WEC LMP1-H Hospitality Tents, Ranked.

"Fl1ngstam" (Fl1ngstam) 04/13/2015 at 17:47 • Filed to: None

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Full Disclosure: I paid for my own ticket, and nobody invited me in to check the VIP areas out for myself. In fact, they took great care to ensure that I couldn't get in. This review, therefore, is based purely on my subjective views of the relative aesthetic qualities of these structures when viewed from a respectful distance.

As there are only 4 teams competing in LMP1-H this year, this will be an exhaustive list.

4. Toyota

If you value your privacy, this is the hospitality area to be in. Totally opaque from the outside. Hopefully some light filters in to those enclosed by it's flat sides. It could be a wedding marquee, were it not for the liberal application of images of Toyota's endurance racing past, as if to remind everyone that they have actually been doing this for a while.

3. Nissan

Even though they weren't racing at Silverstone, Nissan brought their full pit garage decoration kit and hospitality structure. It's smaller than the others, but has all the features required of such a building, including the only open-air roof/viewing platform of all the teams. I guess it reflects the smaller budget they're running with.

2. Porsche

Now we're getting a bit more serious. This temporary building looks very impressive and has lots of large glass areas. It's only when you step back a bit that you can tell that it has a flexible roof and sides.

1. Audi

Audi appear to have taken their standard European Dealership template, folded it into the back of a fleet of trucks and hauled it over to Silverstone. It's hard to believe this structure is only here for the weekend before being packed up again to travel over to Spa for the next round. It is actually a pretty good match to the main Silverstone Wing building whose shadow it sits in.

So, there you have it. Audi's relentless quest for perfection extends to the place it serves coffee to it's VIPs when out on the road.

turbojames > Fl1ngstam 04/13/2015 at 18:03

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Holy crap, if I had seen that Audi building at Silverstone I'd have thought it was permanently emplaced. That's impressive.

Fl1ngstam > turbojames 04/13/2015 at 18:09

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It was right next to a similar structure, although that one was permanent. The only differences between the two were that one had external plumbing going into the concrete, and the Audi one had more glass.

turbojames > Fl1ngstam 04/13/2015 at 18:13

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Doesn't Porsche have a Porsche Experience program at Silverstone? Why didn't they use that facility, just wondering

Fl1ngstam > turbojames 04/13/2015 at 18:27

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They used that as well. The paddock building was just more convenient for the drivers and people coming and going from the pit garages. There was a 919 show car in the Experience centre, and they appeared to be hosting some party there too. They were also the only brand to have their owner's club represented in a unique parking area on the other side of the circuit. They had VIP shuttle minibuses and Ultra-VIP Panameras with drivers on standby. Nobody threw as much money at entertaining guests as Porsche, despite not having as fancy a building as Audi did.

turbojames > Fl1ngstam 04/13/2015 at 18:36

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Which is strange, because Audi is the luxury brand... lulz

Peter Leung > Fl1ngstam 04/15/2015 at 20:38

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Very nice round up. Audi has been making strides when it comes to trackside structures. They were one of the first to bring pit wall "suites" to Le Mans. Now a few teams have them as well.

Before that, Audi used to rent Red Bull's massive Energy Station for Le Mans, which was pretty cool. Downstairs was for media, and upstairs was for hospitality / VIP guests.