As far as I understand it, and of course I stand to be corrected:
'The Welcome Area' is behind what used to be the old press centre at the end of the pits, the white cube like building. It has a bar and a restaurant, and the food looks pretty good, although it's very pricey, and I suspect you have to book. Most of the people eating there look 'corporate', and are probably on expenses. There are, behind a bamboo screen, some very ok bogs. You can get access onto the top of the old press building some time after the start of the race, this is usually 3 or 4 hours but has varied. You get a good view down the pit lane. You will need to pay a supplement on top of your ticket prices to get in at the very least. Although we go in there every year (for Gods sake, if you do go there, under no circumstances visit the traps between 12:30 and 1:00 on Sunday) we've never really sussed out the entrance requirements. Some years the doorman has insisted on seeing our grandstand tickets??
There's a small grassed area in some dappled shade and a couple of benches, it's not a great view of the cars, but the noise is good
That's it in a nutshell. Official entrance requirements are that you have a separate ticket, but as you've noticed the doorman often isn't there, or isn't clued up (doesn't care perhaps?).
It's not what it used to be though - back in the mid-80s when I started going, the fence was right at the bottom of the slope, alongside the pit lane exit. In those days you got a reasonably good view - I was in the Welcome at the end of the race in 1988. We weren't corporate, but the champagne flowed all the same.
Aah, those were the days
Anyway, I'm a new face around here so hi all!
