce. Use drugs or drink underage in the open, you will go to jail. Act like a total dunken idiot and they will eject you.

You are on private property so they tolerate open containers in vehicles. If you act like a idiot in your car, they will escort you and your vehicle to the gate and eject you. It is a long drive home, probably with beer on your breath, the local sebring cops will snatch you up

Official warning:
Deaths and injuries occur every year at the race. Alchohol is usually involved. People usually fall off motorhomes, fall out of cars, or get run over by cars. So be alert on the midway for traffic and never stand in the back of a pickup truck unless you know the driver is stopped for a period of time. The midway concrete is 6 ft thick, there is no give when your head hits it. Last year a guy died falling out of the back of a explorer hatch with a busted skull.


I think I will post this email at SebringFans.com. Join the group and make some friends before you even get there

SACK-U

[johnevans3]

There's a good posibility that a friend and I will be coming for the 12 Hours of Sebring.  I will be driving from Texas in an SUV and probably arriving on Wednesday evening late.  We plan to park in a general parking area.  
      Is is possible to set up a tent by the truck in a general parking area?
 
      Is the parking on grass and spaces not marked or is it on pavement with spaces marked?  
     
      If it is open parking in a field, is there one we should try to get into?  

       I am thinking about putting a large piece of plyboard on top so we can put out chairs up there for viewing.  If we park too far away that would be pointless.
 
       What about shower facilities?

I am a member of the Club Arnage group that goes to Le Mans.  I went for the first time this past year and had a blast.  Will not be able to go this year so am looking forward to Sebring.   I did find a lot of logistical information on the Club Arnage website that helped plan my trip last year.  I would respectfully request that you guys consider a section like that as well.  It would be most helpful to newbies like me for planning what to take and how to prepare before we get there.  Especially helpful would be camping, facilities, where to park, gatherings of the Sebring Fans group, etc.  Thanks in advance for your help and look forward to linking up with some of you folks.
John Evans
Tyler, Texas

[LetsRide]

i would add some info for you.  Check the map out here http://www.sebringraceway.com/RacewayMapfinal2005.pdf and see general parking.  It isn't a big area.  So you are getting there early but probably not early enough to get a location to see the track clearly.  But the traffic that goes through the area is pretty entertaining as well so you may want to look for a good area for that secondary.  Don't plan on roping off an area.  It won't fly probably.  

As for the showers, I usually see them at night after a day of use.  Get there early for best results.  Maybe take a Friday morning shower and skip it on Saturday morning and roll down the windows on the way home. :lol:

[LetsRide]

I just checked the SebringRaceway site...besides it being worse then last year, it also lacks the basic information that you are looking for.  What a travesty...hey Sack-U, you need to get that business dude.  They are screwing it up major!  

So, other then typical camping stuff, not much else to bring.  Beads help depending on what you are watching.  Beer.  Water.  Fire extinguisher.  

Keep watching the site and usually there is a map that has all the party spots marked.  This usually is where members host thier own parties.  Host one yourself or use it to find some fellow members and potential places to camp.

[johnevans3]

Thanks for the additional info.  Every little bit helps, especially the parking info.  I gather we can camp right there where we park.  It will be a simple campsite, just tents and cooking gear.  I would suspect we would arrive sometime before midnight on Wednesday.  Hopefully, there won't be a lot of traffic and we can get on to the camping/parking area easily.  I need to get some beads....

[DKWEST]

I did a Campers guide last year for the forum here. I don't know if it is archived anywhere,.. I'll look around.

johnevans3: Welcome to SebringFans.com . You definately have to do Sebring. Give me a couple Days and I'll do a new and Complete Campers Survival Guide, with all the What, When, Why, Where, and How's.

[johnevans3]

Wow!  Thanks a bunch.  Don't kill yourself over this, we still have 6 weeks.  But I do appreciate your time on this.  I would suggest that it be archived with read only for all of us and you be the only one who can edit, add to, etc.  You could take contributions from emails or posts and cut and paste appropriate additional material.  That would really be a great contribution for all, especially us newbies.  
I talked with my buddy last night and it looks pretty much like a go.  We will just camp by the truck and if the weather turns nasty, just pile up in the back with our blow up MATTRESSES, not dolls, and sleep there.
I saw something somewhere in a post where part of the track you can't walk to, you have to ride across a bridge.  Where is this on the map and what's the deal with that?
Thanks again for the "Survival Guide", I know it will be most helpful.
je

[Kings_Suck]

I saw something somewhere in a post where part of the track you can't walk to, you have to ride across a bridge.  Where is this on the map and what's the deal with that?

I think you saw a comment about the vehicle bridge going into Green Park.  No pedestrians are allowed on this bridge, but you can walk about a quarter mile down the track to a walkover bridge, or bum a ride in the back of a pickup truck.  Don't fall out.

[johnevans3]

Oops.  Sorry SACH-U.  I choose the same film clip for my postings.  I really like that one but didn't realize you already had it.  I would like to keep it but would change to something else if you want.  Please forgive.
je

[SACK-U]

Hey, I don't care. Shakwedown067 took those pics from out turn 1 spot. Thank him for making them